Customer Reviews

Ray Sings Basie Swings

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4 star:		(3)
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I admit I'm not a great Ray Charles fan, but the closer he gets to jazz, the better I like him. Crying Time and I Can't Stop Loving You can go the way of the dodo. But Oh! What a Beautiful Morning is a gass, and Let the Good Times Roll gets cooking. I'm not sure the pop/country oriented fans will like this album as much as jazz aficionados. And somewhere the Count is smiling at how his namesake band can still flat-out swing.

This recording is a miracle of modern technology. The vast difference in time between the two recordings just isn't audible. The vintage Charles' analog recording was copied to digital using 96 Khz, 24 bit technology, and the Count's band was recorded that way. Telarc then assumed the task of making a surround SACD version of it. Unfortunately, engineer Michael Bishop chose to place Charles' voice in all 5 (or 7) speakers. Why? Keep the voice up front where it belongs. Second, Bishop also put instruments in every speaker. Likewise, wrong. Surrounds generally are best served by carrying ambience, which would have been real easy to simulate. Frankly, if there were a two-channel version available in HDCD, that would be a better sonic choice than this SACD, or just play the two-channel version. Not that the sound is bad. Heavens no! Telarc isn't capable of making bad-sounding recordings. It's their philosophy to which I object in this particular instance, although Concord may have called the technical shots.

The immortality of Ray Charles refuses to die, and ghost bands still have rent to pay. But as disturbingly ghoulish and potentially exploitative as this post-mortal collaboration between the voice of Ray Charles and the legacy of Count Basie may be, the signing and swinging are both quite lively. The producers of this recording have combined the vocal track from an old Ray Charles concert performance with arrangements for the Basie band, blending them together to create a swinging session of Charles standards that is truly delightful.

Greatly recommended. Full blown big band sound. Swings, dances, rocks and space-surfs. Nothing greasy or phony throughout the whole CD. Still easily digestible for occasional Jazz listeners. Perfectly fitting vocal arrangements. All one piece. No "seams" or "glues" audible regarding the combined recordings. Very inspired and soulful singing from Ray Charles.

The title on this said it all. Ray's vocals and the band integrate smoothly and it makes a great listening experience. The mix puts Ray hovering right in front of you and the band surrounds you. An excellent SACD.

This recording is amazing in both stereo and multi-channel, both in terms of clarity and detail.

This is one of the true great Ray Charles and Count Basie recordings.
The song selections,and awesom big band sounds,were classic and well done to the max. A definate buy if you treasure great music.