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Ray Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra
Ray Sings, Basie Swings
(Concord)
The Music Box's #23 album of 2006
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2006, Volume 13, #10
Written by John Metzger
Throughout their careers, Ray Charles and Count Basie frequently shared the
same stage, yet they never managed to make an album together, which is precisely
why Ray Sings, Basie Swings is such an unusual collection. The story
behind the latest, posthumously released endeavor from Charles is thus: Found
within the vaults at Fantasy Records was an old tape reel that simply was
labeled "Ray/Basie." Initially, it was thought that the discovery represented a
revelatory collaboration between Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra from one
of the many co-headlining shows that the artists performed during the ’70s.
Instead, it contained their separate sets, and while Charles’ vocals were in
pristine shape, the rest of the recording, which featured his regular
accompanists, was murky, at best. Nevertheless, the kernel of an idea had been
planted, and producer Gregg Field invited into the studio the current
incarnation of the Count Basie Orchestra — Basie himself died in 1984, but his
band has continued to further his legacy — in order to begin the painstaking
process of creating new arrangements with which to surround Charles’ voice.
While these sorts of technological creations typically sound ridiculous — for
proof, look no further than Natalie Cole’s duet with her father on
Unforgettable or, for that matter, Charles’ own, uninspired set Genius &
Friends — the bulk of Ray Sings, Basie Swings works surprisingly
well. It helps, of course, that during the show from which Charles’ vocals were
taken, the man, for whom "genius" was a frequently evoked nickname, delivered an
utterly stunning performance. Yet, the fashion in which the Count Basie
Orchestra, under the guidance of Field, so perfectly was able to match Charles’
intense, emotional delivery — be it through its larger-than-life firepower or
its softly spoken subtlety — is an astounding feat in and of itself.
Granted, there are a few brief moments on Ray Sings, Basie Swings when
the music dips dangerously close to becoming a schmaltzy, Vegas-style send-up,
but every time it seems as if the album might lose both its focus and its
luster, Charles reaches from beyond the grave to bring the project back on
track. In moving from the brassy blues of Let the Good Times Roll to the
brokenhearted yearning of Cryin’ Time as well as from the earthy groove
of Every Saturday Night to the punchy, Bobby "Blue" Bland-inspired
arrangement of Feel So Bad, Field essentially concocted a fitting epitaph
for Charles that succeeds in transcending the notion that this was merely
another blatant bid for a Grammy nomination. 
Ray Sings, Basie Swings is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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