Ray Charles Live In Concert due on April 5

MikeP5877 · Mar 1, 2011

http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/ray-charles-live-in-concert

First CD release of the acclaimed live concert recording

In the half-century between his earliest recordings in the 1950s and his death in 2004, Ray Charles ascended to icon status by leaving his mark on virtually every form of American popular music that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century. Nowhere was this more evident than in his live performances, where one was likely to hear shades of blues, soul, R&B, jazz, gospel, country, and more in a single evening — indeed, sometimes in a single song. To put it simply, the Right Reverend did it all.

All of these subtle shades and styles are evident in Concord Music Group’s April 5, 2011, reissue of Ray Charles Live in Concert. Originally released as a 12-song LP on ABC-Paramount in early 1965, Live in Concert captured Ray at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in September 1964. More than four decades later, the CD reissue brings additional depth and perspective to the 1964 recording with the help of 24-bit remastering, seven previously unreleased tracks and extensive new liner notes that provide additional historical context to what is already considered a pivotal recording in Ray’s overall body of work.

“There could be no more uplifting live musical experience than digging Ray Charles and his mighty orchestra in their prime,” says roots music historian Bill Dahl in his new liner notes. Indeed, the 15-piece orchestra backing Ray on this date — assembled just a few years earlier in 1961 — boasted no less than a dozen horns, including formidable saxophonists David “Fathead” Newman, Hank Crawford, and Leroy “Hog” Cooper, all of whom had been with Ray since his days as a leader of smaller combos. “This amazing aggregation,” says Dahl, “was every bit as conversant with the intricacies of modern jazz as with the gospel-blues synthesis that Brother Ray pioneered during the mid-1950s, when he began accruing serious cred as the father of what would soon become known as soul music.”

Chris Clough, Concord’s manager of catalog development and producer of the Live in Concert reissue, notes that the Shrine Auditorium performance took place at a transitional moment in Ray’s career, just as he was transcending the confines of R&B and entering the mainstream by demonstrating a firm grasp of various other genres. “He’d made his ascendance in the early ’60s, and he had the world at his feet by this time,” says Clough. “He’d basically invented soul, he’d done R&B, he’d conquered country and he was on his way to becoming an American icon.”

In the span of 19 songs, Live in Concert illuminates the route to that destination. Ray wastes no time taking his audience on a ride from jazzy big band groove of “Swing a Little Taste” to the Latin-flavored “One Mint Julep” to the blues-gospel hybrid of his classic “I Got a Woman.” Although his live rendition of “Georgia On My Mind” on this date didn’t make the cut on the original LP, the song is a standout track on the reissue, thanks to his complex organ runs and the flute lines moving in counterpoint with his rich vocals.

Clough considers the yearning “You Don’t Know Me” and the previously unreleased “That Lucky Old Sun” to be among the high points of the recording. “It sounds like he’s really baring his soul on those two tracks, and they just sound incredible,” says Clough, noting that Ray was unaware that tape was rolling during this performance. “This particular date was at the end of their tour, and the performance seems a little loose as a result — in a good way, and in a less slick way.”

Further in, the rousing “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” is driven by a gospel groove and embellished with a sax solo by Newman that closely mirrors the original 1957 recording. The result is a familiar hit for an audience that’s more than ready to reinforce Ray’s foot-stomping beat with handclaps.

The sly and swaggering “Makin’ Whoopee” is delivered completely off the cuff, with drummer Wilbert Hogan, bassist Edgar Willis, and guitarist Sonny Forriest improvising an accompaniment behind what Dahl calls “Ray’s luxurious piano and breathy, supremely knowing vocals.” By all accounts, Ray spontaneously inserted the song into the set in response to the negative press he’d received overseas about his private life.

In the home stretch, Ray introduces the Raeletts, the female backing vocalists who served as his foil for some of his biggest hits. Together they work their way through “Don’t Set Me Free” (with Lillian Fort stepping forward for a duet with Ray), the comical “Two Ton Tessie” and the torchy “My Baby” before climaxing with the churning “What’d I Say,” a song tailor-made to stoke any room to a fever pitch.

A huge piece of the Ray Charles legacy is his mastery of any style he touched, and his ability to make it his own in a way that no other artist could — powers that can only come from an innate sense of adventure and spontaneity that are fully evident in Ray Charles Live in Concert.

“Few performers were less predictable onstage than Ray Charles,” says Dahl. “And nobody did it better.”
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mikrt17 · Mar 1, 2011

This is wonderful news it's been deleted for years and I've never owned a copy so I'm not familiar with it but I look forward to finally having a copy, Concord are doing a good job with Ray's catalogue I already have 'Modern Sounds' and 'Hits The Road'

therockman · Mar 1, 2011

I wonder if there is a high rez version planned.

sirwallacerock · Mar 1, 2011

that "You Don't Know Me" is killer. Seven unreleased tracks!

quicksrt · Mar 1, 2011

sirwallacerock said: ↑

that "You Don't Know Me" is killer. Seven unreleased tracks!
Click to expand...

