Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Feb 18 - 12:03 PM

Then there are the other musicians.
We can shrug off the John Halloran Chorus,
they play no more than a supporting role, often they are absent.
Marty Paich's orchestrations are built around
Ray Charles, at the keyboard, with his band members,
a small group of them.
The Ray Charles band members include
Hank Crawford and, is it David "Fathead" Newman, saxophones.

The saxophones get some instrumental breaks to show off
in these two songs from the album.

You and I

Just You, Just Me

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 01:42 PM

Did you know that this song came from the Depression?
It's been popular ever since,
the list of artists who have recorded "Alone Together"
is as long as your arm.

Ray Charles and Betty Carter,
in the Marty Paich arrangement,
have turned it into a conversational duet.

Alone Together

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 01:08 PM

.... while this performance turns up
in the finale to the TV show "Moonlighting."

Goodbye/We'll Be Together Again

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jan 18 - 04:30 PM

and THIS performance from the album
was used in the Scorsceses/DeNiro feature film "Casino."

"It Takes Two To Tango"

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jan 18 - 04:22 PM

Of the different singles releases from this duet album,
"Baby It's Cold Outside" was the one that cracked the Top 100 Hits in Billboard.
Ray Charles, in the meanwhile, was getting ready to win a Grammy
for "Georgia On My Mind."

This recording has surfaced in an episode of the television show
"A Different World."

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Subject: RE: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Jan 18 - 04:38 PM

Ray Charles and Betty Carter, on the original vinyl album,
had this order of songs:

Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
You and I
Goodbye/We'll be Together Again
People Will Say We're In Love
Cocktails for Two
Side by Side
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Together
For All We Know
It Takes Two to Tango
Alone Together
Just You, Just Me

Subject: Review: Ray Charles and Betty Carter (album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Jan 18 - 04:26 PM

How many Mudcatters know of this album?
Vinyl, 1960's studio sessions in southern California;
the label of origin was ABC Paramount.
Behind the scenes, in terms of who had the ideas and made the executive decisions,
this album was a Ray Charles album with Betty Carter his guest.
According to "Open the Door," the authorized Betty Carter biography,
Ray Charles extended the invitation to her,
decided who the arranger would be who wrote the charts (Marty Paitch),
and claimed ownership -- back to him, after five years --
of the master tapes.

Betty Carter recalled that she went in scared!
Ray Charles was known for his perfectionism.
They did go through the repertoire ahead of time,
with almost all of the songs proposed by Ray Charles.

This recording, after a period of years of unavailability,
can now be ordered in every format out there.
Dunhill Compact Classics is the company that made it available again.
The vinyl format is available.
The digital versions are available.
And in between there are compact discs (some of them a flashy gold)
and cassette tapes.

At least one single from this album
got radio airplay and made it into the hit-record charts
(albeit never to Number One).

One of the more sentimental songs is this one.
Cocktails for Two