Ray Charles Genus Plus Soul Equals Jazz

Genius + Soul = Jazz was one of the very best collaborations between Ray Charles and two of the most celebrated arrangers in jazz history, Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns. Charles performances on Jones various arrangements are particularly noteworthy. Charles is accompanied by two groups drawn from members of the Count Basie Band and from the ranks of top New York session players. Featured in the orchestra are such important jazz soloists as Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland, Budd Johnson, Frank Foster and Roy Haynes, among many others. Richie Unterberger gave the album a four-and-a-half-star rating in All Music Guide, writing that, One of the best early- 60s examples of soul-jazz crossover, this record, like several of his dates from the period, featured big-band arrangements (played by the Count Basie band). This fared better than some of Charles similar outings, however, if only because it muted some of his straight pop aspirations in favor of some pretty mean and lean, cut-to-the-heart-of-the-matter B-3 Hammond organ licks. Genius + Soul = Jazz was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.