Count Basie | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. With the exception of a brief period in the early 50s, he led a big band from 1935 until his death almost 50 years later, and the band continued to perform after he died. Basies orchestra was characterized by a light, swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano, lively ensemble work, and generous soloing. Basie was not a composer like Duke Ellington or an important soloist like Benny Goodman. His instrument was his band, which was considered the epitome of swing and became broadly influential on jazz. Both of Basies parents were musicians; his father, Harvie Basie, played the mellophone, and his mother, Lillian (Childs) Basie, was a pianist who gave her son his earliest lessons. Basie also learned from Harlem stride pianists, particularly Fats Waller. His first professional work came accompanying vaudeville performers, and he was part of a troupe that broke up in Kansas City in 1927, leaving him stranded there. He stayed in the Midwestern city, at first working in a silent movie house and then joining Walter Pages Blue Devils in July 1928. The bands vocalist was Jimmy Rushing. Basie left in early 1929 to play with other bands, eventually settling into one led by Bennie Moten. Upon Motens untimely death on April 2, 1935, Basie worked as a soloist before leading a band initially called the Barons of Rhythm. Many former members of the Moten band joined this nine-piece outfit, among them Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), and Lester Young (tenor saxophone). Jimmy Rushing became the singer. The band gained a residency at the Reno Club in Kansas City and began broadcasting on the radio, an announcer dubbing the pianist "Count" Basie. Basie got his big break when one of his broadcasts was heard by journalist and record producer John Hammond, who touted him to agents and record companies. As a result, the band was able to leave Kansas City in the fall of 1936 and take up an engagement at the Grand Terrace in Chicago, followed by a date in Buffalo, NY, before coming into Roseland in New York City in December. It made its recording debut on Decca Records in January 1937. Undergoing expansion and personnel changes, it returned to Chicago, then to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston. Meanwhile, its recording of "One OClock Jump" became its first chart entry in September 1937. The tune became the bands theme song and it was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Basie returned to New York for an extended engagement at the small club the Famous Door in 1938 that really established the band as a success. "Stop Beatin Round the Mulberry Bush," with Rushing on vocals, became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1938. Basie spent the first half of 1939 in Chicago, meanwhile switching from Decca to Columbia Records, then went to the West Coast in the fall. He spent the early 40s touring extensively, but after the U.S. entry into World War II in December 1941 and the onset of the recording ban in August 1942, his travel was restricted. While on the West Coast, he and the band appeared in five films, all released within a matter of months in 1943: Hit Parade of 1943, Reveille with Beverly, Stage Door Canteen, Top Man, and Crazy House. He also scored a series of Top Ten hits on the pop and R&B; charts, including "I Didnt Know About You" (pop, winter 1945); "Red Bank Blues" (R&B;, winter 1945); "Rusty Dusty Blues" (R&B;, spring 1945); "Jimmys Blues" (pop and R&B;, summer/fall 1945); and "Blue Skies" (pop, summer 1946). Switching to RCA Victor Records, he topped the charts in February 1947 with "Open the Door, Richard!," followed by three more Top Ten pop hits in 1947: "Free Eats," "One OClock Boogie," and "I Aint Mad at You (You Aint Mad at Me)." The big bands decline in popularity in the late 40s hit Basie as it did his peers, and he broke up his orchestra at the end of the decade, opting to lead smaller units for the next couple of years. But he was able to reform the big band in 1952, responding to increased opportunities for touring. For example, he went overseas for the first time to play in Scandinavia in 1954, and thereafter international touring played a large part in his schedule. An important addition to the band in late 1954 was vocalist Joe Williams. The orchestra was re-established commercially by the 1955 album Count Basie Swings - Joe Williams Sings (released on Clef Records), particularly by the single "Every Day (I Have the Blues)," which reached the Top Five of the R&B; charts and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Another key recording of this period was an instrumental reading of "April in Paris" that made the pop Top 40 and the R&B; Top Ten in early 1956; it also was enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame. These hits made what Albert Murray (co-author of Basies autobiography, Good Morning Blues) called the "new testament" edition of the Basie band a major success. Williams remained with Basie until 1960, and even after his departure, the band continued to prosper. At the first Grammy Awards ceremony, Basie won the 1958 awards for Best Performance by a Dance Band and Best Jazz Performance, Group, for his Roulette Records LP Basie. Breakfast Dance and Barbecue was nominated in the dance band category for 1959, and Basie won in the category in 1960 for Dance with Basie, earning nominations the same year for Best Performance by an Orchestra and Best Jazz Performance, Large Group, for The Count Basie Story. There were further nominations for best jazz performance for Basie at Birdland in 1961 and The Legend in 1962. None of these albums attracted much commercial attention, however, and in 1962, Basie switched to Frank Sinatras Reprise Records in a bid to sell more records. Sinatra-Basie satisfied that desire, reaching the Top Five in early 1963. It was followed by This Time by Basie! Hits of the 50s and 60s, which reached the Top 20 and won the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra for Dancing. This initiated a period largely deplored by jazz fans that ran through the rest of the 1960s, when Basie teamed with various vocalists for a series of chart albums including Ella Fitzgerald (Ella and Basie!, 1963); Sinatra