RAY CHARLES - RAY CHARLES TAPES TO BE RELEASED

RAY CHARLES TAPES TO BE RELEASED

Newly discovered tapes of late soul star RAY CHARLES are to be released in the UK in October (06) under the title RAY SINGS, BASIE SWINGS. The reels were discovered in the vaults of California jazz label Concord Records late last year (05) by the company's A+R boss JOHN BURK. The tapes were already labelled RAY/BASIE, and Burk was hopeful they would yield a collaboration between Charles and the Count Basie Orchestra. But when it transpired the two acts performed different sets on the recording, Burk decided to use digital wizardry to overlay Charles' vocals onto a track newly recorded by the current Count Basie Orchestra. Burk says, "The quality of these reels wasn't great. They appeared to be recordings from the live soundboard with Ray's vocal upfront, the band way in the background. But Ray sounded amazing. "The end result is a beautiful, authentic and irreplaceable piece of music. We can help Ray do what he always did so naturally - make magic happen."