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Aug 16, 6:14 PM EDT

New CD Pairs Ray Charles & Count Basie

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ray Charles never performed with the late Count Basie when
the two music legends were alive, but now they are being united in death.

Concord Records and Starbucks Hear Music said Wednesday they will release a
disc this fall that combines vocals recorded by Charles during a concert in
the
mid-1970s with new music made by today's Count Basie Orchestra.

Among the dozen cuts on "Ray Sings, Basie Swings" are "Busted," "I Can't Stop
Loving You," "The Long and Winding Road" and "Georgia on My Mind."

The last project Charles recorded before his death on June 10, 2004 was the
duets album "Genius Loves Company," which earned eight Grammy Awards. It sold
more than six million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-seller of his
career.

While looking through a record company vault in late 2005, one of the "Genius
Loves Company" producers came up with tapes marked "Ray/Basie." The producer,
John Burk, thought he'd found something to rewrite history. While the acts
had shared concert bills, it was believed they had never performed together.

The tapes turned out to contain a copy of Charles singing accompanied by his
own orchestra, although the music was recorded so poorly it could barely be
heard. Burk had the idea of pairing the vocal recordings with new instrumental
backing.

Charles' team isn't even sure where or when the recordings were made,
guessing it was sometime in the mid-1970s based on the repertoire.

Gregg Field, a drummer who toured and recorded with both Charles' and Basie's
bands before Basie died in 1984, was brought in to build the new disc with
computer editing. Field had to match Charles' singing to the new band's
performance, often stretching or compacting the space between words in order
to fit
the tempo.

"It was like painting the Sistine Chapel with a Q-tip," Field said.

Singer Patti Austin brought together and sang with a new group of Raelettes.

Joe Adams, Charles' longtime manager who had worked with him for 49 years,
said it was probably a timing issue that kept Charles and Basie apart despite
their mutual respect.

"Ray was a stickler for rhythm and said Basie always called the exact right
rhythm for every song and he never overplayed," Adams said.

Since the musical marriage of Natalie Cole with her late father Nat King Cole
on "Unforgettable," technology has advanced to the point of making almost
anything possible. Mashups, which marry artists and songs in odd combinations,
have become an underground art form.

Adams said he will protect Charles' legacy but he doesn't know if the future
holds any more such projects.

"This is the best use of technology, when we can bring an amazing Ray Charles
performance - one of the best he ever had - and build a musical form around
it," Field said. "You would hope that the people charged with the custody of
master recordings would respect the way they should be used."

The disc will be released Oct. 3 at traditional retailers and at Starbucks
stores, where more than 800,000 copies of "Genius Loves Company" have been
sold.

) 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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