A Genius Move?

Amazon has an April 6 date for a new reissue of Genius + Soul = Jazz, a 1961 instrumental album by Ray Charles. Backed by members of the Count Basie Orchestra, featuring orchestrations by Quincy Jones and propelled by a Top 10 hit, “One Mint Julep,” the LP served as his first for Impulse! Records and is now owned and distributed by the Concord label (which owns the rights to all his Impulse and ABC/Paramount material, from 1960 to 1973).

Concord’s done quite a bit of stuff with this part of Brother Ray’s discography in the past year, including a deluxe version of The Genius Hits the Road (1960), a two-for-one version of Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music Volumes 1 and 2 (both 1962), the CD premiere of Message for the People (1972) and several digital releases of other sets in the Concord catalogue.

In 1997, Rhino released this album on a double bill with My Kind of Jazz, an instrumental LP recorded for Tangerine nearly a decade later in 1970. No bonus tracks were had there and it remains to be seen what will be dug up now. Keep it here for the latest, as always.