again (the Top 20 album It Might as Well Be Swing, 1964); Sammy Davis, Jr. (Our Shining Hour, 1965); the Mills Brothers (The Board of Directors, 1968); and Jackie Wilson (Manufacturers of Soul, 1968). He also reached the charts with an album of show tunes, Broadway Basies ... Way (1966). By the end of the 1960s, Basie had returned to more of a jazz format. His album Standing Ovation earned a 1969 Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Large Group or Soloist with Large Group (Eight or More), and in 1970, with Oliver Nelson as arranger/conductor, he recorded Afrique, an experimental, avant-garde album that earned a 1971 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band. By this time, the band performed largely on the jazz festival circuit and on cruise ships. In the early 1970s, after a series of short-term affiliations, Basie signed to Pablo Records, with which he recorded for the rest of his life. Pablo recorded Basie prolifically in a variety of settings, resulting in a series of well-received albums: Basie Jam earned a 1975 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a Group; Basie and Zoot was nominated in the same category in 1976 and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist; Prime Time won the 1977 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band; and The Gifted Ones by Basie and Dizzy Gillespie was nominated for a 1979 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group. Thereafter, Basie competed in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Big Band, winning the Grammy in 1980 for On the Road and in 1982 for Warm Breeze, earning a nomination for Farmers Market Barbecue in 1983, and winning a final time, for his ninth career Grammy, in 1984 for 88 Basie Street. Basies health gradually deteriorated during the last eight years of his life. He suffered a heart attack in 1976 that put him out of commission for several months. He was back in the hospital in 1981, and when he returned to action, he was driving an electric wheel chair onto the stage. He died of cancer at 79. Count Basie was admired as much by musicians as by listeners, and he displayed a remarkable consistency in a bandleading career that lasted long after swing became an archival style of music. After his death, his was one of the livelier ghost bands, led in turn by Thad Jones, Frank Foster, and Grover Mitchell. His lengthy career resulted in a large discography spread across all of the major labels and quite a few minor ones as well. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 48 Title: Basie Released: 1957 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Kid from Red Bank (02:41) 2 Duet (04:11) 3 After Supper (03:24) 4 Flight of the Foo Birds (03:22) 5 Double-O (02:45) 6 Teddy the Toad (03:18) 7 Whirly-Bird (03:50) 8 Midnite Blue (04:27) 9 Splanky (03:35) 10 Fantail (02:55) 11 Lil Darlin (04:49) |
| Basie : Allmusic album Review : The release of this album in late 1957 marked the beginning of a glorious new phase in Count Basies career. Signed to Roulette Records, the newly formed label owned by Morris Levy, the New York recording entrepreneur, jukebox mogul, club owner, and quasi-underworld figure, it took Basies core audience and a lot of other people by surprise, as a bold, forward-looking statement within the context of a big-band recording -- if not as daring as what Duke Ellington had done at Newport in 1956, still a reminder that there was room for fresh, even dazzling improvisation (especially courtesy of Eddie "Lockjaw" Daviss contribution) within the framework of a big-band jazz unit. The band and its key members were all "on" for these two days of sessions, and Neal Heftis arrangements gave all concerned a chance to show what they could do. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, stands out from the get-go with his solo on "Flight of the Foo Birds," a rewriting of "Give Me the Simple Life" on which the tenor-man shares the stage with Thad Joness trumpet solo, but nearly knock Jones off that same stage with his pyrotechnics. Davis plunges into new territory, defining the Basie "Atomic" period with his solo on "Whirly-Birds" (originally less aptly titled "Roller Coaster"), which soars into the air on his break. Joe Newman and Thad Joness muted trumpets are the featured instruments on "Duet." "The Kid From Red Bank" offers an unusual showcase for Basie himself at the piano, playing the least number of notes possible to surprise and bedazzle the listener, while "Lil Darlin" offers the Basie bands answer to Ellingtons "Mood Indigo." (See also: The Complete Atomic Basie -- 1994). | ||
 | Album: 2 of 48 Title: Sing Along With Basie Released: 1958 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jumpin at the Woodside (03:21) 2 Going to Chicago Blues (04:14) 3 Tickle Toe (02:40) 4 Let Me See (03:16) 5 Every Tub (03:27) 6 Shorty George (03:09) 7 Rusty Dusty Blues (03:46) 8 The King (03:25) 9 Swingin the Blues (03:05) 10 Lil Darlin (04:38) |
| Sing Along With Basie : Allmusic album Review : Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross had combined their voices to recreate the Count Basie Orchestra on their debut release Sing a Song of Basie. For this follow-up (which has not yet been reissued on CD), they actually had the services of the Basie big band itself. The vocal trio (who once again overdubbed their voices in spots several times) performs ten Basie classics including an exciting "Jumpin at the Woodside," "Tickle Toe," "The King," "Swingin the Blues" and "Lil Darlin." Most memorable is "Going to Chicago Blues" which has L, H & Ross recreating the Basie Orchestra while Joe Williams sings the regular vocal; it is quite fascinating to hear. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 48 Title: Basie Plays Hefti Released: 1958 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Has Anyone Here Seen Basie (02:43) 2 Cute (03:12) 3 Pensive Miss (03:50) 4 Sloo Foot (03:08) 5 Its Awfly Nice to Be With You (03:34) 6 Scoot (02:29) 7 A Little Tempo, Please (02:37) 8 Late Date (03:18) 9 Countdown (02:47) 10 Baga Bones (02:43) 11 Pony Tail (02:58) |
