NEW RELEASES : In Brief

* * 1/2 Ramsey Lewis, “Ivory Pyramid,” GRP. At 58, Lewis is playing like a man in the prime of his life. This album is a typical musical excursion for the quintet format he now favors, enlivened by a few rhythmically energetic funk tunes and, in “Love’s Gotta Hold,” an out-and-out attempt at a pop single (with a vocal by his son Bobby). But the album’s most appealing moments occur during Lewis’ languorous piano lines on the night music sounds of “A Night in Bahia” and the title piece.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).