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| Where I come from, deep in the heart of Dixie, we know him as Brother Ray. And for the past half a century, Brother Ray has been the chief pastor at the most raucous rock ‘n’ soul revivals this side of the pearly gates. If you don’t get goose bumps when you hear that raspy voice slowly maneuver its way through “Georgia on my Mind” (even if you’re not from Georgia), well, then there’s obviously something wrong with you. Seriously wrong. Ray Charles's career has seen him play for and with the entire spectrum of humanity. He’s hobnobbed with royalty, poverty, and even Muppets. But back when he was playing what the establishment had branded, “race music,” his label, Atlantic Records (the preeminent producers of R&B and soul) put out one of only three live Ray Charles albums. Aptly titled, Ray Charles Live, this classic presents two important performances captured ten months apart in July of 1958 and May of 1959. The first ten tracks of the album are taken from Ray’s appearance at the legendary1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. Lowering the crowd’s defenses with his striking finesse on the keys, and even on the alto sax, Ray fuses the worlds of be-bop and soul on “Hot Rod,” “Blues Waltz,” “In a Little Spanish Town,” and “Sherry,” then crosses over to pure soul on “The Right Time.” (I have to admit that I can’t hear Marjorie Hendricks’ solo without picturing little Rudy Huxstable at the foot of her grandparents in the family living room. But then again, I’m a hopeless child of 80s pop culture.) The second half of the album (tracks 11-16) was recorded in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia on May 28, 1959. Playing before a hometown crowd, instead of the highbrow jazz aficionados of Newport, Charles rips his way through an intense set, mixing jazzy instrumentals with the gospel-inflected soul he has become famous for. The crowd becomes an active participant in the show. You can almost see the people flailing their arms at the sky and bobbing their heads in solemn agreement with Charles’s musical testaments for love and melodic transcendence. When he enters into a call and response, the crowd sends waves of aural love and affection back at the stage. Historically speaking, this CD is interesting as the two shows mark a jumping off point for Ray’s musical evolution. In 1960 he left Atlantic Records and signed with ABC-Paramount. As some historians have noted, this also marked a change in Charles’s approach to his subject matter. He began to move away from an improvisational and in-the-moment style, and embraced more carefully constructed arrangements, filled out by full-scale orchestras instead of smaller bands. So this CD catches Charles at a critical juncture, perhaps at the height of his powers. When an artist’s longevity exceeds fifty years, it is nearly impossible to find one recording that captures their entire oeuvre. Brother Ray is no exception. Still, Ray Charles Live provides a snapshot of a modern musical maestro in his prime, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to give this disc a spin. --Greg Rolnick (email)
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