| Basie Plays Hefti : Allmusic album Review : The Count Basie Orchestra was in top form for this set of Neal Hefti arrangements. Hefti had been one of the main architects of the new Basie sound of the 50s and on this memorable date he utilizes the flute of Frank Wess prominently. "Cute" (heard here in its initial recording) became a standard. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 48 Title: Count Basie and His Orchestra Swings, Tony Bennett Sings Released: 1959 Tracks: 11 Duration: 27:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Life Is a Song (02:53) 2 With Plenty of Money and You (01:33) 3 Jeepers Creepers (02:08) 4 Are You Havin Any Fun (02:47) 5 Anything Goes (02:21) 6 Strike Up the Band (01:33) 7 Chicago (02:07) 8 Ive Grown Accustomed to Her Face (03:03) 9 Poor Little Rich Girl (03:32) 10 Growing Pains (03:35) 11 I Guess Ill Have to Change My Plans (01:41) |
| Count Basie and His Orchestra Swings, Tony Bennett Sings : Allmusic album Review : The Roulette half of the two Bennett/Basie sessions is a band singers paradise, with the Basie band caught at a robust and swinging peak and Bennett never sounding happier or looser in front of a microphone. The Count himself, alas, appears on piano only on two numbers ("Life Is a Song" and "Jeepers Creepers"), while Bennetts perennial pianist Ralph Sharon takes over on the remaining ten tracks and does all the charts. Yet Sharon writes idiomatically for the Counts style, whether on frantic rave-ups like "With Plenty of Money and You" and "Strike Up the Band" or relaxed swingers like "Chicago." Though not a jazz singer per se, the flavor of jazz is everywhere in Bennetts voice, which in those days soared like a trumpet. The 1990 CD included an atmospheric unissued Neal Hefti ballad "After Supper," but even this bonus track does little to extend the skimpy playing time (about 31 minutes) of what is still a great, desirable snapshot from American showbiz of the late 1950s. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 48 Title: Strike Up the Band Released: 1959 Tracks: 11 Duration: 27:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Strike Up the Band (01:34) 2 I Guess Ill Have to Change My Plans (01:45) 3 Chicago (02:08) 4 With Plenty of Money and You (01:35) 5 Anything Goes (02:21) 6 Life Is a Song (02:50) 7 Ive Grown Accustomed to Her Face (03:03) 8 Jeepers Creepers (02:09) 9 Growing Pains (03:34) 10 Poor Little Rich Girl (03:31) 11 Are You Havin Any Fun (02:43) |
 | Album: 6 of 48 Title: Basie & Eckstine Incorporated Released: 1959 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Stormy Monday Blues (03:12) 2 Lonesome Lover Blues (03:11) 3 Blues, the Mother of Sin (03:42) 4 Jelly Jelly (03:04) 5 Dont Cry Baby (03:34) 6 TravLin All Alone (02:56) 7 Little Mama (03:31) 8 I Want a Little Girl (03:27) 9 Drifting (04:01) 10 Song of the Wanderer (03:23) 11 Piano Man (04:07) |
| Basie & Eckstine Incorporated : Allmusic album Review : When the Count Basie Orchestra consented to team up with vocalist Billy Eckstine, choruses of angels must have shouted hallelujah. The combination of Basies sweet jazz and Eckstines low-down blues sensibilities meshed well on this one-shot deal, a program mostly of downtrodden songs perfectly suited for the band and the man. Recorded in 1959 as Eckstines popularity was fading (thankfully, his voice was not, as he sounds great on this set of 11 well-known classic jazz/blues vehicles). For the simple reason that Eckstine convincingly sings all-time winners like the upbeat yet downer tune "Lonesome Lover Blues," the slow "Jelly Jelly" in a mood both the band and vocalist favor, or the wishful thinking of "I Want a Little Girl," you know all too well the co-leaders have ruefully lived through these situations. "Drifting" and "Song of the Wanderer" are somewhat less credible, but Eckstines stout voice overcomes all sorrow, strife, and sympathy one cant help but deeply feel. "Travlin All Alone," more than any other track, best expresses how the weariness and grind of being on the road can take its toll on even the sturdiest jazz artist, aspects the public does not see behind the scenes, but are exposed full-bore on-stage. Where most everything on the program is languid and sanguine, the exception is an upbeat take of "Little Mama" in blues shuffle-style, while the comfort blues "Dont Cry Baby" has the horns more loud and pronounced, with Eckstines voice in a similarly projected vibrato. It would be difficult to fault this masterpiece of an album, refined and classy in every detail, showing the Basie band and the immortal icon Eckstine at their absolute best during the very tail-end of an era when big-band swing was royal, and the vocalist was its king. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 48 Title: First Time! The Count Meets the Duke Released: 1961 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Battle Royal (05:35) 2 To You (03:57) 3 Take the "A" Train (03:49) 4 Corner Pocket (Until I Met You) (04:55) 5 Wild Man (05:45) 6 Segue in C (08:25) 7 B D B (04:05) 8 Jumpin at the Woodside (03:06) |
 | Album: 8 of 48 Title: Count Basie / Sarah Vaughan Released: 1961 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Perdido (02:12) 2 Lover Man (03:58) 3 I Cried for You (02:55) 4 Alone (03:56) 5 There Are Such Things (03:12) 6 The Gentleman Is a Dope (02:45) 7 You Go to My Head (04:52) 8 Until I Met You (03:10) 9 You Turned the Tables on Me (03:23) 10 Little Man (Youve Had a Busy Day) (04:50) |
| Count Basie / Sarah Vaughan : Allmusic album Review : Although Count Basie gets top billing, he actually doesnt even appear on this set. Basies Orchestra and pianist Kirk Stuart are purely in a supporting role behind the magnificent voice of Sarah Vaughan, other than a couple of short spots for trumpeter Joe Newman and Frank Fosters tenor. Sometimes Vaughan sounds overly mannered and seems to give little weight to the words she is singing, but her wide range and impeccable musicianship carry the day. Highlights include "Perdido," "Mean to Me," and "You Go to My Head," and the set is understandably recommended more for Sarah Vaughan fans than Count Basie collectors. [Some reissues add a pair of charming Vaughan duets with Joe Williams, "Teach Me Tonight" and "If I Were a Bell," that were originally released as a single, plus an alternate take of "Until I Met You."] | ||
