Ray Charles Live - In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony (2004)

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 Amazon.com

Live with Ray, just like being there!

Ray Charles "Live with the Edmonton Symphony" is a terrific hour of music with the inimitable Ray. The orchestra sounds fantastic (who is that lead trumpet player??. Holy smokes!) and Ray performs like he was having a ball. It is fun to watch him and his back up ensemble perform, and great music was made that night. I have lent this out to many people and all have enjoyed this concert. Most have picked up a copy. I finally got my copy back, and I will enjoy watching this again. Hard to find used, but if you can locate one snap it up quickly for your library. You too will become a fan of Ray Charles. April 18, 2008

Nice DVD, but not a must have

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. December 28, 2004

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