Virtually to the end, Count Basie was at the piano in front of the band that was his natural environment for more than half a century, inspiring music that defined the verb 'to swing.' In this collection recorded a little more than a year before he died, Basie divided the performances between the big band and a small group. In his last couple of decades, Basie went into the Pablo studios frequently with combos ranging in size from two (the pianist and Zoot Sims) to the octet heard here. In this case, the small group came out of the big band and featured the bright young trumpeter Bob Summers along with veteran trombonist Booty Wood and saxophonists Eric Dixon and Chris Woods. In large group or small, Basie and guitarist Freddie Green were at the heart of the rhythm, lifting the proceedings to a rarified plane of swing never to be duplicated after they were gone. Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket. 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Mr. Softie 2. Moten Swing 3. She's Funny That Way 4. Right On, Right On Side B 1. Me And You 2. Crip 3. Bridge Work 4. Easy Living
With Count Basie, Cleanhead Vinson, and Willie Cook all gone, there is cause for gratitude that Norman Granz thought in 1981 to bring them together with a great rhythm section. The result was one of the happiest of Basie's celebrated 'Kansas City' sessions for Pablo. Cook and Vinson, marvelous soloists who deserved wider fame, were both great bebop players able to tailor their work to Basie's more elemental requirements without condescending or losing anything essential. Additionally, as he demonstrates to a fare-thee-well on 'Wee Baby,' Vinson was a terrific blues shouter. In his small groups, Basie the pianist was on more prominent display than in the big band, and there are plenty of reminders here that his keyboard talent encompassed much more than wryness and subtlety. Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a handsome Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket. Musicians: Count Basie, piano Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, double bass Louis Bellson, drums Joe Pass, guitar Eddie Vinson, saxophone Willie Cook, trumpet 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Walking The Blues 2. Blues For Little Jazz 3. Vegas Drag Side 2 1. Wee Baby 2. Scooter 3. St. Louis Blues 4. Opus Six
A beautiful pairing of two legendary pianists - Count Basie and Oscar Peterson - heard late in Basie's career, in a setting that let's both of them open up nicely! Basie also plays a bit of organ. Freddie Green, Basie's longtime guitarist in his band - he stayed 50 years with Basie - cannot be missed on this recording. 10 track stereo LP. Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue sounds exceptional! Housed in a gatefold Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket. Musicians: Count Basie, piano Oscar Peterson, piano Freddie Green, guitar Ray Brown, double bass Louie Bellson, drums 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Buns 2. These Foolish Things 3. 'RB' 4. Burning 5. Exactly Like You Side B 1. Jumping At The Woodside 2. Louie B 3. Lester Leaps In 4. Big Stockings 5. S & J Blues
The essence of Kansas City wafts from the tracks of this album. How could it not, with Count Basie and Joe Turner in charge? The essence, of course, is the blues, and every man in the band is a master of that most basic and most demanding of forms. Their resumes cover every jazz environ from the 12th Street clubs where Southwest swing matured to the Harlem hothouses that germinated bebop. The common language of the blues, and Basie's catalytic keyboard, bind them tightly together in support of Big Joe Turner, a shouter, a smooth talker, a testifier to the power, tenderness, despair, and joy of the blues and of life, which are the same. Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket. 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Honeydripper 2. Honey Hush 3. Cherry Red 4. Night Time Is The Right Time 5. Blues Around The Clock Side 2 1. Since I Fell For You 2. Flip, Flop And Fly 3. Wee Baby Blues 4. Good Mornin' Blues 5. Roll Em' Pete
37 tracks across 2CDs, features brilliant stereo sound and a 16-page booklet, with some tracks appearing for the first time ever on CD. Count Basie's career was revived in late 1957 thanks to the success of the Neal Hefti arranged LP Atomic Basie, which became one of his biggest hits. From then on, the Count Basie orchestra flourished as proven by the two 1969 complete club sets presented here, recorded within two weeks of each other live at La Cabaret Casino in Nassau and the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Among the outstanding soloists are the great Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Basie himself, and, on the Las Vegas engagement, guest star trumpet soloist Harry "Sweets" Edison. Most of the Nassau tracks appear here for the first time ever on CD. "This set features updated takes on the Basie songbook's greatest instrumental hits. The music is, of course, great, and the players respond to the excitement of the live audience." - * AllMusic