 | Album: 9 of 48 Title: Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First Released: 1962-12-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pennies From Heaven (03:29) 2 Please Be Kind (02:43) 3 (Love Is) The Tender Trap (02:37) 4 Looking at the World Through Rose Colored Glasses (02:32) 5 My Kind of Girl (04:37) 6 I Only Have Eyes for You (03:31) 7 Nice Work If You Can Get It (02:37) 8 Learnin’ the Blues (04:25) 9 I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (02:35) 10 I Won’t Dance (04:07) |
| Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First : Allmusic album Review : The long-awaited first collaboration between two icons, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, did something unique for the reputations of both. For Basie, the Sinatra connection inaugurated a period in the 60s where his band was more popular and better-known than it ever was, even in the big-band era. For Sinatra, Basie meant liberation, producing perhaps the loosest, rhythmically free singing of his career. Propelled by the irresistible drums of Sonny Payne, Sinatra careens up to and around the tunes, reacting jauntily to the beat and encouraging Payne to swing even harder, which was exactly the way to interact with the Basie rhythm machine -- using his exquisite timing flawlessly. Also the members of the Basie band play a more prominent role than usual on a Sinatra record, with soloists like Frank Wess -- in some of the finest flute work of his life -- and tenors Frank Foster and Eric Dixon getting prominent solo opportunities on several of the tracks. The record was criticized by some as a letdown when it came out, probably because Neal Heftis charts rarely permit the band to roar, concentrating on use of subtlety and space. Yet the records restraint has worn very well over the long haul -- it doesnt beat you into submission -- and it concludes with its best shot, a wonderfully playful treatment of "I Wont Dance." | ||
 | Album: 10 of 48 Title: It Might as Well Be Swing Released: 1964-06-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 27:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) (02:29) 2 I Wish You Love (02:56) 3 I Believe in You (02:22) 4 More (Theme From Mondo Cane) (03:06) 5 I Cant Stop Loving You (03:02) 6 Hello, Dolly! (02:46) 7 I Wanna Be Around (02:22) 8 The Best Is Yet to Come (02:56) 9 The Good Life (02:27) 10 Wives and Lovers (02:48) |
| It Might as Well Be Swing : Allmusic album Review : Frank Sinatra and Count Basies second collaboration, It Might as Well Be Swing, was a more structured, swing-oriented set than Sinatra-Basie, and in many ways the superior album. The album consists of then-recently written songs, arranged as if they were swing numbers. The results work splendidly, not just because arranger/conductor Quincy Jones found the core of each of the songs, but because Basie and his band were flexible. Adding a string section to their core band, Basie plays a more standard swing than he did on Sinatra-Basie, but that doesnt mean It Might as Well Be Swing is devoid of jazz. Both Basie and Sinatra manage to play with the melodies and the beat, even though the album never loses sight of its purpose as a swing album. However, what makes It Might as Well Be Swing more successful is the consistently high level of the performances. On their previous collaboration, both Sinatra and Basie sounded a bit worn out, but throughout this record they play with energy and vigor. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 48 Title: Basie Picks the Winners Released: 1965 Tracks: 11 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Watermelon Man (?) 2 Thats All (?) 3 I Wont Cry Anymore (?) 4 Main Theme From "Exodus" (?) 5 Ill Get By (As Long as I Have You) (?) 6 My Kind of Town (?) 7 Im Walkin (?) 8 Come Rain or Come Shine (?) 9 Volare (Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu) (?) 10 Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out (?) 11 Oh, Lonesome Me (?) |
 | Album: 12 of 48 Title: Big Band Scene 65 Released: 1965 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Big Walk (02:55) 2 Molasses (06:10) 3 Loneliness (03:38) 4 Ubeknownst (03:38) 5 Toot Sweet (03:05) 6 "X" Stream (03:10) 7 Sin Blues (02:49) 8 By Bye Blackbird (02:58) 9 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (02:54) 10 Saturday Nite (02:47) 11 Maria (03:00) |
 | Album: 13 of 48 Title: Inside Basie Outside Released: 1966 Tracks: 6 Duration: 34:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Swingin at Newport (08:04) 2 One OClock Jump (09:29) 3 Basies Back in Town (03:22) 4 Big Red (03:55) 5 Stompin and Jumpin (02:54) 6 Blues Inside Out (06:44) |
 | Album: 14 of 48 Title: Hollywood Basies Way Released: 1966 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Secret Love (02:54) 2 Laura (02:27) 3 In the Still of the Night (01:59) 4 A Foggy Day (02:14) 5 The Shadow of Your Smile (03:23) 6 The Trolley Song (02:17) 7 Strangers in the Night (02:57) 8 A Fine Romance (02:46) 9 Carioca (02:24) 10 Hurry Sundown Blues (02:44) 11 It Might as Well Be Spring (02:32) 12 Days of Wine and Roses (02:38) |
 | Album: 15 of 48 Title: Count Basie Captures Walt Disneys The Happiest Millionaire Released: 1967 Tracks: 10 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Detroit (?) 2 Strengthen the Dwelling (?) 3 Ill Always Be Irish (?) 4 Valentine Candy (?) 5 Bye-yum-pum-pum (?) 6 Watch Your Footwork (?) 7 Whats Wrong With That (?) 8 Lets Have a Drink On It (?) 9 Are We Dancing (?) 10 Fortuosity (?) |
 | Album: 16 of 48 Title: The Board of Directors Annual Report Released: 1968 Tracks: 10 Duration: 30:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gentle on My Mind (02:45) 2 Cherry (03:27) 3 You Never Miss the Water Till the Well Runs Dry (02:54) 4 Glow Worm (02:26) 5 Sent for You Yesterday and Here You Come Today (03:38) 6 Sunny (03:34) 7 Ill Be Around (02:44) 8 Cielito Lindo (02:21) 9 Blue and Sentimental (03:35) 10 Every Day (02:56) |