"Set Me Free" is also just wonderful. But this album was out on CD before as part of the Rhino Handmade series.

And there is some mix issues that flaw the recording in certian parts. Perhaps they remixed and fixed these (if possible)?

http://rhinomedia.com/store/productdetail.lasso?number=7826

hutlock · Mar 1, 2011

Nice. I'll pick this up.

CybrKhatru · Mar 1, 2011

Excellent!

DJ WILBUR · Mar 1, 2011

quicksrt said: ↑

"Set Me Free" is also just wonderful. But this album was out on CD before as part of the Rhino Handmade series.

And there is some mix issues that flaw the recording in certian parts. Perhaps they remixed and fixed these (if possible)?

http://rhinomedia.com/store/productdetail.lasso?number=7826
Click to expand...

was this a Handmade title? I don't recall that. I've been wanting this on cd forever, so glad to hear of this.

MichaelSmith · Mar 1, 2011

..

quicksrt · Mar 1, 2011

DJ WILBUR said: ↑

was this a Handmade title? I don't recall that. I've been wanting this on cd forever, so glad to hear of this.
Click to expand...

Yes, Handmade title. Check out link.

MikeP5877 · Mar 1, 2011

MichaelSmith said: ↑

..
Click to expand...

Was that Braille notation?

ROLO46 · Mar 1, 2011

Better than 'live in Berlin' ?

Mal · Mar 1, 2011

quicksrt said: ↑

...this album was out on CD before as part of the Rhino Handmade series....
Click to expand...

From that link it doesn't look like "Makin' Whoopee" was included on the Rhino Handmade set. Also, the tracks that were included aren't in the original LP running order and the "opening" and "finale" sections were presumably absent...

So, it appears to me this will indeed be the first time this LP has been reissued on CD. I've been waiting to hear this ever since hearing "Makin' Whoopee" on Steve's "Uh-Huh" compilation. That's one of the best live recordings I've ever heard - great performance and great sound (it captures the most amazing atmosphere and it feels like you're in the audience having a ball). If the rest of the album is up to that standard then it should be incredible

DJ WILBUR · Mar 1, 2011

quicksrt said: ↑

Yes, Handmade title. Check out link.
Click to expand...

the link shows a live compilation of recordings from many eras of Ray's live career. checking the track listing I don't see "Makin' Whoopee" which is on the album being discussed here. I think this contains some songs from this forthcoming title, but not the entire performance...

I could be wrong, but if I am, Rhino's tracklisting is wrong I think...

DJ WILBUR · Mar 1, 2011

Mal said: ↑

From that link it doesn't look like "Makin' Whoopee" was included on the Rhino Handmade set. Also, the tracks that were included aren't in the original LP running order and the "opening" and "finale" sections were presumably absent...
Click to expand...

Mal beat me to it...

John DeAngelis · Mar 1, 2011

Thanks for posting the good news, Mike!

g.z. · Mar 1, 2011

Very, very cool. Never owned this one.
I've always heard terrific things about this album here.
I'm all over this.

shepherdfan · Mar 1, 2011

This one is a slam-dunk no doubt about it title for me to pick up.

McLover · Mar 1, 2011

Yes, high time this superb classic was released on CD. Especially as ABC-Paramount vinyl was so erratic quality. Definitive live date when Ray's touring group was at peak chops. A welcome addition to Ray's legacy.

Grant · Mar 1, 2011

This is the live RC album I grew up with! I even made my own needledrop of it out of frustration of it not being available on CD.

MilesSmiles · Mar 1, 2011

Great news, count me in.

Ragu · Mar 2, 2011

I have the Rhino Handmade, and as you could expect, it's great. From Ray Charles In Concert it has:
Baby Don't You Cry
Hallelujah I Love Her So
You Don't Know Me
I've Got A Woman
Margie
Don't Set Me Free

This set also contains tracks from Ray Charles At Newport, Ray Charles In Person, Ray Charles Berlin 1962, and Ray Charles Live In Japan.

lukejosephchung · Mar 2, 2011

Been waiting 29 years to get this one on CD...now I can finally hear The Genius at his career peak live in pristine digital sound!!!

hodgo · Mar 2, 2011

This is great news I've been waiting for a CD release of this for years

monkboughtlunch · Mar 29, 2011

Can't wait for this one. It's a Wally Heider engineered recording. Fantastic sound quality and performance!

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Ray Charles Live In Concert due on April 5

MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

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Ray Charles Live In Concert due on April 5

MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

mikrt17 Life has surface noise.

therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

sirwallacerock The Gun Went Off In My Hand, Officer

quicksrt Senior Member

hutlock Forever Breathing

CybrKhatru Music is life.

DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

MichaelSmith Forum Resident

quicksrt Senior Member

MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

ROLO46 Forum Resident

Mal Phorum Physicist

DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

John DeAngelis Senior Member

g.z. Senior Member

shepherdfan Western European Socialist Music Lover

McLover Senior Member

Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

MilesSmiles Oenologist

Ragu Forum Resident

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hodgo Tea Making Gort (Yorkshire Branch) Staff

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