Studio Album · No. 6
Genius + Soul = Jazz Songwriting Credits by Ray Charles
Produced by Creed Taylor
Holds writing credit on 3 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 3 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Ray Charles carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Genius + Soul = Jazz is the most conceptually coherent album of Ray Charles's early ABC period: an all-instrumental big-band session produced by Creed Taylor and arranged by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns, recorded with the Count Basie and Bob Florence orchestras. Charles plays only piano throughout, occupying the bandleader role rather than the vocalist role. The approach paid off commercially: the album reached #4 on the Billboard pop albums chart, and the lead single "One Mint Julep" hit #8 on the Hot 100 while topping the R&B chart. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. It remains the rare Charles record that demonstrates how fully his artistic identity lived in his hands, not just his voice.
Genius + Soul = Jazz is a studio album by Ray Charles, released in February 1961 on Impulse! Records and produced by Creed Taylor with arrangements by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns, the fullest realization of Charles's jazz identity within a major-label commercial framework and the album that proved the formula in the title: that Charles's soul vocal approach, applied to jazz big band material, produced a synthesis greater than either element alone. Charles did not write the primary material; the album includes his interpretations of 'One Mint Julep' (Rudolph Toombs), 'I've Got News for You,' 'Let's Go,' and a version of 'Birth of the Blues', with Quincy Jones's big band arrangements giving Charles's vocal and piano performances a rhythmic framework that amplified both elements. 'One Mint Julep' reached number one on the R&B chart and the top ten on the pop chart, demonstrating that jazz-oriented material with Charles's vocal approach could achieve mainstream commercial performance. The album reached number four on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and established the Impulse! recording as a high point in the jazz-pop crossover tradition. Genius + Soul = Jazz is cited by both jazz and soul critics as a definitive album in both traditions and as the clearest documentation of the musical intelligence that had earned Charles his 'Genius' designation.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
From the Heart
|
Ray Charles | Ray Charles | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Vocals, Piano) |
| 2 |
I've Got News for You
|
Roy Alfred | Roy Alfred | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Vocals, Piano) |
| 3 |
Moanin'
|
Jon Hendricks | Bobby Timmons | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 4 |
Let's Go
|
Ray Charles | Ray Charles | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 5 |
One Mint Julep
#8
|
Rudy Toombs | Rudy Toombs | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 6 |
I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
|
Andy Razaf | Casey Bill Weldon | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Vocals, Piano) |
| 7 |
Stompin' Room Only
|
Howard Marks | Howard Marks | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 8 |
Mister C
|
Ray Charles | Ray Charles | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 9 |
Strike Up the Band
|
Ira Gershwin | George Gershwin | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Piano) |
| 10 |
Birth of the Blues
|
Bud G. DeSylvaLew Brown | Ray Henderson | Creed Taylor | Ray Charles (Vocals, Piano) |