| The Board of Directors Annual Report : Allmusic album Review : Although they were contemporaries dating back to the 1930s, the Mills Brothers and Count Basies band did not perform together on record until the late 1960s, when they cut these two albums in less than a year. Both are characteristic efforts combining songs associated with each group of artist with recent hits by others. Of course, the remakes of songs like "(Up A) Lazy River" and "The Glow-Worm" work better than "Gentle on My Mind" (mistakenly credited to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II instead of John Hartford!) and, yes, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music." As usual, its the supposedly timely material that sounds dated, while the old favorites remain timeless. Nevertheless, this is an excellent match-up that should have been tried earlier and more often. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 48 Title: Straight Ahead Released: 1968 Tracks: 9 Duration: 33:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Basie - Straight Ahead (03:53) 2 Its Oh, So Nice (04:09) 3 Lonely Street (02:50) 4 Fun Time (03:52) 5 Magic Flea (03:08) 6 Switch in Time (03:57) 7 Hay Burner (04:13) 8 That Warm Feeling (03:30) 9 The Queen Bee (04:10) |
 | Album: 18 of 48 Title: The Board of Directors Released: 1968 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lazy River (03:33) 2 I May Be Wrong but I Think Youre Wonderful (03:11) 3 Release Me (02:44) 4 I Want to Be Happy (02:00) 5 Down-down-down (02:37) 6 The Whiffenpoof Song (03:12) 7 I Dig Rock and Roll Music (03:06) 8 Tiny Bubbles (03:13) 9 December (02:46) 10 Let Me Dream (02:50) 11 April in Paris (04:10) |
| The Board of Directors : Allmusic album Review : This is a follow-up to the first Mills/Basie collaboration, The Board of Directors, a commercial success recorded less than eight months earlier. It is in the same vein, mixing a few of each artists signature tunes ("The Glow-Worm" for the Mills Brothers, "Every Day" for Count Basie) with recent pop chart entries like "Gentle on My Mind" and "Sunny." The former fare better than the latter, but the matching exuberance of the singers and instrumentalists makes for another entertaining disc. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 48 Title: Manufacturers of Soul Released: 1968 Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Funky Broadway (02:41) 2 For Your Precious Love (02:42) 3 In the Midnight Hour (02:46) 4 Ode to Billie Joe (04:20) 5 Chain Gang (02:48) 6 I Was Made to Love Her (02:48) 7 Uptight (Everythings Alright) (02:46) 8 I Never Loved a Woman (02:43) 9 Respect (02:32) 10 Even When You Cry (02:40) 11 My Girl (02:45) |
 | Album: 20 of 48 Title: Count Basie + Voices Released: 1972 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:18:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Perdido (02:12) 2 Sent for You Yesterday (03:06) 3 Segue in C (06:11) 4 Shorty George (03:09) 5 Strike Up the Band (01:33) 6 Broadway (03:20) 7 Lil Darlin (04:36) 8 Little Pony (02:24) 9 Gee Baby (02:31) 10 H.R.H. (Her Royal Highness) (02:40) 11 Lover Man (03:58) 12 Lonesome (03:08) 13 Everyday (04:42) 14 Jelly Jelly (03:05) 15 Whirly Bird (04:06) 16 Chicago (02:07) 17 Mean to Me (02:51) 18 Rat Race (02:39) 19 Stormy Monday Blues (03:12) 20 Cute (03:11) 21 You Go to My Head (04:52) 22 Rusty Dusty Blues (03:46) 23 Lullaby of Birdland (01:52) 24 Boogie Woogie (02:59) |
 | Album: 21 of 48 Title: The Bosses Released: 1974 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Honeydripper (06:46) 2 Honey Hush (02:41) 3 Cherry Red (04:46) 4 Night Time Is the Right Time (03:58) 5 Blues Around the Clock (05:03) 6 Since I Fell for You (04:00) 7 Flip, Flop, and Fly (03:31) 8 Wee Baby Blues (05:40) 9 Good Mornin Blues (03:53) 10 Roll em Pete (04:17) |
| The Bosses : Allmusic album Review : Count Basie and an all-star band (including trumpeter Harry Edison, trombonist J.J. Johnson and the tenors of Eddie Davis and Zoot Sims) back up veteran Kansas City blues singer Big Joe Turner on one of his better later albums. The many fine solos inspire Turner, who is in top form on such tunes as "Night Time Is the Right Time," "Wee Baby Blues" and "Roll Em Pete." | ||
 | Album: 22 of 48 Title: Basie Jam Released: 1975 Tracks: 5 Duration: 49:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Doubling Blues (07:01) 2 Hanging Out (09:36) 3 Red Bank Blues (09:04) 4 One-Nighter (11:47) 5 Freeport Blues (11:43) |
| Basie Jam : Allmusic album Review : The official start of Count Basies decade-long association with Norman Granzs Pablo label was a bit disappointing, an all-star cast (with trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, trombonist J.J. Johnson and tenors Eddie Davis and Zoot Sims) playing one blues after another. Reasonably pleasing but uninspired, there would be many better Basie dates coming up. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 48 Title: The Gifted Ones Released: 1979 Tracks: 6 Duration: 41:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Back to the Land (07:25) 2 Constantinople (08:32) 3 You Got It (05:22) 4 St. James Infirmary (06:58) 5 Follow the Leader (06:27) 6 Ow! (06:15) |
 | Album: 24 of 48 Title: Kansas City Shout Released: 1980 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Jug and I (03:30) 2 Cherry Red (04:11) 3 Apollo Daze (03:49) 4 Standing on the Corner (03:22) 5 Stormy Monday (03:37) 6 Signifying (03:00) 7 Just a Dream on My Mind (03:44) 8 Blues for Joe Turner (05:59) 9 Blues for Joel (04:08) 10 Every Day I Have the Blues (04:05) 11 Blues Au Four (02:58) |
| Kansas City Shout : Allmusic album Review : This session from 1980 helps to recreate the atmosphere of 30s Kansas City. Featured are the great blues singer Joe Turner and the strong singer and altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, along with the Count Basie Orchestra. "Just a Dream," "Everyday I Have the Blues," "Cherry Red" and "Stormy Monday" receive very spirited renditions, as do some newer blues. Since all of the principals are no longer with us, Norman Granz deserves special thanks for organizing this special session. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 48 Title: Kansas City 6 Released: 1981 Tracks: 8 Duration: 45:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Opus Six (06:34) 2 Vegas Drag (06:19) 3 Scooter (04:43) 4 Wee Baby (05:36) 5 N.H.O.P. (05:02) 6 Blues for little Jazz (05:06) 7 St. Louis Blues (04:51) 8 Walking The Blues (07:07) |
