Search - Ray Charles :: Blues + Jazz

Blues + Jazz
Ray Charles
Blues + Jazz
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop, R&B
 
  •  Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #2

Combining Charles's earliest and most blues-oriented work for Atlantic with some of his best jazz-oriented work in a 2 CD package, this set shows us both that Ray Charles could function admirably in either of two worlds. O...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Ray Charles
Title: Blues + Jazz
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rhino/Atlantic
Original Release Date: 3/22/1994
Release Date: 3/22/1994
Album Type: Import
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop, R&B
Styles: Piano Blues, Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo, Classic R&B, Soul
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 081227160722

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Combining Charles's earliest and most blues-oriented work for Atlantic with some of his best jazz-oriented work in a 2 CD package, this set shows us both that Ray Charles could function admirably in either of two worlds. Or maybe it says that, no matter what the style, Ray Charles was always his own category. Either way, he shows his greatness pays no mind to categories. The blues disc offers up true classics like "The Sun's Gonna Shine", and the jazz disc shows off both Charles and alto saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman as fantastic, bluesy soloists of the first water. --Skip Heller

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CD Reviews

You Got the Right One Ba-by!
Darren | Jersey Shore, NJ USA | 01/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the younger generation who only knows Ray as the "old guy in the Pepsi commercials" and those familiar with only his popular and more commercially successful recordings, who want to get to the roots of the real soul of Ray Charles, this compilation is for you.This 2 disc compilation includes many of Ray's earlier Atlantic Recordings from the 50's and 60's. The first disc consists of his blues recordings while the second reflects his explorations in the roots of jazz. Both jazz and blues purists will delight in Ray's vocal and instrumental piano blues stripped of the overproduction that characterizes so much of the blues and jazz genres today.Beyond a couple of rough spots on a few of the earlier recordings, this is a collection of beautiful blues and jazz pieces with a fairly comprehensive 34 page liner notebook which includes information about each individual selection. If you are a blues, jazz or Ray Charles fan, this compilation won't disappoint."
RC is a genius at breaking the blues down to its essentials.
Darren | 02/14/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Even when he was cranking out hits on Atlantic, Ray Charles was true to his gospel-inflected blues, either vocal or instrumental. This is simple music that clearly comes from the heart and soul. One disc is smokey gin-joint vocal blues and the other is stripped down piano blues. Excellent work. No need for high production values, studio sweetening or pretense. This stuff satisfies. Four stars. (I'd go for five, but the sound is a bit rough in spots.)"
Hidden gems...
nicjaytee | London | 07/22/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)

"40 tracks that fully justify Ray Charles' credentials as an exceptionally gifted blues singer and jazz piano player. But there's more, for hidden in here are several real gems including the rolling work-out of "Early in the Morning", the deeply gospel "I Believe to My Soul" and the ecstatic "What Would I do Without You". Best of all is his rarely found "Worried Life Blues" (originally released as "Someday Baby"): one of the saddest, most soulful renditions of the Big Maceo Merriweather classic you'll ever hear, featuring wonderfully sparse singing and some incredibly understated and controlled piano-playing that quite simply sum-up "the blues". Brilliant, and almost worth the price of the album on its own!"