Now that Ray Charles has up and left the concert stage for more heavenly pastures,
the rush to cash in on his legacy is on. You have the feature biopic doing brisk
business at the box office and drawing accolades from fans and critics alike.
You have a wide variety of anthology CDs, as well as Genius Loves Company,
his last recording that includes duets with Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King,
and many others. And out of left field, you have the DVD O Genio: Live
in Brazil 1963. Covering two back-to-back concerts from September 22,
1963 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Charles is at the apex of his career, commandeering
the stage with potent performances of “What’d I Say,” “Don’t
Set Me Free,” and “Hit The Road Jack.” Along the way, Charles
digs in deep, evoking a plethora of cheeky and stylistic maneuvers — from the
slow blues of “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” and “In The
Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)” to the jazz-flavored “Birth Of
A Band” and an untitled instrumental (conveniently entitled “Untitled
Jazz Instrumental”) that features Charles blowing the sax with all the
velocity of John Coltrane. And only Brother Ray could turn traditional sing-alongs
like “You Are My Sunshine” and “My Bonnie” into captivating
musings. Supported by a crack band that includes noted tenor saxophonist David
“Fathead” Newman and Cookie/Raelette backing vocalist Margie Hendrix,
O Genio: Live in Brazil 1963, filmed in glorious black and
white, also features a bevy of Brazilian commercials from the original broadcast,
hawking Erontex “tropical” fabrics and Ray Charles records. With
Ray Charles mania in full bloom, this is one keepsake fans should seek out.
~ Shawn Perry