| Kansas City 6 : Allmusic album Review : This is one of many small-group jam sessions organized by Norman Granz to feature pianist Count Basie. This time around the proceedings (utilizing a sextet) have plenty of solo space for trumpeter Willie Cook, altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (who also takes a vocal) and guitairist Joe Pass. As usual, when Basie had his way, the emphasis is on the blues and the music always swings. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 48 Title: Get Together Released: 1986 Tracks: 6 Duration: 34:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ode to Pres (04:04) 2 Basies Bag (09:43) 3 Swinging on the Cusp (05:39) 4 Like It Used to Be (08:29) 5 My Main Men (06:07) 6 Pretty Time (?) |
| Get Together : Allmusic album Review : This typically enjoyable Basie all-star jam is particularly noteworhty because it includes the great (but underrated) tenor of Budd Johnson along with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and trumpeters Clark Terry and Harry "Sweets" Edison. The music is quite delightful, topped by a fine ballad medley. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 48 Title: Yessir, Thats My Baby Released: 1986 Tracks: 8 Duration: 43:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Blues for Roy (05:58) 2 Teach Me (03:57) 3 Joe Turner (08:52) 4 Blues for C.T. (02:54) 5 Yessir, Thats My Baby (05:33) 6 Tea for Two (05:47) 7 After Youve Gone (05:09) 8 Poor Butterfly (05:14) |
| Yessir, That's My Baby : Allmusic album Review : From the same week that resulted in Night Rider and Timekeepers, this is the fifth album that documents the matchup of Count Basie and Oscar Peterson. The two pianists (backed by bassist John Heard and drummer Louis Bellson) play five standards and three blues with predictable swing, finding much more in common with each other than one might have originally suspected. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 48 Title: Bing n Basie Released: 1986 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Gentle on My Mind (03:45) 2 Everything Is Beautiful (03:19) 3 Gonna Build a Mountain (02:36) 4 Sunrise, Sunset (02:43) 5 Hangin Loose (02:32) 6 All His Children (03:01) 7 Put Your Hand in the Hand (03:12) 8 Snowbird (02:56) 9 Little Green Apples (03:15) 10 Sugar, Dont You Know (03:23) 11 Have a Nice Day (02:55) |
 | Album: 29 of 48 Title: Mostly Blues...and Some Others Released: 1986 Tracks: 8 Duration: 44:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ill Always Be in Love With You (08:12) 2 Snooky (03:45) 3 Blues for Charlie Christian (05:26) 4 Jaws (05:35) 5 Im Confessin That I Love You (04:32) 6 I Want a Little Girl (05:20) 7 Blues in C (06:57) 8 Brio (04:41) |
 | Album: 30 of 48 Title: Autumn in Paris Released: 1988 Tracks: 15 Duration: 52:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Whirlybird (05:38) 2 Little Pony (02:48) 3 Corner Pocket (05:35) 4 Lovely Baby (03:11) 5 Blee Blop Blues (02:31) 6 Nails (03:21) 7 The Kid From Redbank (03:48) 8 Spring Is Here (04:11) 9 Why Not? (03:50) 10 Well Alright OK You Win - Roll em (03:01) 11 Roll em (02:40) 12 Ol Man River (05:26) 13 Duet (03:44) 14 Gee, Baby Aint I Good to You - One OClock Jump (02:18) 15 One OClock Jump (00:57) |
 | Album: 31 of 48 Title: Basie and Friends Released: 1988 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Easy Does It (03:35) 2 Zoot (04:06) 3 Love Me or Leave Me (05:15) 4 N.H.O.P. (04:41) 5 Shes Funny That Way (04:30) 6 Turnaround (04:23) 7 Madame Fitz (05:01) 8 Royal Garden Blues (04:16) 9 Sweet Lorraine (07:17) |
| Basie and Friends : Allmusic album Review : This is a hodgepodge collection focusing on Basies piano-playing from four different sessions. Five selections find him in trios while the other three numbers are meetings with Oscar Peteson during which they both double on organ. All of these performances are unavailable elsewhere and are enjoyable if not too unique. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 48 Title: "Satch" and "Josh" Released: 1988 Tracks: 10 Duration: 52:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Buns Blues (04:36) 2 These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (05:44) 3 R.B. (05:34) 4 Burnin (04:12) 5 Exactly Like You (06:17) 6 Jumpin at the Woodside (02:54) 7 Louie B. (06:22) 8 Lester Leaps In (04:08) 9 Big Stockings (04:28) 10 S & J Blues (07:52) |
| "Satch" and "Josh" : Allmusic album Review : Producer Norman Granz occasionally got carried away with the quantity of his recording projects. In 1974 he recorded a full album teaming fellow pianists Count Basie and Oscar Peterson in a rhythm quintet; little did anyone realize that this then-unique matchup would eventually result in five albums. This first one, which finds Basie doubling on organ, is among the best. Petersons virtuosic style somehow worked very well with Basies sparse playing and these ten numbers really swing. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 48 Title: Arthur Prysock-Count Basie Released: 1989 Tracks: 14 Duration: 43:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Could Have Told You (03:46) 2 Aint No Use (02:49) 3 I Could Write a Book (03:43) 4 Gone Again (03:11) 5 Come Home (03:43) 6 I Worry Bout You (02:20) 7 What Will I Tell My Heart (02:48) 8 Dont Go to Strangers (02:49) 9 Im Lost (03:24) 10 Im Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (02:55) 11 Come Rain or Come Shine (02:24) 12 Where Are You (03:46) 13 Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me (03:17) 14 Sunday (02:38) |
| Arthur Prysock-Count Basie : Allmusic album Review : Arthur Prysock/Count Basie documents a set of wonderful mid-60s cuts in which Arthur Prysock came the closest of any replacements to duplicating the Joe Williams sound in the Basie orchestra. Seven saxes are led by Lockjaw Davis in a big band that drives Prysock. Of the 11 songs, the best are "I Could Write a Book" and "Dont Go to Strangers." [The 2015 Verve reissue added three bonus tracks to the original program.] | ||
 | Album: 34 of 48 Title: Basie Boogie Released: 1989 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:03:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 In A Mellotone (06:01) 2 The Midgets (09:25) 3 Whirly Bird (04:07) 4 Basie Boogie (02:48) 5 The Deacon (06:16) 6 Cute (04:08) 7 Old Man River (08:01) 8 The Kid From Red Bank (03:50) 9 Spring Is Here (04:05) 10 Why Not (03:52) 11 Corner Pocket (05:30) 12 Little Pony (02:50) 13 Blee Bop Blues (02:33) |
