Urban Knights

Urban Knights

Group from United States

Genres: jazz, jazz fusion, Smooth Jazz, Fusion, soul, smooth

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About Urban Knights

Urban Knights is an all-star collective that creates funky crossover jazz music in the spirit of Ramsey Lewis' the '70s and '80s albums, as well as the work of bands like the Blackbyrds and the Jazz Crusaders. Formed in 1995, the group was initially a showcase for Lewis and a rotating cast of guest artists. Over the years, Urban Knights have issued several Top 20 Billboard jazz albums, including 1995's Urban Knights I, 2001's Urban Knights IV, and 2005's Urban Knights V. The group's debut album, Urban Knights I, was released in 1995 on GRP and produced by Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White. Joining Lewis were several notable performers, including Grover Washington, Jr., Omar Hakim, Freddie Hubbard, and others. The album reached number five on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Urban Knights II, which followed two years later, again found Lewis working with producer White and featured guest appearances by Gerald Albright, Najee, Jonathan Butler, and more. The album reached number seven on the jazz chart. For 2000's Urban Knights III, Lewis moved the group to Narada Records and enlisted several Chicago-area musicians, including his son, keyboardist Frayne Lewis, and the all-female vocal group the Staples, saxophonist Dave Koz, and guitarists Earl Klugh and Fareed Haque. The album peaked at number four on the jazz charts. In 2001, Lewis and the group returned with Urban Knights IV, which featured one-time Donald Byrd protégé trumpeter Ron Haynes and guest performer guitarist Norman Brown. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. With 2002's The Chicago Project, Lewis stepped back from Urban Knights and handed leadership over to his son, keyboardist/producer Frayne Lewis. The elder Lewis returned the following year for Urban Knights V, which featured appearances by saxophonist Kenny Garrett, vocalist Michelle Williams, and trumpeter Orbert Davis. The group released Urban Knights VI in 2005, featuring a performance by keyboardist Kevin Randolph, saxophonist Nick Bisesi, drummer Quinjuan Anderson, bassist Maurice Fitzgerald, and noted Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard jazz chart. After an extended break, Lewis put together another Urban Knights lineup for 2019's Urban Knights VII, featuring guitarist Henry Johnson, keyboardist Tim Gant, bassist Joshua Ramos, and drummer Charles Heath, along with vocalist Dee Alexander and trumpeter Maurice Brown. The album included original songs and reworkings of classic songs by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and the Beatles.

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