1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still swingin!, September 17, 2002
This review is from: 1939-40 (Audio CD)
The fifth volume of this great series which reissues all of Basie's classic early material in chronological order. In all honesty, I have to admit that I find most of Basie's instrumental material a bit monotonous -- the horn sections are way too punchy and the arrangements, while undeniably swank, are also quite repetitive. But the vocals...? OH BABY! With Helen Humes and Jimmy Rushing splitting the microphone time, what's there to complain about? Her voice is oh-so-sweet and he's got the soulful blues 'way down deep inside. And yeah, the singin' non-vocal tunes are also not to be ignored... With Lester Young, Jo Jones, Don Byas and all those other Kansas City jazz cats running around, this is music that has to be checked out by the true student of jazz... no matter *what* I think!
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