Ray Sings, Basie Swings

Ray Charles, Count Basie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Concord Records
• ASIN: B000H0MNOE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,584 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #14 in Music > Blues > Piano Blues
  • #44 in Music > Jazz > Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To fake or not to fake: That is the question consumers must answer for themselves in assessing this feat of aural Photoshopping: an "imaginary concert" created by combining recently discovered soundboard tapes of Ray Charles's vocals from a mid-'70s European show and newly recorded backing by the Count Basie Orchestra--the "ghost band," still on the road 22 years after Count's passing. Charles is in exceptional voice, singing the heck out of standards like "How Long Has This Been Going On?," Genius classics like "Busted," and pop covers like Melanie's "Look What They've Done to My Song." His performance is a thrilling corrective to forgettable posthumous albums like Genius Loves Company, designed to cash in on the new audience created for him by the movie Ray. But as competently as the Basie band fill in the blanks under the direction of Bill Hughes, with Joey DeFrancesco guesting on organ, most of the new arrangements are rather pallid, and the ensemble lacks the personality of both the Basie orchestra and Charles's best groups. And as attractive as Ray Sings, Basie Swings may be for the casual listener, the gimmickry will appall serious fans, particularly since neither Charles nor Basie--who never collaborated in life--was around to lend his approval. Is The Doors Sing, Woody Herman Swings next? --Lloyd Sachs

Product Description

The producers of this CD discovered archival reels of Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra performing live together in 1973. Although the vocals were superior, the remaining elements were or extremely poor quality. They decided to bring the current Count Basie Orchestra into the studio and, using the latest technology, they carefully and painstakingly laid down a new musical backdrop for Charles' towering vocals.

More from Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra

Genius Loves Company	Ultimate Hits Collection	Ray! Soundtrack
America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years	Count Basie at Newport	Swing Shift

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ray lives on--and turns it personal with that fat Basie feel he loved so much!, October 3, 2006

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Audio CD)

This CD is the result of an unusual set of circumstances: old tapes of Ray's and Basie's band were found tucked away after years of lying around gathering dust. The Basie tapes were unusable but Ray's vocals could be worked on--and they were restored after a great deal of effort, thanks to Gregg Field and Seth Present. John Burk at Concord Records had the brilliant idea of matching up Ray's restored vocals to the beat of the current Count Basie band. The result is this electrifying CD.

The CD starts off strong with "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning" written by Rodgers and Hammerstein from the musical Oklahoma. An auspicious beginning indeed! The remastering and mixing is done to perfection throughout this CD; you would never know Ray's vocals were actually recorded 30 years before they were matched up with Count Basie's band! The joyous "Let The Good Times Roll" follows with an excellent musical arrangement and Ray's voice is in exceptional form as it is for all of these songs.

Other classic songs on this remarkable CD include "How Long Has This been Going On?;" "Busted;" "I Can't Stop Loving You;" "Look What They've Done To My Song" and "Georgia On My Mind." Another expressive and beautiful song on this CD is "Every Saturday Night" written by Jerry West and Silas Hogan.

Ray also attacks "The Long And Winding Road" written by The Beatles. The result is a very fine, artistic rendition yet it does not surpass The Beatles' original version of the song. This is a comparatively minor disappointment, however, because "The Long And Winding Road" still comes off well and the rest of the CD is very strong throughout.

Patti Austin deserves mention for her excellent vocal arrangements to recreate the sounds of The Raelettes. The ladies on backup vocals do a superb job.

The liner notes tell the story in depth of how this unusual album came to be in an essay written by David Ritz. There are numerous photographs of Ray both in color as well as in black and white. Ooooh, how I miss him! This CD brought back great memories for me of spinning his LPs so much I nearly wore the grooves off the vinyl record albums! SMILE

Overall, I highly recommend this CD for fans of Ray Charles, classic pop vocals, and for anyone interested in how technology can bring about an album under an unusual set of circumstances. Enjoy this album as I have and let us never forget the incomparable Ray Charles!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fabulous...but a deceptive package, January 9, 2007

By 

NomDePlume (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Audio CD)

A 1973 vocal-only recording of Ray Charles at the absolute peak of his powers, matched to an outstanding big-band accompaniment by the "Count Basie Orchestra," a legacy band. The accompaniment was recorded in 2006, two years after Charles' death; William "Count" Basie died in 1984. In my humble, there are a couple of songs where the arrangement doesn't work well ("Every Saturday Night," for example), and I think "The Long and Winding Road" just wasn't a good choice for Ray Charles. That said, though, the album as a whole is simply jaw-dropping, and I play it constantly.

My complaint -- and it's a big one -- is the title, and the marketing. It's clear that almost half the reviewers here think that Count Basie is on this CD. He isn't, of course -- but you have to read carefully to figure that out. If I had first heard this on the P.A. at my local mega-bookstore, I would have stampeded to the counter, purchased it instantly, and then felt angry and betrayed to discover that Basie ain't there at all.

They picked the right band for the accompaniment -- but they have no right to fool people into thinking they're buying Ray and the Count. One star off an otherwise fantastic CD.

For the nay-sayers: I'm delighted that Concord produced this CD. It's the best "new" music I've heard in a long, long time. They found a pristine recording of the vocal track of a Ray Charles concert -- what are they supposed to do, throw it away? Our great vocal performers -- Ella, Ray, Frank, Elvis (make your own list) -- are all gone, and there's no one, NO ONE, out there of their stature and talent. If an unreleased performance turns up, then record companies are doing us a service by producing it -- and if the recording NEEDS enhancement, then do it. All I ask is that they be honest about what the product is. Some pond-scum somewhere would love to make "Sinatra and Madonna: the Duets." I won't buy it, because that WOULD be a travesty (and because it'll suck, big-time).

Ray's dead -- but his voice lives on. The Count's dead -- but his spirit is alive and well in the legacy band that bears his name. Thank goodness for both, and for this CD. I only wish that the package were more honest, and that there were two or three times more material.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "Ray Charles & Count Basie Tapes". A must listen !, January 6, 2007

By 

MUSiCOLOGY - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Audio CD)

Undiscovered genius until now!
From the Fantasy master tape vaults a rare treasure was unearthed. Vintage, never-before-released, absolutely stunning Ray Charles performances; 'Genius' in his prime, singing a bevy of timeless Charles classics including 'Let the Good Times Roll,' 'I Can't Stop Loving You,' and 'Georgia on My Mind.'
The only problem was that-while the power and nuance of Ray's vocals were recorded perfectly clearly-the accompanying big band parts on this 2-track stereo tape were, conversely, quite poorly-recorded and barely audible.
But Ray Charles vocal performances this good just had to be released and heard somehow.
Fortunately, with the benefit of modern recording technology and one of the most swinging big bands on the planet-today's Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Bill Hughes-these rousing big band arrangements were recreated and re-recorded in sync with Ray's incredible vocal performances, with excellent results.