America's #1 Band [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Count Basie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000C9JDU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,034 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

89 tracks in their best-ever sound (24-bit mastering) by far, including 19 unreleased radio broadcasts, three rare tracks featuring Billie Holiday and looks at the Basie band in all its permutations, from 1936 small-group recordings to the oft-overlooked octets of 1950. And in between? Only some of the greatest swing ever swung, with One O'Clock Jump; Goin' to Chicago Blues; Blue Skies; Lester Leaps In; Easy Does It , and more classic Columbia tracks, plus radio renditions of Jumpin' at the Woodside; Take It, Pres; Roseland Shuffle , and other roof-raisers. A 92-page booklet tells the story.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Basie's Columbia recordings have never sounded so good!, October 23, 2003

By 

M.R. (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's #1 Band (Audio CD)

I've just got this and played the first two discs, so I can't comment on it all, but what I've heard so far is AMAZING! The sound--so shoddy on the '80s "Essential Count Basie" series--is superb, and the music is just beyone belief. The playing is light and forceful at the same time--just great, great stuff. A perfect complement to the 3-CD Decca set. And I can't wait to hear the previously unreleased live stuff on disc 4. The packaging is very attractive and the booklet--make that book--is very detailed and informative. Another classic Orrin Keepnews reissue.

This is the perfect gift for any jazz fan--and you should get one for yourself while you're at it!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of classic jazz and swing, September 13, 2004

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: America's #1 Band (Audio CD)

This is a swell 4-CD box set that covers all of Basie's studio work for the Columbia label, from 1936-51, working in a variety of configurations, from small combos to the full-on Basie Orchestra, including several songs with Basie backing up Billie Holiday, and plenty of other vocal tunes featuring Basie regulars Helen Humes and Jimmy Rushing. This collection also marks the first time Columbia has officially delved into the wealth of live transcription performances and radio broadcasts featuring the Basie band... This material was previously the sole province of various European collector labels; Sony shows it's able to do this material up right, with meticulous scholarship and great sound quality. Doubtless, many of the sniffier jazz scholars will find some reason or another to pooh-pooh this collection, but for us regular folks, it's mighty tasty. Recommended!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar release, September 27, 2004

By 

Blues Bro "bluesbro" (Lakewood, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: America's #1 Band (Audio CD)

This is the best these sides have sounded ever, period. It is really a treat to hear the early Basie band with Lester Young in all its glory. The sound restoration on some of these tracks is just unbelievable, I had to check the linear notes to make sure these were the 1940 recordigs, because they sounded so different to the muddy/scratchy sound I grew used to. The linear notes alone are worth the price of this box set. And one full disc of most unreleased live tracks, many with Lester Young and Billie Holiday? You do the math. Many people, i am not included, are waiting for the full Columbia sessions remastered, but for me, this is what I have been waiting many years. The track secuence is annoying, I still cant understand why not doing it chronological, but its just a minor flaw.