11

TUESDAY

Rock ‘n’ roll has been notoriously unkind to its creators. Ask Ray Charles, who, basically since Elvis broke, has had to settle for being merely one of the most versatile pop singers of his generation. There are certainly grimmer fates, and Brother Ray doesn’t shoulder all the blame; if Charles hadn’t played up his smile, pre-hiphop white audiences would never have allowed him a career. But if you’re searching for some revealing history, skip the infectious hits and genre studies and scroll back to when he pillaged his church’s music to give birth to soul. What you’ll hear is so raw—who would’ve thought God could be that sexy?—it’s no wonder really that Charles rarely returns there. Perhaps tonight’s opener Diana Krall will put the legend in a suggestive mood. Jazz singing is her craft, but seduction’s her game. At 8 p.m. at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, 1624 Trap Road, Vienna. $16-27. (703) 255-1860. (Brett Anderson)