Ray Charles' Second Studio Album The Great Ray Charles Reissued as Part of the Atlantic Records 75th Anniversary Series on Hybrid Stereo SACD.

The Great Ray Charles is the second studio album by American musician Ray Charles, released in 1957 by Atlantic Records. An instrumental jazz album, it afforded Charles a rare opportunity to be a jazz-oriented pianist.

Two selections are with a trio (bassist Oscar Pettiford joins Charles on "Black Coffee"), while the other six are with a septet taken from his big band of the period. Key among the sidemen are David Newman (soloing on both tenor and alto) and trumpeter Joseph Bridgewater; highlights include Quincy Jones' "The Ray," "My Melancholy Baby," "Doodlin', and "Undecided." "Doodlin'" (written by Horace Silver and arranged by Quincy Jones) and "Sweet Sixteen Bars" generated much spontaneous radio airplay.