Ray Charles

First I wish to acknowledge with gratitude Evan X Hyde and Krem as well as Rene Villanueva Sr. and LOVE FM for affording me the opportunity to DJ for quite a number of years now - KREM for eight plus years and now LOVE for just about five.

The reason I've decided to feature Ray Charles in this first article is that just two weeks ago one of my sisters who lives in the UK told me that her son has chosen to do a music project on Ray Charles and asked if I could give a bit of information on him so as to give a head start or a point in a useful direction.

I of course obliged. And the first thing that came to mind is that I love to think of Ray Charles, the jazz pianist, composer and arranger more than Ray Charles, the famous blues, R&B, and gospel singer.

Just like Nat “King” Cole Ray's fame as a singer has much overshadowed his virtuosity on piano and his ability to play the alto saxophone, but he is an eminently appropriate person to feature first because he has embodied so much of what jazz is all about.

Ray was born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia in September 1932. He was as we know blind from childhood and was self-taught on piano. By age fifteen he was a freelance entertainer and travelled to the West Coast of the US where he formed a trio in 1949 and then a seven piece band in 1954.

He and his group backed singer Ruth Brown and played for dances, r&b shows and festivals as well as recording with top jazz soloists. In 1961 he formed a big band which toured internationally and featured singers such as jazz singer Betty Carter. Since that time he always maintained his links with jazz in recordings and festival appearances.

Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather and Brian Briestly, the writers of “Jazz – The Rough Guide” say of Ray: His way with material from “You Are My Sunshine” to “Georgia on My Mind” demonstrates the universality of jazz singing in the tradition of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. Moreover, the same kind of far-reaching fusion created by his vocal style – gospel + blues + jazz = soul – occurred equally effortlessly in his keyboard playing.

In 1956 Ray recorded an album called “The Great Ray Charles” in Atlantic and Capitol Studios in New York. It is a jazz instrumental record and among those backing him were David “Fathead” Newman on alto and tenor saxes and Oscar Pettiford on bass. From this recording I recommend two of his own compositions “Dawn Ray” and “Sweet Sixteen Bars” and I'd like to quote loosely from the liner notes by critic Gary Kramer.

“Ray Charles' great popularity as a singer has tended to obscure his equally outstanding talents as pianist, composer, and arranger. He is a musician who requires many different outlets to express himself. The mind, art and technique of this man encompass a great deal more than his vocal recordings could manifest, and it is possible to bring the sheerly musical qualities of Ray's work into sharp focus perhaps only in an LP of this kind.”

Kramer also shares with us that Ray's recordings have had tremendous impact on jazz musicians. His r&b records have been followed with close interest and open admiration by such greats as Max Roach (drummer), Miles Davis (trumpeter), and John Lewis (pianist.) And many others have given public utterance to the feeling of excitement that Ray Charles' blues stir in them. Jazz musicians have also acknowledged an equally intriguing ingredient to his music – its strong gospel element.

In “The Great Ray Charles”, Ray made use of all the techniques and materials that were available to him. He played contemporary jazz, relaxed and unpretentious, strongly laced with the blues and gospel.

Famous jazz critic Leonard Feather had this to say about “The Great Ray Charles” and about the man himself:

“These sides reveal an important and too-seldom-seen aspect of Ray Charles. Here is a self-portrait of an extraordinary individual who came to adulthood with three strikes against him - an orphan, a Negro, and blind - and found through music his escape, his career and ultimately his triumph. As he weaves his way casually but confidently through these performances the century-old words of the poet Alice Cary come to mind:

My soul is full of whispered song

My blindness is my sight;

The shadows that I feared so long

Are full of life and light.”

I also return to the lady mentioned earlier, Betty Carter. In the 1960's Ray and Betty put out an acclaimed recording called eponymously “Ray Charles and Betty Carter.” It's one of my distinct favorite records, and the tune most featured and that gets most airplay is the Christmastime favorite “Baby It's Cold Outside.”

And for students of Ray Charles and of music of whatever kind this piece is a must. Seek it out if you are able to. The CD is from DCC Compact Classics, Inc. And the number is DZS-039.

The last CD I feature is “Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company” recorded in 2004 not long before he died. It's an album of Duets with various music greats: Norah Jones, B. B. King, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, and Diana Krall to name some. A solid end of career date that's well worth the listen.

To close off I go to the introduction to this CD: “Be it soul, R&B, gospel, jazz, blues or rock and roll – no style was left untouched [by Ray]. He garnered thirteen Grammy's, took part in 250 recording sessions, and was an original inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Throughout his remarkable career, Ray Charles listened to the soulfully singular voice in his own heart.”

Ray Charles - musician (and jazz musician) extraordinaire. Listen to whatever you can get your hands on by him.

 (Another jazz great later)

 Author Dolores Balderamos-Garcia introduces "a WORLD of JAZZ", an evoking bi-monthly feature which discusses the wide - ranging elements and personalities that have made Jazz popular since early 20th century.