Ray Charles in Florida - the 1940's

from Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story, page 92:

When I hit the streets [in Orlando, Florida] in the forties, playing was competitive. Lord, have mercy! All kinds of dudes be throwing knives at your head… You'd fall in a jam session. There'd be a cat on tenor, someone on alto, a cat on trumpet, a trombone player, guitar, bass, and drums. They'd be waiting for you. They'd be ready. And you'd try your luck on piano. Now some wise-ass would call for "How High the Moon." Or someone else would yell out, "How 'bout a little Cherokee.’" Or maybe a cat would start playing "Lady Be Good." And these tunes be moving fast--with chord changes …   more >>
cite as

David Ritz and Ray Charles, Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story (New York, 2003), p. 92. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1427462253752 accessed: 28 March, 2024

location of experience: Florida

Listeners

Ray Charles
Pianist, Singing, Songwriter, Writer
1930-2004

Listening to

hide composers
'Body and Soul' in D-flat
'How High the Moon'
'Lady Be Good'
written by Lester Young

Experience Information

Date/Time the 1940's
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Fri, 27 Mar 2015 13:17:33 +0000
Approved on Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:01:07 +0100