Album
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October 27, 2011
Ray Charles Live In Antibes (1961)
Read moreThe 1961 Festival French Ray Charles fans (video still). The 1961 edition of the Antibes Jazz Festival, in later years also known as Jazz à Juan, was the second in its history. It had Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Les McCann as headliners, but Ray was given a super star treatment, and actually fulfilled the […]
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October 9, 2011
Birth Of A Big Band: Ray Charles’ October 1961 Concerts In Paris
Read moreDavid Newman Hank Crawford. Don Wilkerson. John Hunt. Phil Guilbeau. Keg Johnson. Leroy Cooper. Sonny Forriest. Bruno Carr. In 1961 Ray Charles conquered France. End of July he was the “artist in residence” (as we would now call it) at the Antibes festival, where he performed with his “small big band” (although he had established […]
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September 8, 2011
Singular Genius, A 5-CD Box With All Of Ray Charles’ ABC Singles
Read moreThe 5-disk box Singular Genius was released on 15 November 2011 by Concord Music Group. The set offers all of Ray Charles’ 106 ABC single tracks, remastered in mono. Most of it, Conmcord’s John Burl claimed, comes from the RPM vaults, some tracks came from dubs that were sent abroad for local distribution, some even […]
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September 5, 2011
Ray Charles, His Band & Peter Nero On Local TV In Philadelphia (1997)
Read moreIn a Keyboard Magazine interview Ray Charles, when asked about his favorite pianist, was quoted as saying, “Art Tatum could play anything he wanted to. He’s one of the few people who I truly believe could play anything he thought of… and Peter Nero plays his buns off!” Probably the first time the two of […]
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May 30, 2011
Ray Charles Plays For Children (Imaginary Albums, Vol. 1)
Read moreAlphabet Song (with kids choir) Alphabet Song (with other celebs) It’s Not Easy Being Green (with Kermit) It’s Not Easy Being Green (with Muppet choir) I Got A Song (with Bert & Ernie) Monster In The Mirror (with Grover and other celebs) Believe In Yourself (wih Elmo and Sesame choir) Zip A Dee Do Dah […]
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April 19, 2011
Ray Charles Live At The Nassau Coliseum (1973)
Read moreTony Horowitz (his mother was in the audience), on trumpet. George Wein’s bill of the last night of the second Newport Jazz Festival, on 8 July 1973 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on Long Island, carried the names of Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, and Tito Puente. Cf. this squib, this […]
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March 21, 2011
Genius And Friends (2005)
Read moreWhen a recording artist dies, their record company always gets squeezed between their (and the artist’s heirs’) commercial interests and their integrity. The questions they usually (have to) ask themselves are: Should we issue these songs, although the artist didn’t explicitly approve any release? Should we (re)mix those tunes to our own tastes, since the […]
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February 20, 2011
Rita Graham, Vibrations (Ray Charles On Piano) (1969)
Read moreYou Better Go Now Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (There Is) No Greater Love Meditation P.S. I Love You Charade The Genie My Cup Runneth Over You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To Cover photo by Howard Morehead. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles, […]
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February 20, 2011
Bought Blues (By Percy Mayfield, Ray Charles On Piano) (1971)
Read moreNever No More* Ha Ha In The Day Time* I Reached For A Tear* My Bottle Is My Companion We Both Must Cry River’s Invitation* Pretty Eyed Baby Long As You’re Mine You Don’t Exist Anymore Fading Love * Ray played on these tracks. Known personnel on Percy’s earliest Tangerine tracks: Percy Mayfield – […]
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February 20, 2011
My Jug And I (By Percy Mayfield, Ray Charles On Piano) (1966)
Read moreMy Jug And I River’s Invitation Baby Please Stranger In My Own Home Town Never Say Naw The Hunt Is On Memory Pain I Reached For A Tear Life Is Suicide Maybe It’s Because Of Love Give Me Time Fading Love Recorded between 1963 and c. 1966 at unidentified studios, prob. in Los Angeles. […]
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February 17, 2011
Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection (1949 – 1993)
Read moreThis 5-CD compilation boxset includes 16 tracks from singles that were not before coherently reissued on an album, some duets otherwise only known from other artists’ albums, and two hidden bonus tracks with soundtracks of commercials. 5-CD Box, Rhino/WEA, 16 September 1997, ASIN: B00000343O. Disc 1 Confession Blues Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand Kissa […]
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January 26, 2011
Brother Ray Is At It Again (1980)
Read moreCompared To What Anyway You Want To Don’t You Love Me Anymore (flugelhorn solo by Bobby Bryant Freddie Hubbard*) A Poor Man’s Song Now That We’ve Found Each other Ophelia I Can’t Change It Questions Crossover/Atlantic SH 8546, March 1980. This album was released more than a year after the first edition of Brother Ray; […]