 |   Format : Color, DVD, NTSC Publisher : Rhino / Wea Company : WEA DES Moines Video List Price: Our Price: $6.77 You Save: $8.21 (55%) Used Price : $4.49 |
Features
- DVD
- Ray Charles
Description
Featuring a very rare 1963 performance of Ray Charles in Sao Paulo, Brazil, recorded one day before his 33rd birthday, the concert material showcased on this disc is a remarkable find. Beyond its historical significance, the video provides enormous pleasure: we get to see and hear Ray, the Genius (O-Genio means "The Genius" in Portuguese), at his absolute best, exactly as it was shown then, complete with Brazilian commercials.Amazon.com
O Genio: Live in Brazil 1963 is a fairly astonishing document, and an invaluable addition to the catalog of one the great artists of the 20th Century. Here's Ray Charles, "O Genio" ("The Genius" in Portuguese), 32 years old and in his absolute prime, a few years after he essentially "invented" soul music with his classic Atlantic Records recordings and just a year after he'd transformed popular music again with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The DVD finds Charles and his orchestra performing two full sets in Sao Paulo; both are in black and white and contain many of the same songs (although for some reason the sound and visual quality of the first set is far superior to that of the second). And what songs they are. When a guy opens his set with one of his biggest hits, "What'd I Say," you know you're in for something special. And Charles doesn't disappoint, drawing on the all aspects of his repertoire, including some C&W (only Ray Charles could turn the hokey "You Are My Sunshine" into a funky, swinging affair), blues ("In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)"), and jazz ("Birth of a Band" and Bobby Timmons's classic "Moanin'," both instrumentals, are among the highlights), in addition to "Hit the Road Jack," Hallelujah I Love Her So," and other Charles standards. The band includes saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and Margie Hendrix, perhaps the greatest Raelette of all, but the star of this show is Ray Charles, and O Genio: Live in Brazil 1963 is a wonderful opportunity to experience the master at work. --Sam GrahamSimilarProduct
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Customer reviews
Vintage Ray: The Real Thing by .. The Rocketman (Los Angeles, CA)
If you liked Jamie Foxx's performance in RAY, you will love this DVD. It's from 1963, the same timeframe as the movie, with the actual people you see featured in the movie including David "Fathead" Newman and Margie Hendrix.
The first "show" is actually a rehearsal (probably both for the band and the camera operators) and is of stellar quality considering it's 40 year old video. The actual show (the second "set") has some annoying video quality and sound buzz, but who really cares? The DVD is very watchable, especially considering most of the songs in the actual show were also captured in high quality during the rehearsal.
While later Ray concert DVDs are of perhaps better video quality (e.g. color), they miss the magic of Ray performing at the very peak of his career (he had already released "Modern Sounds" by the time of this performance).
If you are a Ray Charles fan, just buy this. You won't be disappointed.
The Greatest by .. Ned Story (Winnipeg , Canada)
I have been a music lover now for over 40 years, and I fully acknowledge the "greats" who shaped the music we listen to in
our time...James,Aretha,Duke,Elvis,Louis,Miles,Buddy and Ray come to mind......but not until seeing this DVD did I come to the full realization that Ray Charles is indeed the greatest and most important musician/performer of this century.
This dvd is captivating....I have over 50 music dvd's in my collection and this one is...well...Ray simply blows the socks off of anything you have seen.....you watch it and if you can't hear andd see what is going on and what is being created by this man.....you are the blind one...
My thanks to the people who unearthed this gem...
A rare gem you should add to your DVD collection! by .. Case Waddell (Atlanta, GA)
Being a lifelong Ray Charles' fan and having the pleasure of seeing him in concert back in the mid-80s, his talent and passion for his music has never diminished. Over the course of the years, footage of his earlier concerts and performances were sparse and rare, however, when I discovered this DVD and that Margie Hendrix & The Raelettes were on this, I immediately purchased it. Thanks again to the great folks at Rhino for again putting a product out to the public that is unique and caters to us hardcore music lovers!
The first concert which is a rehearsal is far better than the second with its sound & picture quality. You know that you're not going to be disappointed when Ray starts out with "What I'd Say" and seeing his Raelettes getting ready to strut their stuff. Margie's powerhouse voice and the Raelettes synchronized moves while singing to a single microphone is visually mesmerizing! You don't see this type of class act anymore in this day and age.
I would say my favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine" with Margie singing a little solo. If you hear close, you can hear O-Genio say in the background "Yeah Margie!" while she squalls. I was blown away!!
A must have for all Ray Charles fans!
Margie.... by .. Barbara Knott ()
I am so glad I found a reference to this video in Oxford Review's article by Roy Blount about Ray Charles. He mentioned the Raylettes and especially Margie. I realized I'd never seen the Raylettes though their voices were always there, creating the ambiance for Ray to do his thing which was wonderful, artistically perfect, uncannily helping us to dream our emotional lives onward. So I got it for Margie, and I was not disappointed. He was right: you can't take your eyes off her. Ray is good to look at, too. And the listening!
O'Genio Ray Charles Live in Brazil by .. Dody (New Orleans, LA)
This is one of the greatest DVD's I've seen. Ray Charles was so blessed. He had so much talent it was running over. The songs on this DVD are "out of sight" In 1963 I was a little girl and I did not know Ray Charles was so wonderful. I remember knowing he was famous so I told everyone he was my uncle, because we had the same last name however, I did not know his real last name was Robinson. He has a song on the dvd called "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down" man, that song is so soulful it's bursting with his great piano playing and his distinct singing, I love it. I also like the way he does "You don't know Me" and I Can't Stop Loving You" these are songs I never paid attention to through the years, but ever since I saw the movie "Ray" I've been interested in all things Ray Charles. If you want to see him when he was young and vibrant, I mean he is practically dancing on that piano stool the man just rocks. It is a treat, and I might add he was very handsome. D.C.