It could be argued that no two pianists could be more unalike than Count Basie, the master of understatement, and Oscar Peterson, the avatar of speed, power, and embellishment. The contrast in their approaches is part of what made their collaborations riveting. But the fact is that Basie, who held great power in reserve, could let it rip (and stride) when the mood struck him. And Peterson is capable of judiciously applying all that horsepower to achieve the most delicate effects. Both kinds of role reversals occur here. As the album title indicates, the great common denominator between the two is the observance and interpretation of time, not only in the sense of overall swing but of placement of notes and phrases. Their unaccompanied duet in the first choruses of 'Rent Party' provides an emphatic demonstration. Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is everything jazz fans expect from an audiophile reissue. Housed in a single pocket Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket. 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket Tracklist: Side A 1. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) 2. Soft Winds 3. Rent Party Side B 1. (Back Home Again In) Indiana 2. Hey, Raymond 3. After You've Gone 4. That's the One
Count Basie occasionally cautioned young sidemen who were feeling their oats not to play bebop in his band, which was rooted in the rhythmic and harmonic soil of the swing era. How, then, could Basie be expected to make an album with Dizzy Gillespie, one of the progenitors of bop? Happily. Before he began evolving bebop, Gillespie was a swing-era musician. He and Basie operated from a common store of jazz knowledge and wisdom. Masters of time and the blues, they had no difficulty accommodating one another, none at all. This 1977 album is built on the blues. The limitless possibilities inherent in the form summoned the inventiveness, flexibility, and enthusiasm of all the players. Bass and drums are by Ray Brown and Mickey Roker, musicians unquestionably qualified to make music with two of the seminal figures in jazz. Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is an exceptional audiophile disc. Housed in a gatefold Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket. 180-gram vinyl Mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket Tracklist: Side A 1. Back to the Land 2. Constantinople 3. You Got It Side B 1. St. James Infirmary 2. Follow the Leader 3. Ow!
Basie Jam is two sides of some of the best swing ever recorded. This record was produced by Norman Granz and Pablo Records. Granz, responsible for one of the greatest jazz labels ever - Verve - knew what he was doing in a studio. The Big Band sound of Count Basie and the other orchestra leaders dominated dance halls and the airwaves for almost two decades. This late 1973 session features the Count with an eight-piece band. As the title indicates, this recording is like a jam session, so all the tracks are based around the blues. After a classic Basie Piano intro the first track 'Doubling Blues' swings like mad, but then you notice there's something different going on when the solos start. What's different is that Basie is playing Organ for most of the rest of the track and the difference is amazing. The little Piano phrases that we're all so used to hearing Basie play aren't there. Then after six minutes the piano comes back in and we finish track with Basie as we started. For more of Basie's organ playing have a listen to 'One-Nighter' - a lovely medium tempo number on which he plays a restrained introductory solo, before Zoot Sims plays the opening tenor sax solo. The running time is just under 50 minutes, and with only five tracks on the album that tells you that the musicians were given plenty of opportunity to stretch out. They do, and it's well worth getting a copy of this album. Cut from metal parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a handsome Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket. 180-gram vinyl Cut from parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Doubling Blues (6:57) 2. Hanging Out (9:23) 3. Red Bank Blues (8:50) Side 2 1. One-Nighter (11:30) 2. Freeport Blues (9:44)
From his earliest days in territory bands in the Southwest, Count Basie had a secret: How to make a collection of instrumentalists generate rhythmic thrust so irresistible that no listener's foot could remain motionless. Basie's swing was the opposite of tense. Relaxed is what it was, and powerful. Through five and a half decades, Basie never lost the ability to infect a band with his swing magic. This edition of his swing machine, recorded just a couple of years before his death, is evidence of the continuing force of that magic. Cut from metal parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket. 180-gram vinyl Cut from parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape Pressed at Quality Record Pressings Housed in Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket Tracklist: Side 1 1. Way Out Basie (4:19) 2. St. Louis Blues (7:13) 3. Beaver Junction (4:43) 4. Lester Leaps In (4:57) Side 2 1. Blues For The Barbecue (10:27) 2. I Don't Know Yet (4:10) 3. Ain't That Something (4:15) 4. Jumpin' At The Woodside (3:20)
William “Count” Basie (1904 – 1984) had a long successful career over a span of six plus decades leaving an enormous legacy in the history of jazz. The existence of this live recording from Copenhagen in 1962 has never been public, not even in the most extensive bio-discography by the late journalist/author Chris Sheridan. The concert here was a part of Basie’ New Testament Orchestra’s frequent European tours in the late 50’s and early 60s, an era that’s called The Atomic Period.
