Tunes
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October 22, 2014
Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (By Rita Graham, Ray Charles On Piano)
Read moreAlbum3: Rita Graham, Vibrations, Tangerine TRCS 1507, 1969. The bossa nova song Corcovado by Antônio Carlos Jobim got this title when Gene Lees added his lyrics. Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles, with uncredited musicians.
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October 22, 2014
Rainy Night In Georgia
Read moreAlbum: Through The Eyes Of Love, ABC/Tangerine 765, August 1972. Recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles. The musicians remained uncredited. Arrangement by Sid Feller.
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October 22, 2014
Ray And Marian’s Blues (With Marian McPartland)
Read moreUnreleased On January 9, 1990 Marian McPartland invited Ray Charles for her NPR radio show Piano Jazz, taped at the Manhattan Beach Studios in New York (first broadcast on April 6, 1991). They improvised a blues; you can listen to it here (i.e. the last musical sequence of the program).
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October 21, 2014
Ray Minor Ray (Ray Charles Orchestra)
Read moreAlbum: The Ray Charles Orchestra, My Kind Of Jazz Part 3, Crossover 9007, October 1975. The album was recorded by the Ray Charles Orchestra in late 1974 and early 1975 at RPM International in Los Angeles. Ray did not play on this one. Solos: James Clay, Andy Ennis – ts; Johnny Coles, Phil Guilbeau – tp; […]
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October 21, 2014
Ray’s Blues
Read moreCompilation album: The Genius Sings The Blues. Atlantic 8052, September 1961 (1952 – 1959). Taped in New Orleans on 4 December 1953 with Wallace Davenport, Frank Mitchell – tp; O’Neil Gerald – as; Joe Tillman – ts; Warren Bell- bs; Oscar Moore – d; Lloyd Lambert – b. Live: According to a concert souvenir booklet from […]
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October 21, 2014
Ray’s Blues (With Michel Legrand A.O. Keyboardists)
Read moreUnreleased. Recorded on 30 March 1982 in Paris at the taping of the TV show Pianistes from the series Le Grand Studio, hosted by Jean Bardin and Michel Legrand. The tune was obviously written – and titled – for the occasion. The keyboard battle was fought out between Ray Charles (p), Maurice Vander (p), Michel Legrand (p), Georges […]
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October 21, 2014
Ray’s Boogie (With The Ray Charles Septet)
Read moreThis instrumental, a Ray Charles composition, was never recorded. Ray Charles established his first “small big band” in 1954. Renald Richard was the first band leader. In an interview with Joël Dufour (published in Soul Bag, January 2004, #176 & 177) he recalled, “One of [Ray’s] first band arrangements was Ray’s Boogie. So what he’d do, he […]
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October 21, 2014
Ray’s Collard Greens (With Steve Turre) (Ray Charles On Piano)
Read moreAlbum3: Steve Turre, In The Spur Of The Moment, Telarc B00004TUOZ, 1999. The album was recorded at the Avatar Studios, and the Studios A & C in New York City on August 14 and October 8, 1999. With Steve Turre – shells, trombone; Ray Charles – piano; Peter Washington – bass; Peter Turre – drums. First tune:
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October 21, 2014
Reaching For The Dream (Jingle)
Read moreCopy of the PSA, as sent to TV stations. Unreleased (but at the time distributed thru a limited DJ-only 45RPM single). Jingle (audio only) of a PSA-infomercial for the UNCF, filmed in 1977. The audio recording took place in New York City, probably at the A&R studios. Cf. this article.
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October 21, 2014
Really Got A Hold On Me
Read moreAlbum: Thanks For Bringing Love Around Again, Crossover 4000, May 2002. Recorded at Ouistiti Studios and Plus XXX Studios in Paris, RPM International in Los Angeles, and Lighthouse Recording Studio, Studio City, California. For session details, follow the album link, above.
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October 21, 2014
Release Me (With Engelbert Humperdinck)
Read moreUnreleased. When Ray guested in The Engelbert Humperdinck Show, recorded on 9 February 1970 in London, he an the host did a duet on the song. He returned the favor 13 years later, when he invited Humperdinck to sing the same duet at A Man And His Soul, A 40th Anniversary Celebration, taped at the Cocoanut Grove […]
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October 21, 2014
Rhythm
Read moreAlbum3 (DVD): Blues Clues: Blue’s Big Musical Movie, Paramount, 3 October 2000. Album3 (CD + Book): Rhino/WEA, 17 October 2000. I’ve also seen VHS and Playstation versions. Performed by Ray Charles (in his audio-only role as G-Clef) and The Persuasions. The tracks Notes, Rhythm, and Tempo (and Dynamics, to which Ray didn’t contribute) each represent a basic element of music, […]