SHORT TAKES : Rick James Recovers From Fall

Soul-funk singer Rick James was recovering today after a fall Tuesday night from the stage at a Hollywood night club during a benefit concert.

James was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and released after he was treated for cuts and bruises, a hospital spokeswoman said.

According to one witness at the China Club, James had climbed onto a loudspeaker to dance and then fell backward into a space between the stage and the club’s VIP section.

The spectators were “totally freaking out, people were screaming, going in all directions” after James fell, the witness said.

The rest of last night’s concert was canceled after the accident.

James is probably best known for his 1981 hit “Super Freak,” but reached the charts three years earlier with the song “You and I.”