Vinyl LP pressing. Anyone with more than a merest passing interest in jazz will not need to be told that William Count Basie was one of the most important personalities in the entire history of the genre. As pianist, bandleader, and composer, he was not only one of the most influential figures in shaping the sounds that were central to jazz from the 1930s through to the 1950s, but his bands often provided a springboard for many great names to emerge onto the wider scene. We hope that this musical snapshot of the era at the start of Basie's career as a bandleader offers a fascinating insight into the foundations of his reputation. Pressed on 140g black vinyl, the set includes One O'clock Jump, Good Morning Blues, Every Tub, Swinging The Blues and Blue And Sentimental. Basie once said: If you play a tune and a person don't tap their feet, don't play the tune... This 14-track LP of songs, which captures Count Basie's Orchestra during a brief but pivotal period in his career, will certainly get you tapping those feet.
Count Basie - The Legendary New Testament Band 1952-55 - Count Basie was one of the most celebrated and influential personalities in jazz, as pianist, organist, bandleader, composer and innovator, both during his stellar career which spanned half a century across the middle decades of the 20th century, and in the years since then. That career encompassed several musical and stylistic eras, and one of the most notable of those was the period in the early 50s, when, after a creative re-think, he formed a new orchestra, which became known as "The New Testament Band", which adopted a musical approach which was fresh and distinctive. That approach was captured on recordings which were done at sessions covering a period of around four years, with the titles being issued on several albums which came out on Norman Granz's Clef and Verve labels during the mid-1950s. This 63-track 3-CD collection comprises just about all the recordings which were released on the albums "The Count", "Basie Jazz", Basie Rides Again", "The Swinging Count", "Dance Session", "Dance Session No. 2", and "Basie". As one would expect, the performances feature some notable jazz names, including vocalist Al Hibbler, as well as renowned arrangers like Neal Hefti, Buster Harding and Manny Albam. It's a collection which offers an enlightening, entertaining and substantial snapshot of Basie's music at a key moment in his career. - It's a collection which offers an enlightening, entertaining and substantial snapshot of Basie's music at a key moment in his career.
In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold out concerts all over. The work, with members personally chosen by him, for over 30 years after his passing. Pianist and bandleader William James "Count" Basie was and still is an American institution that personifies the grandeur and the excellence of Jazz. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world.
William "Count" Basie was one of the most important, innovative and influential personalities in jazz during the middle decades of the 20th century, both as pianist, composer and bandleader, his music transcending the worlds of small group jazz, big band music, swing and R&B, and with many future stars of the genre coming to prominence playing with his orchestra. Having honed his skills with Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City, he formed his own orchestra in 1936 after Moten's death and after a lengthy engagement in Chicago signed to Decca, recording for them until almost the end of the decade. This 63-track 3-CD set comprises his releases for Decca during those years, which laid down a marker as to the talent and style of his bands, and constitute a significant and satisfying body of work. The collection features many of his well-known compositions like "One O'Clock Jump", "Blue And Sentimental", Blues In The Dark", along with some of the classic standards of the era. A number of the tracks feature vocals by the great singers Jimmy Rushing and Helen Humes, and among the predominantly big band recordings are some by Basie with a trio comprising Fred Green, Walter Page and Jo Jones. Among the other musicians in his line-up were Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Harry Edison and Dickie Wells. It's a substantial, entertaining and enlightening overview of this key era of Basie's career.
