Ray Sings, Basie Swings

by Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra

Overview

Ray Sings, Basie Swings, huh? Hmm, well, yes and no. You see, the story goes something like this. In 2005, Concord Records exec John Burk, who produced Ray Charles' superb late-career, Grammy-winning Genius Loves Company, found a reel of tape simply labeled "Ray/Basie." Upon further analysis, it was determined that the 1973 recording featured Ray Charles backed by his own band -- Count Basie and his band had actually recorded earlier that day. Charles' vocal was exceptionally prominent in the mix and at first it was thought that this potentially momentous discovery would prove unable to bear fruit. But then Burk brainstormed and decided to bring the current Count Basie Orchestra -- whose leader died in 1984 -- into the studio to lay tracks behind Charles' vocals. So there's no Basie on Ray Sings, Basie Swings, but that's merely a technicality, because there is some great music. Charles was in fine form vocally on this mix of remakes of his early ABC-Paramount-era hits and then-recent material. The consecutive reworkings of "Busted," "Cryin' Time," and "I Can't Stop Loving You," three of his defining Top Ten hits of the early '60s, are given brassy, bluesy treatments here, and standards ranging from Oscar Hammerstein II's "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" to the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" are transformed in Charles' hands. The set-closing "Georgia on My Mind," as close to a signature song as Charles had, is given a tender, minimalist reading, but the track preceding it, "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma," picked up from the folk-pop singer Melanie, is quite possibly the album's highlight. It's appeared on other Ray Charles compilations before, but the gospelized, testifyin' version featured here has got to be the liveliest take on that song anyone's ever devised. So, yeah, there's no Count Basie to be found here, but his namesake orchestra does him proud. For one of those postmortem studio patch jobs that owes as much to technology as talent, it's a fine addition to the Ray Charles oeuvre, as long as one can get past the semi-false advertising of its title. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/2023
Label:	Tangerine Records
UPC:	0708857212415
Rank:	3952

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ray Charles   Primary Artist
Count Basie Orchestra   Primary Artist
Count Basie & His Orchestra   Primary Artist
Butch Miles   Drums
Shelly Berg   Conductor
Marshall McDonald   Flute,Sax (Alto)
Bill Hughes   Orchestra Director
Gregg Field   Conductor
Joey DeFrancesco   Organ,Soloist,Organ (Hammond)
Mike Williams   Soloist,Trumpet
Will Matthews   Guitar
Grant Langford   Sax (Alto)
Tony Suggs   Piano,Soloist
John Williams   Sax (Baritone)
James Leary   Bass
Doug Lawrence   Soloist,Saxophone,Sax (Tenor)
Scotty Barnhart   Soloist,Trumpet
Clarence Banks   Trombone
Tom Scott   Conductor
Dave Keim   Trombone
Doug Miller   Sax (Tenor)
Barry K. Cooper Jr.   Trombone (Bass)
Endre Rice   Trumpet
Shawn C. Edmonds   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Butch Miles   Rhythm Section
Seth Presant   Engineer,Digital Editing
Patti Austin   Performer,Vocal Arrangement
Shelly Berg   Arranger,Musician
Paul McCartney   Composer
Silas Hogan   Composer
Larry Muhoberac   Arranger
Boudleaux Bryant   Composer
James Johnson   Composer
Chuck Berghofer   Musician
Joe Brown   Assistant Engineer
Fleecie Moore   Composer
Roger Neumann   Arranger
Don Gibson   Composer
Gregg Field   Engineer,Musician,Producer,Photography,Digital Editing,Vocal Arrangement
George Gershwin   Composer
Doug Sax   Mastering
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Lynne Fiddmont   Performer
John Chiodini   Musician
John Clayton   Arranger
John Burk   Producer,Executive Producer
John Lennon   Composer
Sam Theard   Composer
Wayne Bergeron   Musician
Bill McKinney   Assistant Engineer
Valerie Pinkston   Performer
Jerry West   Composer
Melanie Safka   Composer
Quincy Jones   Arranger
Maxi Anderson   Performer
Will Matthews   Rhythm Section
Stuart Gorrell   Composer
Darlene Perry   Performer
Sharon Perry   Performer
Harlen Howard   Composer
Eric Weaver   Assistant Engineer
Harlan Howard   Composer
Sangwook "Sunny" Nam   Mastering
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Tony Suggs   Rhythm Section
Sandy Simmons   Performer
Paul Hamann   Assistant Engineer
Steve Genewick   Engineer
James Leary   Rhythm Section
Felice Bryant   Composer
Don Murray   Mixing,Engineer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
David Ritz   Liner Notes
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Jim Cox   Musician
Andrew Martin   Musician
Tom Scott   Arranger
Buck Owens   Composer
Paul "Scooby" Smith   Assistant Engineer
Lorraine Perry   Performer
Tom Halm   Music Preparation
Joe Adams   Producer,Executive Producer
Jan Persson   Photography
Robert Schaer   Music Preparation
James Lutz   Music Preparation
JoAnn Tominaga   Vocal Contractor
Abbey Anna   Art Direction
Dennis Lee Askew   Music Contractor
Aaron A. Woodward   Executive Producer
Leslie Temple   Composer
Danny Perito   Librarian
Michael Stever   Music Preparation
Andrew Pham   Art Direction,Package Design
Matthew Rubin   Music Preparation
Charlie Paakkari   Engineer
Bill Airey Smith   Engineer