"…High As A Mountain…Deep As A River…"
At the age of 27, Ray Charles had already put out a half-dozen albums of superlative Fifties R ’n’ B - but it was time to make a change and the February 1960 release of “The Genius Of…” was the result.
An LP full of covers, the 6 tracks on Side 1 made up the blasters and dancers from Louis Jordan’s “Let The Good Times Roll” through to “Deed I Do”, while the 6 tracks of Side 2 were the romantic ballads and standards. The famed BILL SHWARTAU and TOM DOWD filled in as engineers, while the strings were beautifully arranged by RALPH BURNS - QUINCY JONES doing much of the brass parts.
Personally I find some of the brass on Side 1 a bit too harsh to listen to now – but the lush music of Side 2 is a whole different ballgame. Side 2 contains three genuine masterpieces “Just For A Thrill”, “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’” and the stunning album finisher “Come Rain Or Come Shine” (lyrics above). The remaster brings out all the instruments involved and is just ‘so’ sweet – a really great job done.
The CD comes in a card digipak with a foldout 10-page inlay, which contains a new essay on the album by noted soul writer CHARLES WARING followed by the album’s original liner notes by NAT HENTOFF. Detailed production credits are on the rear of the digipak and this 2005 remaster is part of the massively extensive “Atlantic Masters” series – there are other Charles titles in that series (see comprehensive list below).
“The Genius Of Ray Charles” was recognized as a gem then and still is now.
“Daddy’s Done Turned Salty…And Baby’s Made Him So Sore…” Ray sang in “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’”. Yeah baby is all I can say!
Recommended – big time.
PS: For info purposes, other remastered CDs in the ATLANTIC MASTERS Series are:
1. Your Mind Is On Vacation – MOSE ALLISON (1976)
2. Daddy Bug (& Friends) – ROY AYERS (1967)
3. Stoned Soul Picnic – ROY AYERS (1968)
4. Virgo Vibes – ROY AYERS (1967)
5. Experience And Judgment – ANDY BEY (1970)
6. Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk – ART BLAKEY and THELONIOUS MONK (1958)
7. Bad For Me – DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER (1979)
8. Just Family – DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER (1977)
9. Fresh – OSCAR BROWN, JR. (1975)
10. Movin’ On – OSCAR BROWN, JR. (1972)
11. Thank You For F.U.M.L (Funking Up My Life) – DONALD BYRD (1978)
12. Fire On Ice – TERRY CALLIER (1978)
13. Turn You To Love – TERRY CALLIER (1979)
14. The Great American Songbook – CARMEN McRAE (1972 Live Set)
15. Hallelujah I Love Her So – RAY CHARLES (1962)
16. The Genius After Hours – RAY CHARLES (1961)
17. The Genius Of Ray Charles – RAY CHARLES (1960)
18. The Genius Sings The Blues – RAY CHARLES (1961)
19. Crosswinds – BILLY COBHAM (1974)
20. Spectrum – BILLY COBHAM (1973)
21. Total Eclipse – BILLY COBHAM (1974)
22. Change Of The Century – ORNETTE COLEMAN (1959)
23. The Shape Of Jazz To Come – ORNETTE COLEMAN (1959)
24. This Is Our Music – THE ORNETTE COLEMAN QUARTET (1960)
25. Twins – ORNETTE COLEMAN (1959)
26. Free Jazz – A Collective Improvisation - ORNETTE COLEMAN DOUBLE QUARTET (1960)
27. Eternity – ALICE COLTRANE (1975)
28. Radha Krsna Nama Sankirtana – ALICE COLTRANE (1976)
29. Transcendence – ALICE COLTRANE (1977)
30. Transfiguration – ALICE COLTRANE (1978 Live Set)
31. Giant Steps – JOHN COLTRANE (1959)
32. Olé Coltrane – JOHN COLTRANE (1961)
33. Chris Craft – CHRIS CONNOR (1958)
