The Genius After Hours (Mono Remastered) Ray Charles

• 1 The Genius After Hours 05:26
• 2 Ain't Misbehavin' 05:42
• 3 Dawn Ray 05:04
• 4 Joy Ride 04:35
• 5 Hornful Soul 05:32
• 6 The Man I Love 04:29
• 7 Charlesville 04:59
• 8 Music, Music, Music 02:53
• Total Runtime 38:40

Info for The Genius After Hours (Mono Remastered)

Opening up the veil onto these early 1960s sessions, the collector’s disc functions as a tableside-seat at a smoky jazz club where, for sheer fun and amusement, Charles gathers with a handful of cohorts and lets loose with hard-bop standards and swinging rhythms. The cavity of Charles’ instrument, acoustic signatures of the stand-up bass lines, and swish of the percussion are all presented with unfettered realism.

Taken from the same three studio gatherings that yielded The Great Ray Charles, the eight tunes here feature the icon pairing with both a trio and a septet. Longtime collaborator David “Fathead” Newman plays tenor and alto sax, while trumpeter Joseph Bridgewater and bassist Oscar Pettiford also contribute memorable performances. Hall of Fame producer Quincy Jones handles the arrangements on the bigger-band tracks. Yet the star of the program remains Charles, and the carefree, charming manner in which he causes the music to move in any direction he wills.

Refreshingly easygoing and naturally soulful, Charles plays in time with his mates, cozying up to the ivories whether responding to Newman’s brassy currents or reacting to the be-bop sway on “Joy Ride.” Slightly removed from the gospel trademarks of his more commercial fare, Charles burrows into the blues, engaging in back-and-forth dialog with the brushed drums on “Dawn Ray” and laying down countermelodies on arrangements in the septet setting. Close your eyes, and you’re feet away from Ray and the boys at an intimate 3 A.M. gathering in a small club in New York’s Greenwich Village!

„Taken from the same three sessions as The Great Ray Charles but not duplicating any of the performances, this set casts Charles as a jazz-oriented pianist in an instrumental setting. Brother Charles has five numbers with a trio (three songs have Oscar Pettiford on bass) and jams on three other tunes ("Hornful Soul," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "Joy Ride") with a septet arranged by Quincy Jones; solo space is given to David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and alto and trumpeter Joseph Bridgewater. Fine music -- definitely a change of pace for Ray Charles.“ (Scott Yanow, AMG)

Ray Charles, piano, vocals
David "Fathead" Newman, alto & tenor saxophone
Emmett Dennis, baritone saxophone
Joseph Bridgewater, trumpet
John Hunt, trumpet
Oscar Pettiford, bass
Roosevelt Sheffield, bass
William Peeples, drums

Recorded April 30, 1956 - September 12, 1957 in New York City
Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun & Jerry Wexler

Digitally remastered

Ray Charles
The name Ray Charles is on a Star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. The name Ray Charles designates a superstar worldwide. His bronze bust is enshrined in the Playboy Jazz Hall of Fame. There is the bronze medallion that was cast and presented to him by the French Republic on behalf of the French people. In just about every Hall of Fame that has anything to do with music, be it Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Gospel or Country & Western, Ray’s name is very prominently displayed. There are many awards given to him in the foregoing categories as proof.

Probably the strongest element in Ray Charles’ life, and the most concentrated driving force, was music. Ray often said, “I was born with music inside me. That’s the only explanation I know.”

Ray Charles was not born blind. In fact, it took almost seven years for him to lose his sight in its entirety, which means he had seven years to see the joy and sadness of this big wonderful world – a world he would never see again. As a seven year old child, in searching for light, he stared at the sun continuously, thereby eliminating all chances of the modern-day miracle, cornea transplants – a surgery unheard of in 1937.

Perhaps the reason that Ray Charles made music his mistress and fell madly in love with the lady is that music was a natural to him. Ray sat at a piano and the music began; he opened his mouth and the lyrics began. He was in absolute control.

But the rest of his life was not quite so simple. Ray was born at the very beginning of the Great Depression – a depression that affected every civilized country in the world. Ray was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia, the same year that another Georgia native by the name of Hoagy Carmichael, was already making his mark on the world. In 1930, the year of Ray’s birth, Hoagy recorded a song that became an all-time classic and remains so to this day; a song titled “Stardust.” It’s ironic that these two Georgia natives would someday cross paths again, as they did 30 years later when Ray Charles was asked by the State of Georgia to perform, in the Georgia Legislative Chambers, the song they had selected as their state song. That song was Ray’s version of “Georgia,” written by Hoagy Carmichael. Hoagy, who unfortunately was too ill to attend the event, was listening via telephone/satellite tie-up.

Ray’s mother and father, Aretha and Bailey, were “no-nonsense” parents. Even after Ray lost his sight, his mother continued to give him chores at home, in the rural area in which they lived, such as chopping wood for the wood burning stove in the kitchen in order for them to prepare their meals. Chores such as this often brought complaints from the neighbors, which were met with stern words from Mrs. Robinson. She told them her son was blind, not stupid, and he must continue to learn to do things, not only for himself, but for others as well. Unfortunately, Ray lost the guidance of his mother and the counseling of his father at a very young age. At 15 years old, Ray Charles was an orphan, but he still managed to make his way in this world under very trying conditions; living in the South and being of African-American heritage, plus being blind and an orphan.

Ray refused to roll over and play dead. Instead he continued his education in St. Augustine, at Florida’s State School for the Deaf and Blind. A few years later, Ray decided to move. His choice was Seattle, Washington. It was in Seattle that Ray recorded his first record. It was also in Seattle that the seed was planted for a lifelong friendship with Quincy Jones. More information please visit the Ray Charles homepage.

This album contains no booklet.