Genius + Soul = Jazz / My Kind of Jazz [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Ray Charles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1960
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B000003424
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,951 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. From the Heart

2. I've Got News for You

3. Moanin'

4. Let's Go

5. One Mint Julep

6. I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town

7. Stompin' Room Only

8. Mister C

9. Strike Up the Band

10. Birth of the Blues

11. Golden Boy

12. Booty Butt

13. This Here

14. I Remember Clifford

15. Sidewinder

16. Bluesette

17. Pas-Se-O-Ne Blues

18. Zig Zag

19. Angel City

20. Senor Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One good one, one not so good, October 3, 2004

By 

Michael Crowley (Albany, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genius + Soul = Jazz / My Kind of Jazz (Audio CD)

Genius + Soul is fantastic! Ray Charles on the B-3-what more do you need to know? If you do need to know more, it features players like Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Fathead Newman, Frank Foster and Roy Haynes-- in fact, on some of the tracks the band is the then-current version of the Basie band, minus the Count of course --with arrangements by Quincy Jones and someone named Ralph Burns, who is just as good. It rocks. It's too bad Ray doesn't sing more-just on I've Got News for You, I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town and sort of on One Mint Julip--but still, this is as soulful as jazz gets.

On the other hand, My Kind of Jazz is clearly filler, which Rhino, to its credit, pretty much admits. There are extensive new notes on Genius + Soul written for the 16 page booklet included with this reissue, including comments on every track, but on My Kind of Jazz there are all of two paragraphs (the first paragraph starts "With the added space available in the CD format"-in other words, we had some extra space to fill). It's pretty good if you're a fan of big band music, kinda got a little funk goin' on, although not nearly as much soul or blues feel as Genius + Soul, and other then Blue Mitchell I've never heard of the players (the drummer is listed as "unknown"). But you'd never know this was a Ray Charles album. His piano is low in the mix, and his few solos are undermiked and unusually tentative-sounding. And in general it's a little on the generic side, unlike Genius + Soul, which is Ray all the way, vocals or no.

I still gave it the whole CD four stars because Genius + Soul is just so damn good.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swinging, funky, and so very cool, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Genius + Soul = Jazz / My Kind of Jazz (Audio CD)

This (Genuis+Soul=Jazz) is just a great big-band, swingin' blues album. it's well-produced, the Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns arrangements are perfect, and Ray plays the organ in an individual, bop-tinged style with just a hint of Jimmy Smith (see also Genuis of Ray Charles for more great keys work). Addictive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another masterpiece from the legendary Ray Charles, December 24, 2004

By 

Henry Cooper ""Still One Me"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genius + Soul = Jazz / My Kind of Jazz (Audio CD)

What can I say? Ray Charles is kickin' it with my man Quincy Jones on this one. It's full of jazz, blues, funky R&B and a lot of flavor from the big bands. This is more of a jazz/big band album since Quincy Jones 1969-70 classic WALKING IN SPACE.
A must-have.