Ray Charles 3x At La Salle Pleyel In Paris (1972)
Photo by Michel Artault/Corbis. |
On 16 and 17 October 1972 the Ray Charles Band once again played a series of – probably four – concerts at the Pleyel Room in Paris. Three of the shows were recorded by Europe-1. It’s not clear whether and when any of them was aired by the station. The setlists were:
Concert A (16 October, 07.30 pm):
- Swing A Little Taste (With Ray Charles Orchestra) (quick walk-on version)
- Hallelujah I Love Her So
- Yesterday
- You Made Me Love You
- Georgia On My Mind
- Feel So Bad (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar, John Henderson on organ)
- The Sun Died
- Falling In Love All Over Again (ft Dorothy Berry)
- I Can’t Stop Loving You
- Look What They Have Done To My Song, Ma
- Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong
- Shake (The Raelettes)
- What’d I Say (intro So Soon broken off) + Finale
Concert B (16 October, 10.30 pm):
- Introduction Ray Charles
- Swing A Little Taste (With Ray Charles Orchestra) (quick walk-on version)
- Let The Good Times Roll
- Georgia On My Mind
- The Bright Lights And You Girl
- The Sun Died
- Feel So Bad (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar, John Henderson on organ)
- Going Down Slow (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar)
- Look What They Have Done To My Song, Ma
- I Can’t Stop Loving You
- Shake (The Raelettes)
- So Soon (ft John Henderson)
- What’d I Say (ft John Henderson)
- Outro/Finale
Backstage. Photo by Ton den Haan. |
Concert C (17 October, 10.30 p.m); incomplete:
- Introduction Ray Charles
- Swing A Little Taste (With Ray Charles Orchestra) (quick walk-on version)
- Let The Good Times Roll
- Georgia On My Mind
- You Made Me Love You
- The Sun Died
- Feel So Bad (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar, John Henderson on organ)
- Going Down Slow (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar)
- Somebody (ft Ralph Byrd on guitar, John Henderson on organ)
- I Can’t Stop Loving You
- Look What They Have Done To My Song, Ma
- Indian Love Call (ft Susaye Greene)
- Shake (The Raelettes)
- [missing: What’d I Say]
Cover souvenir brochure. |
This was an inspired series of performances, with a few sumptuous portions of blues. As always during the 1972 tours, John Henderson* had a special role – musically on his organ of course, but also as a (willing) victim of Ray’s teasing.
Falling In Love (#A.8) received a much better (5:40) treatment than the Pleyel-version of 1971. Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong (#A.11) is the earliest known recorded live version of this tune, and a good one (the tune was originally released with the 1972 album Message From The People). As usual with The Genius, all versions of Feel So Bad are splendid, but the #B.7-version, with a Jimmy Smith-like organ solo by Henderson is really brilliant. Ray gave Somebody (#C.9), originally penned by the man himself, an extra bluesy rendition; until today I only knew the tune from the 1973 Come Live With Me album. So Soon (#B.12) got a super-slow, hilarious, 8:30 version with special (siren) sound effects; Ray urging Henderson (introduced as “Deacon John”) several times to “Take It!”. The #B.13 version of What’d I Say was a (highly unusual!) duet with Henderson.
Personnel:
Musicians: Mike Conlon (ct), Tommy Cortez, Joe Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine, Tony Farrell – trumpets; Glenn Childress, Al Hall Jr., Fred Murrell, Steve Turre – trombones; James Clay, Don Garcia – alto saxophones; Andy Ennis – tenor saxophone, flute; Fred Smith – tenor saxophone; Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone, band leader; John Perrett – drums; Ralph Byrd – guitar; Edgar Willis – bass; John Henderson – organ. The Raelettes: Dorothy Berry, Susaye Greene, Mable John, Vernita Moss, Estella Yarbrough.
* The man seems to have disappeared after working with Brother Ray, but I have heard rumors that he has been living (maybe even still is working) in Texas. Who knows more about John Henderson?
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