34. Amandla – MILES DAVIS (1989)
35. Doo Bop – MILES DAVIS (1991)
36. Live Around The World – MILES DAVIS (1988 Live Set)
37. Tutu – MILES DAVIS (1986)
38. The Sounds Of ’66 – SAMMY DAVIS JR., and BUDDY RICH (1966)
39. Love Island – EUMIR DEODATO (1978)
40. New Orleans Suite – DUKE ELLINGTON (1970)
41. The Paris Concert, Edition 1 – BILL EVANS (1979 Live Set)
42. The Paris Concert, Edition 2 – BILL EVANS (1979 Live Set)
43. You Must Believe In Spring – BILL EVANS (1981)
44. People Get Ready – THE FREEDOM SOUNDS [featuring Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders] (1967)
45. Nightingale – GILBERTO GIL (1979)
46. Nomad – CHICO HAMILTON (1979)
47. Crossings – HERBIE HANCOCK (1972)
48. Fat Albert Rotunda – HERBIE HANCOCK (1970)
49. Mwandishi – HERBIE HANCOCK (1971)
50. Instant Death – EDDIE HARRIS (1971)
51. !Salud! Joao Gilberto – JON HENDRICKS (1963)
52. A Soul Experiment – FREDDIE HUBBARD (1969)
53. Backlash – FREDDIE HUBBARD (1966)
54. Sing Me A Song Of Songmy – FREDDIE HUBBARD (1971)
55. Bags & Trane – MILT JACKSON and JOHN COLTRANE (1959)
56. Birth – KEITH JARRETT (1971)
57. A Certain Mr. Jobim – ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1967)
58. Love Strings & Jobim - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1966)
59. Terra Brasilis - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1980)
60. The Wonderful World Of - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1965)
61. Urubu - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1976)
62. A Meeting Of The Times – RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK/AL HIBBLER (1972)
63. The Case Of The 3-Sided Dream In Audio Colour – RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK (1975)
64. The Inflated Tear – RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK (1967)
65. Inside Hi-Fi – LEE KONITZ (1956)
66. The Blue Yusef Lateef – YUSEF LATEEF (1968)
67. The Diverse Yusef Lateef – YUSEF LATEEF (1970)
68. At The Village Gate – HERBIE MANN (1961 Live Set)
69. Memphis Underground – HERBIE MANN (1969)
70. The Common Ground – HERBIE MANN (1960)
71. Daktari – SHELLY MANNE (1967)
72. Hustle To Survive – LES McCANN (1975)
73. A Change Is Gonna Come – BROTHER JACK McDUFF (1966)
74. Tobacco Road – BROTHER JACK McDUFF (1966)
75. Double-Barrelled Soul – BROTHER JACK McDUFF /DAVID NEWMAN (1967)
76. Suddenly – MARCUS MILLER (1983)
77. Blues And Roots – CHARLES MINGUS (1959)
78. Me Myself An Eye – CHARLES MINGUS (1978)
79. Pithecanthropus Erectus – CHARLES MINGUS (1956)
80. Tonight At Noon – CHARLES MINGUS (1957)
81. Blues On Bach – THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1973)
82. Fontessa – THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1956)
83. Pyramid – THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1959)
84. The Sheriff – THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1963)
85. I’m Fine, How Are You? – AIRTO MOREIRA (1977)
86. Latin Bugalu – CHARLIE PALMIERI (1968)
87. Invitation – JACO PASTORIOUS (1983)
88. The Birthday Concert – JACO PASTORIOUS (1981)
89. Word Of Mouth – JACO PASTORIOUS (1981)
90. Jazz For The Jet Set – DAVE PIKE (1965)
91. Carry On – FLORA PURIM (1979)
92. Members, Don’t Git Weary – MAX ROACH (1968)
93. Mongo ’70 – MONGO SANTAMARIA (1970)
94. The Source – JIMMY SCOTT (1970)
95. Flight Path – SPHERE (1983)
96. Four In One – SPHERE (1982)
97. Come Morning – GROVER WASHINGTON, JR. (1981)
98. Paradise – GROVER WASHINGTON, JR. (1979)
99. Winelight – GROVER WASHINGTON, JR. (1980)
