Jazz / Big Band; Swing; Classic Jazz
Recorded: between 1937-1939, New York
The dates for the individual sessions are: January 21, 1937; March 26, 1937; July 7, 1937; August 9, 1937; October 13, 1937; January 3, 1938; February 16, 1938; June 6, 1938; August 22, 1938; November 9, 1938; November 16, 1938; January 5, 1939; Januray 26, 1939; February 2-4, 1939.
Count Basie - Piano
Buck Clayton - Trumpet
Joe Keyes - Trumpet
Carl Smith - Trumpet
George Hunt - Trombone
Dan Minor - Trombone
Herschel Evans - Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Lester Young - Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Caughey Roberts - Alto Saxophone
Jack Washington - Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone
Claude Williams - Guitar
Walter Page - Bass
Jo Jones - Drums
Jimmy Rushing - Vocal
Helen Humes - Vocal
The Count Basie Orchestra first came to New York City in December, 1936, from Kansas City by way of Chicago and a few points in between. They played with a swing that was, paradoxically, light and hard at the same time. They were a big band with the feel of a small group - and what soloists! Here was a murderer's row of talent: Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Jack Washington, Walter Page, Jo Jones, and Basie himself. The general perception was that this was a new band, but although it had been this large for only a few months, its roots went back much farther, for it was the musical descendant of two legendary territory bands. The story of the Basie band really begins almost a decade earlier, when a twenty-three year old pianist first arrived in the Southwest and discovered a new musical world.
Listening to the music in this collection gives one a sense of what a happy band this was. As Jo Jones once put it: "I'm the richest drummer that's lived in fifty years, because nobody ever had what I have...the pleasure of fitting up with a band night after night that had a Herschel Evans, a Lester Young, a Harry Edison, a Buck Clayton, a Dicky Wells, a Benny Morton, a Freddie Green, and a Walter Page. No band ever had that." And, he really should have added, no other band ever had a Count Basie, either.
COUNT BASIE: THE COMPLETE DECCA RECORDINGS comes with a 32-page booklet, featuring biographical and discographical information, a track-by-track breakdown of solos, and liner notes by Orrin Keepnews and Steven Lasker.
Disc 1: 63:01 min.
Disc 2: 69:03 min.
Disc 3: 53:44 min. |
