RAY CHARLES - LIVE IN PARIS 20-21 OCTOBRE 1961 / 17-18-20-21 MAI 1962

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

Lors des concerts parisiens de Ray Charles, en 1961 et 1962, tout concourait à en faire des moments historiques. Lui-même était au zénith de son art, tant sur le plan vocal qu’instrumental, tandis qu’il était porté par son impeccable premier « big band », comportant des solistes du calibre de David « Fathead » Newman , Don Wilkerson, Phil Guilbeau, ou de la flamboyante Margie Hendrix (quatre duos avec Brother Ray). Quant au répertoire, il était constitué de pièces R&B-soul, de blues, et ballades le plus souvent magistralement « bluesées ». Enfin, Ray commençait chaque concert par quelques instrumentaux. Outre des variations dans le répertoire, la différence essentielle entre les concerts de 1961 et ceux de 1962 réside dans le fait que dans les premiers Ray Charles jouait de l’orgue (pour l’unique fois au cours d’une tournée européenne), et du piano dans les seconds. Toute la musique contenue dans ce triple CD est admirable (il y a même un fabuleux blues instrumental au piano dont il n’existe aucun autre enregistrement) et – à onze titre près – tout était précédemment inédit. (…)
Par Maxime TRIAUX – SOUL BAG