Ray Charles Live - In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony

Amazon.com

There's no such thing as a bad song as long as it's sung by the late Ray Charles, and Live at the Jubilee Auditorium Canada offers yet more irrefutable evidence of that. This concert, recorded in 1981, has its flaws; it's brief (48 minutes, no bonus features), and hearing Charles with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in a big, formal venue with a rather listless audience isn't exactly ideal. But Charles, the man who's rightly credited with "inventing" soul music, always had an inimitable way with a song. On the one hand, he transforms a relatively unfamiliar choice, Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," from a gentle waltz into a rousing, funky romp ("Some Enchanted Evening," another tune by that team, is marred by an awful disco beat). On the other hand, even if he performed "Georgia on My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack," "What'd I Say," and "I Can't Stop Loving You" literally thousands of times, the man was incapable of merely going through the motions. He adds little vocal inflections and filigree that help make the hoariest of standards sound fresh--check out "What'd I Say," where a long, funny intro (Ray yodels!) blossoms into a cooking version of the tune. This may not be Ray Charles's greatest performance, but hey, any Ray is good Ray. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Nice DVD, but not a must have.......2004-12-28

After reading the reviews and looking at the song list, I had high hopes for this disc. The picture quality was good and Ray's energy as he bounced onto the staged was also promising. However, from the very first song, the recording is a disappointment. In the first song, the audio mix is so far off that you can't even hear his piano. This is eventually corrected, but throughout the performance we all felt that it was a bit hollow - lots of surface flash, but none of the true depth of soul for which Ray Charles is legendary.

Simply The Best.......2004-10-11

I have all of Ray's other DVD's and this is THE BEST!! Thank you Thank you Thank you to whomever decided to release this DVD. This DVD is a throw back to the 80's. Ray had a really funky sway and swing and his ad libs are ultra hip. He plays every song with his entire soul and self. His energy jumps out of the screen from the moment he dances onto the stage. Talk about an artist who enjoys music and has perfected the art of performing...his entire body becomes a human metronome and he can hardly contain himself as he wiggles along the edges of his seat/bench. It was a post-humous gift to see him performing 4 songs that I hadn't heard him perform live or on CD (Riding Thumb, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Some Enchanted Evening and I Can See Clearly Now). I am convinced that Ray could sing the ABC song and make it a soulful hit. Hearing his studio work on CDs is Genius but seeing him peform love is the real Masterpiece. The audio and video quality of this CD is EXCELLENT and the camera work really captures the essence of his performance. I have no complaints about this CD, only thanks!!

I attended to the Ray Charles Tribute at the Staples Center on 10/8/04 which will be aired on CBS and I hope they release a DVD of this special night. Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Usher, Norah Jones, Reba McIntyre, Billy Preston, BB King, Al Green and Stevie Wonder and others sang Ray's greatest hits and it was an unbelieveable concert!!

We miss you Ray and will never stop loving YOU!!

DVD:

DVD

DVD