 | Album: 35 of 48 Title: Do You Wanna Jump...? Released: 1989 Tracks: 19 Duration: 56:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Georgianna (02:37) 2 Blues in the Dark (03:06) 3 Sent for You Yesterday (02:55) 4 Every Tub (03:18) 5 Now Will You Be Good? (02:51) 6 Swingin the Blues (02:46) 7 Mama Dont Want No Peas an Rice an Coconut Oil (02:53) 8 Blue and Sentimental (03:13) 9 Doggin Around (02:57) 10 Stop Beatin Round the Mulberry Bush (03:06) 11 Stop Beatin Round the Mulberry Bush (03:06) 12 London Bridge Is Falling Down (02:58) 13 Texas Shuffle (03:07) 14 Jumpin at the Woodside (03:07) 15 Dark Rapture (02:41) 16 Shorty George (02:46) 17 The Blues I Like to Hear (03:11) 18 Do You Wanna Jump, Children! (02:41) 19 Panassie Stomp (02:45) |
 | Album: 36 of 48 Title: Atomic Basie Released: 1989 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:13:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Jumpin At The Woodside (03:10) 2 Moten Swing (04:51) 3 Blue And Sentimental (04:06) 4 Sent For You Yesterday (03:07) 5 Blues in Hoss Flat (03:13) 6 Who Me (04:01) 7 Little Pony (02:34) 8 The Legend (04:37) 9 Goin To Chicago Blues (04:14) 10 Lester Leaps In (04:19) 11 Jive At Five (02:55) 12 One OClock Jump (03:42) 13 Swingin The Blues (03:14) 14 Shorty George (02:54) 15 Duet (04:11) 16 Double O (02:43) 17 Splanky (03:34) 18 Miss Missouri (05:18) 19 Meetin Time (03:27) 20 Stompin and Jumpin (02:46) |
 | Album: 37 of 48 Title: The Jazz Collector Edition: Tony Bennett with Count Basie Released: 1990-07-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Chicago (02:05) 2 Poor Little Rich Girl (03:27) 3 Ive Grown Accustomed to Her Face (02:59) 4 Jeepers Creepers (02:05) 5 Anything Goes (02:17) 6 Growing Pains (03:31) 7 With Plenty of Money and You (01:30) 8 Life Is a Song (02:50) 9 I Guess Ill Have to Change My Plans (01:40) 10 Are You Having Any Fun? (02:44) 11 Aint Misbehavin (03:26) 12 One O’Clock Jump (03:02) |
 | Album: 38 of 48 Title: One OClock Jump Released: 1991 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:00:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Whirly Bird (04:12) 2 Basie Boogie (02:39) 3 Shiny Stockings (04:42) 4 The Kid From Redbank (03:35) 5 Little Pony (02:41) 6 Jive at Five (03:31) 7 Rock-A-Bye Basie (03:35) 8 Plymouth Rock (06:27) 9 Jumpin at the Blues (04:54) 10 Lil Darling (03:54) 11 Swingin the Blues (04:01) 12 Midgets (08:53) 13 One OClock Jump (03:27) 14 April in Paris (03:49) |
 | Album: 39 of 48 Title: Loose Walk Released: 1991 Tracks: 6 Duration: 40:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In a Mellow Tone (11:09) 2 Loose Walk (10:57) 3 Makin Whoopee (03:15) 4 If I Had You (03:06) 5 I Surrender Dear (03:15) 6 5400 North (08:19) |
| Loose Walk : Allmusic album Review : Ironically, the earliest recording by Count Basie for Norman Granzs Pablo label was one of the most recent to be released. This jam session features trumpeter Roy Eldridge, trombonist Al Grey and tenor-saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on a set of jammable standards. The results are quite fun. | ||
 | Album: 40 of 48 Title: Basie One More Time Released: 1991 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 For Lena and Lennie (03:50) 2 Rat Race (02:41) 3 Quince (03:58) 4 Meet B B (03:29) 5 The Big Walk (03:02) 6 A Square at the Roundtable (02:17) 7 I Needs to Be Beed With (03:33) 8 Jessicas Day (04:27) 9 The Midnite Sun Never Sets (03:37) 10 Muttnik (05:26) |
 | Album: 41 of 48 Title: Our Shining Hour Released: 1991-02-18 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Shining Hour (02:12) 2 Teach Me Tonight (03:07) 3 Work Song (02:14) 4 Why Try to Change Me Now (03:26) 5 Blues for Mr. Charlie (03:45) 6 April in Paris (02:47) 7 New York City Blues (02:53) 8 Youre Nobody Till Somebody Loves You (03:00) 9 Shes a Woman (W-O-M-A-N) (02:25) 10 The Girl From Ipanema (04:09) 11 Keepin Out the Mischief Now (02:53) 12 Bill Basie Wont You Please Come Home (02:39) |
| Our Shining Hour : Allmusic album Review : This is one of popular entertainer Sammy Davis, Jrs best jazz-oriented albums, featuring Davis with the Count Basie Orchestra performing arrangements by Quincy Jones. Unfortunately, the personnel of the Basie band is not given, but the orchestra mostly acts as a prop behind Davis much of the time anyway. The singer is heard in top form on "Teach Me Tonight," "Work Song," and "Keepin Out of Mischief Now" and adding a bit of tap dancing to a lighthearted "Bill Basie Wont You Please Come Home." Some of the more poppish tunes, such as "Blues for Mr. Charlie" and "Shes a Woman," are a bit dated, but, in general, fans of Sammy Davis, Jr will want this set. | ||
 | Album: 42 of 48 Title: Basies Basement Released: 1992 Tracks: 11 Duration: 32:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hey, Pretty Baby (03:07) 2 Seventh Avenue Express (02:42) 3 Walking Slow Behind You (02:49) 4 Mister Roberts Roost (02:33) 5 Dont You Want a Man Like Me (02:48) 6 South (02:54) 7 You Call Yourself the Jungle King (I Found Out You Aint a Doggone Thing) (03:18) 8 Sophisticated Swing (02:43) 9 House Rent Boogie (02:45) 10 Basies Basement (03:22) 11 Brand New Wagon (02:56) |
| Basie's Basement : Allmusic album Review : 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 Basies 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 Dixons "You Call Yourself the Jungle King (I Found Out You Aint a Doggone Thing)," "Hey, Pretty Baby," "Brand New Wagon," and "Walking Slow Behind You." Rushing and the band sound like theyre 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. Theres a minimum of annotation, and not all of the sound is quite perfect -- amazingly, the 1991 remastered "Basies Basement" featured here has a click or two in evidence, for which theres no excuse. But the sound quality everywhere else is pretty much beyond reproach, and theres also one number here, "Mister Roberts Roost," a laidback instrumental prominently featuring Basies piano, thats otherwise unavailable. | ||
 | Album: 43 of 48 Title: Kansas City 7 Released: 1992 Tracks: 7 Duration: 54:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Jaylock (07:19) 2 Exactly Like You (08:02) 3 Ill Always Be in Love With You (07:31) 4 If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (06:22) 5 Honi Coles (06:50) 6 Blues for Norman (08:53) 7 Count Me In (09:12) |