At any given time in the past few decades, saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Christian Weber and drummer Michael Griener have been members of genre-defining trios across Europe and the US, proving just how vital jazz is today in it's historical form as well as in free playing styles. In the trio Ellery Eskelin, Christian Weber and Michael Griener play free music and traditional jazz. They do not melt down the playing styles, but alternate, contrast and deepen them. With the new album The Pearls they present the second studio record after their critically acclaimed release "Sensation of Tone". Ellery Eskelin writes in the liner notes: "In jazz we talk about playing time and playing free. Playing time usually means expressing a steady pulse and playing free usually means not adhering to a steady pulse. Either way there is still the sensation of movement, time. In making this recording I was struck by the ways in which time can simultaneously be so exacting, so malleable and so multi-dimensional. In these performances you'll hear free improvisations (with no preconceived forms or steady time pulse) as well as renditions of classic compositions from an earlier musical form directly addressing time, Ragtime."
A great concert by the Basie band recorded 'LIVE' in the summer of 1956 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The rhythm section, with the great Freddie Green, Eddie Jones and Sonny Payne is the ultimate basic of the band, and, of course, the key man here is The Count himself. All musicians at the top of their games, the crowd is fanatically enthusiastic and the band returns their enthusiasm in full. Here is Basie's band at it's best! With Joe Williams, the band backs the erudite deep-throated singer on a choogling "Alright, Okay, You Win," the quick "Roll 'Em Pete" and "The Comeback." This is the great Count Basie band in a classic time period, playing many well- known, long-lasting, and beloved tunes that everybody will recognize.
Recorded in Paris in 1957, 1960 and 1962, this set presents three concerts by Count Basie, the jazz legend and King of Big Band Swing, who modernized jazz during his whole career. Count Basie, like Duke Ellington, will always be remembered for writing some of the finest chapters in orchestral jazz; and Basie was at his peak in the early 60’s, an iconic figure after albums like “April in Paris” or “Atomic Basie”. Here we have some of the greatest big-band pieces in Basie’s book, by composers like Thad Jones, Neal Hefti or Quincy Jones. Today these are unavoidable standards, and this set swings generously, “live” in concert, led by one of the greatest conductors in jazz. Patrick FReMEAUX
The Live in Paris collection by Michel Brillie allows listeners to hear previously-unreleased recordings (made at concerts and private- or radio-sessions) by the great 20th stars in jazz, rock & roll and song. These “live” takes, and the artists’ rapport with their audiences, gives these performances an additional soul and sensibility in counterpoint to the rigorous demands of studio recordings. Particular care was taken when restoring the sound of these tapes in order to meet CD standards while preserving the original colours of the period. Patrick FReMEAUX & Gilles PeTARD
Possibly the greatest orchestra of the 1930's swing era, the Count Basie Orchestra remained strong throughout the following decades, even beyond their leader's death in 1984. Winner of 17 Grammy awards, Basie's orchestra remains one of the most popular big bands in the world. The classic collection presented here was recorded in Chicago on October 20, 1969 and features Count Basie (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Norman Keenan (bass), Harold Jones (drums), Gene Coe, Oscar Brasher, Sonny Cohn, Waymon Reed (trumpet), Grover Mitchell, Mel Wanzo (trombone), Bill Hughes (bass trombone), Eric Dixon, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor sax), Marshall Royal, Bobby Plater (alto sax), Charlie Fawlkes (baritone sax). All selections newly remastered.
