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Artist
Urban Knights
12+ albums
Smooth JazzjazzFusionsoulsmooth
about
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 N