| Kansas City 7 : Allmusic album Review : Norman Granz recorded Count Basie in many different settings during his decade with Granzs Pablo label. This jam session set was a little unusual in that, along with the tenor of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, guitarist Joe Pass and trombonist J.J. Johnson, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is in the cast along with Basie; pity he never recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra. This spirited session is a strong consolation prize, with plenty of fine solos taking over familiar chord changes. | ||
 | Album: 44 of 48 Title: The Best of the Roulette Years Released: 1992 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:14:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Kid From Red Bank (02:35) 2 The Late Late Show (02:56) 3 Flight of the Foo Birds (03:23) 4 Jive at Five (03:04) 5 Blue and Sentimental (04:07) 6 Lullabye of Birdland (04:48) 7 Cute (03:13) 8 Seque in C (06:16) 9 Topsy (03:42) 10 Jumpin at the Woodside (03:11) 11 Broadway (03:23) 12 Tickle Toe (02:35) 13 Scoot (02:31) 14 For Lena and Lennie (03:51) 15 Whirly Bird (03:51) 16 Down for Double (03:00) 17 Easy Money (05:22) 18 Turnabout (03:59) 19 Taps Miller (03:22) 20 Old Man River (from Showboat) (05:34) |
| The Best of the Roulette Years : Allmusic album Review : Eight years after Count Basies death, Capitol Records released this handy 20-song collection of his most notable tracks from the years 1957-1962 that he spent on Roulette Records. The collection opens with the most fruitful component of his relationship with the label, his recordings of Neal Heftis material and arrangements, beginning with the swinging "Kid From Red Bank" off of The Atomic Mr. Basie, and also includes "The Late Late Show" from The Complete Atomic Basie, but it ranges far beyond that, to Basies smooth 1960 re-recording of "Jive at Five" and material from the tail-end of his association with Roulette, such as "Lullaby Of Birdland." The selections are confined to the best representative tracks of the band by itself -- none of Basies work as an accompanist to Tony Bennett or any other singers is here -- and thats an entertaining and enlightening body of work, cool ("Cute") and hot ("Topsy"); the Hefti material is the strongest here, but composers ranging from Basie himself and flatist Frank Wess (whose "Segue in C" is a highlight here), as well as arranger Quincy Jones, get their best heard as well. Two CDs might be more appropriate for a more comprehensive collection, that would include a broader selection of the hundreds of tracks that Basie left behind, and the more recent Atomic Swing CD has better sound, but this mid-priced CD collection is a good introduction for the novice. | ||
 | Album: 45 of 48 Title: + The Big Band - Vol.1 Released: 1992-02-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Comeback (05:11) 2 Basie (04:33) 3 Corner Pocket (05:07) 4 Lady In Lace (04:34) 5 Blues for Joe Turner (04:41) 6 Good Time Blues (03:31) 7 Lil Darlin (03:06) 8 Big Stuff (03:25) 9 Blue And Sentimental (02:37) 10 Corner Pocket (05:02) |
| + The Big Band - Vol.1 : Allmusic album Review : Producer Norman Granz conceived the pairing of Milt Jackson with Count Basie, first on stage at Montreux in a small group, then in the studio with the pianists full band for this 1978 session, which produced two albums worth of music. Although Basie had never before used a vibraphonist with his band, Jackson proves to be an excellent fit. In fact, the two men are the only soloists on this release, aside from tenor saxophonist Eric Dixons contribution to "The Comeback." Except for the jointly composed "Blues for Joe Turner," all of the music comes from the Basie bandbook. Jackson romps through Ernie Wilkins "Basie," yet manages to restrain himself from too many rapid runs in Neal Heftis signature tune "Lil Darlin." The only oddity about this remarkable CD, which adds an alternate take of "Corner Pocket" left off of the LP, is the choice of cover photo, featuring a blurry Basie and Jackson, the latter with a somewhat bemused expression. | ||
 | Album: 46 of 48 Title: Basie Jam #3 Released: 1992-02-17 Tracks: 4 Duration: 36:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bye Bye Blues (09:45) 2 Moten Swing (09:52) 3 I Surrender, Dear (06:52) 4 Song of the Islands (09:54) |
| Basie Jam #3 : Allmusic album Review : From the same recording session that resulted in Basie Jam - Vol. 2, these four performances of standards also feature Count Basie, guitarist Joe Pass, trumpeter Clark Terry, altoist Benny Carter, trombonist Al Grey and tenorman Eddie Lockjaw Davis, all in fine form. Norman Granz always preferred Basie in a small group and the success of these jams helped bolster his argument. | ||
 | Album: 47 of 48 Title: Night Rider Released: 1992-02-21 Tracks: 6 Duration: 39:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Night Rider (12:40) 2 Memories of You (04:57) 3 9:20 Special (03:20) 4 Sweet Lorraine (07:08) 5 Its a Wonderful World (03:21) 6 Blues for Pamela (08:07) |
| Night Rider : Allmusic album Review : When they first met up for a full album in 1974, the two-piano team of Count Basie and Oscar Peterson must have seemed like an unlikely matchup. After all, Peterson is known for filling up his rapid solos with virtuosic passages while Basie is the master of the "less-is-more" approach, making every note count. But because Peterson has such high respect for Basie, he showed great self-restraint and left room for Basies percussive solos. Night Rider, like their two previous joint albums, emphasizes the similarities rather than the differences in these two masters styles. | ||
 | Album: 48 of 48 Title: The Timekeepers Released: 1993-04-01 Tracks: 7 Duration: 37:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You) (04:53) 2 Soft Winds (04:29) 3 Rent Party (09:26) 4 (Back Home Again in) Indiana (03:11) 5 Hey, Raymond (05:34) 6 After Youve Gone (04:56) 7 Thats the One (05:10) |
| The Timekeepers : Allmusic album Review : From the same sessions that resulted in Night Rider and Yessir, this quartet date also features the two pianos of Oscar Peterson and Count Basie collaborating and interacting on swing standards and blues. Any of their five albums together are worth acquiring. | ||