Disc 1: 1. Bill's Mill 2. Brand New Wagon 3. One O'Clock Boogie 4. Futile Frustration 5. Swingin' the Blues 6. St. Louis Boogie 7. Basie's Basement 8. Backstage at Stuff's 9. My Buddy 10. Shine on Harvest Moon 11. Lopin' 12. I Never Knew 13. Sugar 14. Jungle King, The 15. I Ain't Mad at You 16. After You've Gone 17. House Rent Boogie 18. South
Disc 2: 1. Don't You Want a Man Like Me 2. Seventh Avenue Express 3. Sophisticated Swing 4. Guest in a Nest 5. Your Red Wagon 6. Money Is Honey 7. Just a Minute 8. Robbin's Nest 9. Hey Pretty Baby 10. Bye Bye Baby 11. Just an Old Manuscript 12. She's a Wine-O 13. Shoutin' Blues 14. Wonderful Thing 15. Mine Too 16. Walking Slow Behind You 17. Normania 18. Rat Race 19. Sweets
Personnel includes: Count Basie (piano, organ); Taps Miller, Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Preston Love, Rudy Rutherford, Charlie Price (alto saxophone); Buddy Tate, Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone); Jack Washington (baritone saxophone); Ed Lewis, Emmett Berry, Clark Terry, Snooky Young, Harry Edison (trumpet); Ted Donnelly, George Matthews, Eli Robinson, Bill Johnson, Dickie Wells, George Washington (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Rodney Richardson, Walter Page (bass); Shadow Wilson, Jo Jones (drums).
Recorded in Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois between January 3, 1947 and February 2, 1950. Includes liner notes by Don Waterhouse.
Track Listing 1. Hey, Pretty Baby 2. Seventh Avenue Express 3. Walking Slow Behind You 4. Mister Roberts' Roost 5. Don't You Want a Man Like Me 6. South 7. You Call Yourself a Jungle King (I Found Out You Ain't a Doggone Thing) 8. Sophisticated Swing 9. House Rent Boogie 10. Basie's Basement 11. Brand New Wagon
Personnel includes: Count Basie (piano); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Preston Love, Rudy Rutherford, C.Q. Price, Earl Warren (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Jack Washington (baritone saxophone); Ed Lewis, Snooky Young, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham, Gerald Wilson (trumpet); Bill Johnson, Ted Donnelly, George Matthews, Eli Robinson, George Washington (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Walter Page (bass); Jo Jones, Butch Ballard (drums).
Recorded between January 3 and December 12, 1947.
But for the fact that it only has 11 tracks, this mid-priced compilation (not to be confused with the identically titled Bluebird collection covering Basie's early-'30s recordings with the Bennie Moten band) could easily get the highest rating. And this could be the place to start for any rock fans wondering what Basie was about, at least some of the time. This disc shows Basie and company (especially singer Jimmy Rushing) working in an R&B mode, doing such songs as Willie Dixon's "You Call Yourself the Jungle King (I Found Out You Ain't a Doggone Thing)," "Hey, Pretty Baby," "Brand New Wagon," and "Walking Slow Behind You." Rushing and the band sound like they're pushing toward Chess Records' turf. And the astonishing thing is that they pull it off -- if these records had sold in any serious number, Basie and Rushing might have had a whole second career in R&B, right up there with Big Joe Turner. There's a minimum of annotation, and not all of the sound is quite perfect -- amazingly, the 1991 remastered "Basie's Basement" featured here has a click or two in evidence, for which there's no excuse. But the sound quality everywhere else is pretty much beyond reproach, and there's also one number here, "Mister Roberts' Roost," a laidback instrumental prominently featuring Basie's piano, that's otherwise unavailable.
This title is part of the aggressively priced, ongoing Priceless Jazz series featuring great artists, eye-catching graphics and informative liner notes. Tracks here include "Honeysuckle Rose," "One O'Clock Jump," "Time Out," "Topsy," "Swingin' the Blues," "Blue And Sentimental," "Texas Shuffle," "Swinging at the Daisy Chain," "Roseland Shuffle," "Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)," "Jive at Five," "Oh, Lady Be Good" and more. [Note: This product is an authorized CD-R and is manufactured on demand].
