Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles [Import]

Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B004MDYMU0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,081 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2011 collaboration from Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Nora Jones, who join forces to celebrate the music of Ray Charles. Country music legend Willie Nelson and Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz artist and Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis share more in common than their multiple Grammy awards. They also share great respect and admiration for the late musical pioneer Ray Charles. Nelson and Marsalis joined musical forces for a two-night Jazz at Lincoln Center concert event at New York City's Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Their set list explored the legacy of Charles, cleverly sequencing the songs to tell the story of a love affair from beginning to end and beyond. This fine idea was made finer by the inclusion of fellow multiple Grammy winner Norah Jones, whose style suggests a middle ground between Nelson and Marsalis.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Great Celebration Of Ray Charles's Hits!" March 29, 2011

By M. Mariba TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

This is a fantastic CD collaboration & release by the legendary country music icon Willie Nelson & jazz maestro/trumpeter/saxophonist Wynton Marsalis featuring the multi-Grammy award songstress Norah Jones, titled 'Here We Go Again'. This great jazz album is a celebration of the late great bluesman, Ray Charles's great hits : their musical presentation/interpretation/artistry is fantastic (great jazz grand-piano & trumpet/saxophone combination with great vocals by Willie Nelson as well as by Norah Jones!). This CD (12 tracks) opens with great track "Hallelujah I Love Her So" with Willie Nelson on vocals & Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, great combination. Other great tracks include "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (featuring Norah Jones), "Losing Hand", "I'm Moving On" (rather racy-tempo track), "Making Whoopee" (featuring Norah Jones), & "I Love You So Much It Hurts". Solid tracks include "Unchain My Heart" (racy-tempo track with wonderful high pitched vocals by Willie Nelson), "Cryin' Time" (a wonderful country ballad with great deep Willie Nelson voice & Norah Jones vocal combination!), "Busted", "Here We Go Again" (featuring Norah Jones) & "What'd I Say" (beautiful piano/trumpet/flute combination, featuring Norah Jones). There is no weak track from this CD to really talk of. The CD has great quality sound & all-round well produced. On overall, this is a fantastic celebration of Ray Charles's great blues hits in the best way possible by these musical greats (Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis featuring Norah Jones on 6 tracks), a highly recommended CD.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's better the second time out - Nelson is looser, Great solos PLUS there's a lady in the vocal mix. April 3, 2011

By Steven I. Ramm TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

Last year's release of the "Two Men With The Blues" - a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center with Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis - on both CD and and DVD received lots of media attention. It was an interesting concept but didn't quite work perfectly for me. This follow-up release - which was actually released on DVD in 2009, but making its AUDIO appearance in 2011 - works much better. And, no its not because of the addition of singer Norah Jones. Nelson seems much "looser" (if that's the proper term) than on the "Blues" release. Just listen to him on "Unchain My Heart" where he actually sounds aggressive - not an adjective often applied to Nelson's laid-back style of singing. That track is one of the highlights for other reasons. Drummer Ali Jackson (a long time member of Marsalis' band) has a great percussion solo - followed by a nice trumpet solo by Marsalis - that precedes Nelson's vocal refrain. If the album had just this track and the closer - "What'd I Say" with vocals by Nelson, Jones and Marsalis - it would be worth getting. Not everything is as perfect. Nelson and Jones duet on "Cryin' time and both their vocals sound weak. But one weak track out of 12 - and all have a length that allows for instrumental solos - is not bad.

The CD is a tribute to the songs associated with Ray Charles, with more emphasis on the jazz and R&B than on his "country music period", and all the hits are hit - along with a few more obscure Charles recordings like "I Love You So Much".

This should appeal to both jazz and Nelson's "classic country"/pop music fans.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From Three Comes Magic April 13, 2011

By J. D. Traiger

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

No three musicians could be more different than Wynton, Willie, and Nora. Yet, when they come together on this CD, the results are nothing less than magic. Before I first played the CD, I really didn't know what to expect. Then, from the first track, I knew this CD is special, and it just got better and better. There's so much to praise about this CD that it's difficult to know where to start, so here are the major areas that make this CD magic: (1) Performers -- fresh and alluring solos, duets, and trios, (2) Instrumentation -- supurb improvisations from the sax, trumpet, harmonica, drums, piano, and bass, (3) Set list -- excellent selection of tunes, styles and rhythms (remembering Ray Charles) and, (4) Production -- great job from Blue Note for its high sound quality and balance from a live performance. This CD truly needs to be a serious contender for an award; in fact, it needs to win one. We desperately need more of this kind of collaboration as, in this case, the results are indeed magic.