“Our Suite”
Song by Ray Charles
Ray Charles’ 1973 instrumental album Jazz Number II opens with a lengthy, multi-part tune called “Our Suite”. It was co-written by Ray and saxophonist/arranger Roger Neumann.
“Our Suite” is notable for its different, unrelated sections and its tight ensemble playing, which leaves room for multiple solos and a range of styles and tempos that are smoothly transitioned between throughout the eight-minute performance. As with much of the LP, Ray’s piano on “Our Suite” is one of the least prominent parts; the drums, sax, and trumpet are the stars here. That’s why the album was unofficially credited to the so-called Ray Charles Orchestra.
The structure of “Our Suite”
A big, noisy blast of sound starts off “Our Suite”, and leads to a furiously-paced opening segment which introduces each component of the band. Throughout this section is Edgar Willis’ impossibly frenetic electric bass, hyperactive but always on the beat; drums crash away and hidden to one side are some occasionally-audible bongos, which give “Our Suite” a slightly exotic element.
Taking the first solo spot is a trumpet (presumably Frank Szabo); the horn’s manic notes are as busy as the rhythm, darting in and out, up and down, as the other trumpets and the saxes band together for some friendly supportive bursts. A sax solo (J. Lloyd Miller?) follows, again matching the energetic pace already established, while the drums and that insane bass pop along.
After a couple minutes the music suddenly slows down as the brass dramatically crescendoes downward as one; in its wake a slow, romantic section emerges. It’s the first indication that this isn’t going to be one long performance in a single style; “Our Suite” is well-named, the “our” being the collective musicians and the piece being a “suite” of showcases for their abilities.
This more solemn passage swims along for a while, lovely and a relieving counter to the opening section; it finally peters out altogether to allow a single saxophone to take a solo, everyone else silent. Soon we hear the only voice on “Our Suite”, drummer Ernie Elly’s “1-2-3-4!” that brings the band back in.
This leads to a mid-tempo section built around the drummer, who gets several solos (or, at least, long fills), while the orchestra settles into the unhurried velocity. This is not the place for too much relaxation, however; a particularly stinging trumpet line exhorts the band to pick up the pace again.
And it does; in its final portion, “Our Suite” returns to the blistering pace of its first two minutes, where again the brass players’ fingers fly and the rhythm section’s pace is cranked up to turbo. The drums, in fact, still get a few little solo spots, and this time are joined by more prominent bongos.
Finally the whole band comes crashing to a halt at the end, while a loud trumpet sears the air with a concluding passage; the orchestra falls silent, spent. And the tale has been effectively told: this band is hot and can handle anything you might throw at it. One imagines Ray’s pride and excitement listening to the finished recording.
Ray Charles’ work on “Our Suite”
Although Ray Charles’ piano is only noticeable in parts of “Our Suite”, always buried deep and deferring to the others, the track has his stamp all over it: he produced it (besides co-writing it), and spent significant time mixing the performance and playing with its structure after it was recorded. Much of Ray’s art was in the mixing process for most of his career, and it is the finished product on the LP that must be seen as his intended vision for “Our Suite”. He had the final say over every detail, and it sounds like it sounds because that’s how he wanted it.
“Our Suite”, like the Jazz Number II LP itself, has been brushed aside by orthodox Ray Charles history, and is rarely mentioned now. “Our Suite” proves that, for the lucky ones that track down Ray’s hot jazz work of this era, riches abound.
Listen to “Our Suite”
Songs on Jazz Number II