Saturday night at Hill Auditorium, Ray Charles graced us with his presence. Backed by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and prefaced by the able and promising Community High 2 O'clock Jazz Band (with the excellent Ben Janssen and Dave Brophy), Charles' show had an air of awe and wonder to it, as the crowd rose into a standing ovation the minute he and his valet hit the stage.
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Ray Charles Feb. 15, 1997 Hill Auditorium |
Not that his voice was steady all night. At least three or four times during the evening Charles' voice would crack and strain, leaving large gaps in the lyrics and an awkward, skinny texture. Not that he sounded bad or even close to it. On the contrary, there were many moments of exceptional vocal skill. It is important to remember that Charles was never like Screamin' Jay Hawkins or Little Richard, with their pyrotechnic, gravel-laden voices. Like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, Charles always was a firm believer in a more subtle approach, with a hint of gravel.
Subsequent tunes like "The Good Life" were rendered rather well, with as simple a treatment as one can get with an orchestra sitting behind him. In fact, the orchestra behaved itself pretty much all night, sounding sometimes a bit sugary and unnecessary, but never oppressively heavy. Charles' own trio had no such luck. The guitarist was inaudible the whole night, the drummer was clumsy and heavy-footed, and the bassist was stylistically out of place. It was a surprise to see a legend like Charles flanked by such mediocre musicians.
Many of the songs had a morbid feeling to them. "If I Could," rather than being a typically buoyant Charles ballad, was downright depressing. It was during this song that his voice showed the most strain, cracking and coming apart in places, making the song sound all the more desperate and sad.
From here, Charles began to pick up speed. A quietly simmering "Baby Please Don't Go" led into a soft but effective "I Got A Woman." The longer he played the more he seemed to come back into his voice. But by the time they got to "Your Cheating Heart," Charles' pipes were clear and strong.
After "I Got A Woman," Charles turned his attention to the piano he had neglected, playing only the occasional lick, most of the night. On an unannounced instrumental, he proved, indeed if proof were needed, that as a child, his mother must have held him by the ankle and dipped him in the River Bad-Ass. Charles' electric piano playing has not lost a bit of power since the Atlantic years. It seems he was holding out on us.
I approached the second to last song with a bit of fear. "My Song For You" is a later tune of the Charles canon and has a pronounced pop sensibility. The addition of the orchestra didn't ease my mind at all. Although ponderous at times, Charles and company did a fine job on a somewhat corny song, with his powerful voice leading the charge.
To my delight, they closed with the spine-tingling "America, The Beautiful," that never fails to raise the hairs on the backs of a few necks. Charles gave the tune a strong, firm treatment, singing the verses in reverse order in order to leave the famous one for the end. He was led off stage after that number, copiously enjoying the roar and shouts of the crowd, stopping several times to bathe in it.
Even though his voice was weak in places, the concert had several amazing moments. It didn't matter what song it was, ballad or jumper, standard or original. But every so often we caught glimpses of the old Ray. The gray would bleed out of his hair, his wrinkles would smooth, his back would straighten and Mr. Ray Charles the Entertainer would once again become Brother Ray.
Old age and orchestra be damned. He's still in there.
Musical master Ray Charles charmed the audience at Hill Auditorium on Saturday.