Brother Ray’s appearances in France in 1961 really marked the beginning of his international fame. In July he had appeared at the Antibes Jazz Festival on the Cote D’Azur, then in October he had a series of shows at the Palais Des Sports in Paris; he returned to the French capital in May of the following year for another round of sold-out shows (at the Olympia this time), now promoted by Norman Granz and hot on the heels of the release of his ground-breaking LP, ‘Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music’. Three of the 1961 Paris shows (one from 20th October, afternoon and evening performances on 21st) were recorded for broadcast by French radio and these titles are here up until ‘What’d I Say’ on the second CD; the remaining tracks are 1962 recordings and seem to be from radio station ‘Europe N°1’. At least some, if not all, of this material has appeared on various bootlegs and digital releases, and the recording is very good. As for the music itself, this is Ray at the peak of his form. He tackles blues, r&b, jazz, pop, country, and soul, and some of the 1962 tracks are truly outstanding – it is good to hear Ray tackle Percy Mayfield’s ‘Hide Nor Hair’ and ‘Danger Zone’ (and ‘Hit The Road Jack’, of course). The band itself is a stellar sixteen-piece outfit, with Hank Crawford, David ‘Fathead’ Newman (I do wish he had left his flute back in U.S.A. though), Don Wilkerson, Rudy Powell and Leroy Cooper on saxes, four trombonists, four trumpeters and a small rhythm section backing Ray’s oh-so soulful vocals and piano or organ playing, and The Raelettes comprising the leather-lunged Margie Hendricks, Gwen Berry, Pat Lyles and Darlene McCrea. A comparison of the running times between various versions of the same songs shows how tight the bands was – for example the three renditions of ‘What’d I Say’ all clock in within less than thirty seconds of each other. The audience response is suitably enthusiastic throughout, adding greatly to the vibrant atmosphere, and if you like Ray Charles, this release is definitely one to get.
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM
Par Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM