Appearances
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November 17, 2014
Big Legged Woman
Read moreUnreleased. The first-ever, slow, raw performance of Big Legged Woman (written by Johnnie Temple) was recorded at the 1976 Stuttgart concert. Just as in the 1978 Boston show it was used as an intro to What’d I Say. The song is best known in Freddie King’s version, but Ray stayed much closer to the slow version of Muddy Waters, giving […]
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November 17, 2014
Bill (The Ray Charles Orchestra)
Read moreUnreleased. Unfortunately, this Onzy Matthews composition was only captured once, on an ‘audience tape’… You can listen to it here (track #3). Chuck Parrish, Jeff Helgesen, Ted Murdock, Jeff Kaye – trumpets; Armin Marmolejo, Steve Sigmund, James Romanek, Charlie Shofner – trombones; Chris Lega, Al Jackson, Mike Karn, Rudy Johnson, Scott Frillman – saxophones; Jeff Ballard – […]
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November 17, 2014
Birth Of The Blues
Read moreAlbum: Genius + Soul = Jazz, Impulse 2, February 1961. The album was recorded at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, on 26 and 27 December 1960. Ralph Burns wrote a triumphant chart for this Roy Henderson composition; Ray’s organ playing was brilliant. With John Frosk, Jimmy Nottingham, Philip Guilbeau (solo), Clark Terry, Joe Wilder […]
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November 17, 2014
Blues (With Marian McPartland)
Read moreUnreleased. Played during the Piano Jazz episode on January 9, 1990, taped at the Manhattan Beach Studios in New York. You can listen to it here (the improvisation before Things Ain’t What They Used To Be).
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November 17, 2014
Blues For Big Scotia
Read moreSeveral performances have been issued on DVD (see below). Remarkably, The Genius never recorded this instrumental in the studio. Manufacturers of electric pianos must have loved him, though, for repeatedly demonstrating all possibilities of their gear in a live setting. Ray took Oscar Peterson’s composition, and – with his obvious consent – added an intro […]
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November 16, 2014
C Jam Blues
Read moreUnreleased. Recorded at the Thanksgiving Jazz night on 29 November 1957, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. With a title like this it can of course refer to anything, but I think there’s a good chance that Ray and his sextet shared their take on the Duke Ellington composition a.k.a. Duke’s Place. With David Newman – tenor […]
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November 16, 2014
Captain Perfect (The Ray Charles Orchestra)
Read moreUnreleased. Band instrumental penned by Alf Clausen. Madrid personnel: Jeff Conrad, Bob Coassin, Phil Guilbeau, Jack Evans – trumpets; Wally Huff, Ken Tussing, Glen (Champ) Childress, Steve Davis – trombones; Andy Ennis, Clifford Solomon, Ed Pratt, James Clay – saxophones; Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone, band leader; John Bryant – drums; Joe Harris – bass; Tony […]
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November 15, 2014
Crazy Love (With Van Morrison)
Read moreAlbum: Genius Loves Company, Concord, August 2004. Performed at The 34th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards (produced by Phil Ramone, recorded by PBS on 12 June 2003, first aired on July 9th) at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, Ray performed Crazy Love with Van Morrison. The (enhanced) audio was one of the best tracks on […]
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November 15, 2014
Cross The Road Jack (Jingle)
Read moreUnreleased. In 1989 Kentucky Fried Chicken ran a tv commercial with the theme Cross The Road, sung by Ray, and of course spoofed from Hit The Road Jack. Source here.
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November 14, 2014
Curiosity
Read moreUnreleased. Brother Ray sang the theme song of the CBS-TV series Snoops, from 1989. There are a few soundbites in this video: it sounds like a duet (but also as something that has been edited as such later, by an amateur). Who knows more about the ‘duet partner’? In this leader Ray – solo – sounds much better:
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November 14, 2014
Dancing In The Dark (With The Ray Charles Sextet)
Read moreUnreleased. No doubt the Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz tune, played during the Thanksgiving Jazz show at Carnegie Hall on November 29, 1957. But did Ray choose an instrumental or a sung version? The recording has, unfortunately, still not been released. With Ray Charles – piano (and vocals?); David Newman – tenor sax; Leroy Cooper – baritone […]
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November 14, 2014
Dat Dere (The Ray Charles Orchestra, Ft Hank Crawford)
Read moreUnreleased. Hank Crawford had released this Bobby Timmons tune with the Ray Charles ‘septet’ in 1960 for his More Soul album. The same ‘band within the band’ (only with Bruno Carr for Milt Turner) played it twice in Paris, in October 1961: Phil Guilbeau- tp; Johm Hunt – flh; Hank Crawford – as (solo); David Fathead Newman – […]