loxley11 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 What Ray Charles album, in your opinion, best features his piano playing? I'm not really looking for a greatest hits album (at any rate, those are easy enough to find) but I'm really trying to get a good listen to what made him so great as a pianist (in addition to being a great vocalist and performer) Thanks, Loxley11 "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" -Mike Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nu2Keys Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 That's a GREAT question that I don't know the answer to, but I'd like to. Surely someone here will know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 That really, really depends on what kind of piano playing you're looking to hear. Ray could play just about anything, play it like he invented it. Honestly, I'd pick up the biggest collection of Ray you can find. Spare no expense. He was a ridiculously brilliant musician and you can learn ridiculous amounts of stuff from him through every era. You won't be sorry. A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Put another way, I have over 10 hours of Ray Charles in my iTunes library. If I had to pick something to tell you to listen to, I'd say all of it.... A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaka40 Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Ray could play just about anything, play it like he invented it. +1. One of my favorites is Ray Charles albums is "Ray Charles: Live at the Olympia." According to the story, it was supposed to feature Ray with an orchestra, singers, etc. backing him, but due to circumstance (weather, IIRC) the only ones that could make it were Ray, his bassist, his guitarist, and his drummer. I'm not really sure if the OP is talkin' strictly acoustic piano or not, but if you want to here some great keyboard playing, check this out. Like kanker said, you definitely can't put this man in a box. The aformentioned Olympia concert is part jazz, part soul, part blues, part country, part gospel, etc, etc... --Sean H. Yamaha MOXF8, Korg TR76, Novation X-Station 61, Casio PX-320 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpkeys Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 You can't go wrong with "Blues + Jazz". Sort of a greatest hits of his '57-61 Atlantic years. Of course, lots of great stuff followed that as well. HX3.5|NS3|NE5D73|NUMAX73|SP6|XK-1c|MOXF8|PX-5S|D1|Monologue|Wurli 200|K2vxS|M3|145|Hohner Concerto iii|Vent II|Key Largo|DZR10|K8.2's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Aiken Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 If you get the Birth of Soul box set, and Modern Sounds in Country and Western, your toe will be nicely dipped in the ocean of his greatness..... Highly underrated as a player. Must be that whole "best singer ever" thing that distracts people...... Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicale Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I have a couple of rare music books of his. One is strictly instrumentals like trio work and the other has a lot of his vocal hits included. Very accurate transcriptions. I'll try to track these to his albums, but I think the Atlantic years where he plays piano jazz in his undeniable style are choice. Also the Movie "Ray" is quite good, although fairly depressing at times. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue northern Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Just a little taste of one of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Aiken Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Oh....and run, don't walk to get the DVD Il Genio. Ray in 1963 at the height of his powers live in studio, and before an audience. Astounding..... Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3bluesman59 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 And don't forget Brother Ray could lay down some greasy licks on the B3....ala One Mint Julep which I think came out originally on the Genius Plus Soul Equals Jazz album. I've also heard Ray do a live version of What'd I Say on the B3...gives that tune a whole new sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I've got a great little double CD of Ray back in the days of a Nat King Cole style trio, only much, much bluesier. Blues Before Sunrise/Late In The Evening from Pazzazz. Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_tour Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I'm surprised nobody said "Genius of Ray Charles" yet with Bobbay Brookmeyer on the valve trombone. Everybody knows all those solos and arrangements by heart. Those are some of his best solos he cut, and having those two bands behind him was a triumph. Of course the other best ones of that period are classic too like Genius+Soul=Jazz and Modern Sounds 1&2 and Ingredients in a Recipe. Ultimately you'll want all the albums, cause there's something special on them all and most people who play piano probably know them all as well. Whatever album is the jazz one with him doing "Sweet Sixteen Bars" and stuff is classic as well, even among non-pianists. Obviously all the Atlantic 45 sides, even the deeper cuts, are all classic and everybody can play all of those (some better than others, but it'd be a real loser who couldn't bust out "I Believe (To My Soul)" or "It Should've Been Me" or "A Bit Of Soul" and so on from [hazy] memory). That Brazil DVD is HOT man somebody said it above check that shit out. The "In The Evening" on that one burns the place down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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