Customer Reviews

Breakfast Dance & Barbecue

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In my opinion the Basie band in 1959-1961 was the greatest of his second generation orchestras. All 16 bandsmen were individually talented and played swinging arrangements with cohesion and enthusiasm. There were no second or third horns; all were first chair musicians capable of memorable solos. There was not a slouch in the bunch. When they played as an ensemble, they were awesome.

This CD is taken from a tape of a breakfast dance for the Disc Jockeys of America convention on May 31, 1959. The dance for 2000+ people started at 2am and ended at 7am. Basie and his band had been booked at Birdland that week. The band flew to Miami late at night, played the gig and then returned to NYC in time for their scheduled performance at Birdland that evening.

This CD is a recording of the entire dance program as it was presented at the Americana Hotel, start to finish. The remastering is superb; you feel like you are right there on the dance floor. The band is understandably a little stiff at first, but they warm to the occassion quickly. After a few tracks they hit a groove like I have never before on any Basie CD. This is Basie and the Basie band at its finest. I have never heard Joe Williams sing better.

This Basie band loved to shout! Check out "Splanky", "Cherry Point", "Roll em Pete", "Back to the Apple" and "Everyday I Have The Blues". The closing theme "One O'Clock Jump" is 3:40 minutes and features Sweets Edison minus mute. There are 18 tracks total; all in dance tempos. It is said that Basie fed upon the energies of those listening and particularly from dancers. It must have been some morning.

Thank you Roulette for releasing this. The only downer are Chris Sheridan's album notes. Mr. Sheridan does his usual accurate recount of history and attention to detail, but his use of words like antiphony, onamatopoeic and spiky detract from his review. But then my advice is don't read -- just listen, remember and enjoy what music used to be.

More scholarly listeners than myself can assure you that this is a first-rate live recording of one of the world's greatest jazz bands in its prime, but I must sound a sentimental personal note. My Dad was an enthusiastic and erudite jazz fan and a great admirer of Count Basie. During an especially happy time in my early life, Dad and I became so attached to this particularly joyful Basie album, featuring gorgeous Joe Williams vocals, that we played it every morning all summer -- before, during and after breakfast. What a thrill to hear this classic reborn on CD with many extra tracks. Try it for your own breakfast, whether you dance or not!

of the late 50's-early 60's Basie Band,. Big Joe Williams is back with the band and he is sounding great. Recorded live at a radio convention that the Basie Band flew in for in Florida, it started in the wee hours of the morning and into the early morning. They flew in for the gig, played, and then flew out again. On this particular occasion, everybody's sounding loose and the band can really swing. This is from the Count's Roulette year's output and it is one of the finest.

This is easily one of the, if not the, best big band recording of all time. It has always been a mystery to Basie fans why it went out of print while so many other lesser recordings stayed around. This reissue includes some previously unheard cuts (Joe Williams rendition of "Cherry Red" may be his best work) which really complete the set. How can you beat the Basie band at 5 AM at a Miami DJ conference with Harry Sweets Edison sitting in? (You can hear the guys calling for Sweetie on several of the cuts) All of the soloists are in top form and the rhythm section swings better than the Sinatra at the Sands recordings. All in all, the best Basie recording of his second period (the first being the Lester Young era), and an essential recording for any serious jazz fan.

Snookie Young on lead trumpet is fantastic! And then the track 'Cute' has become one of my all time favorite Basie tunes! This is a brilliant album.

The Basie band at their 1950's peak. This C.D. is just as good as the Basie at Birdland disc. Joe Williams is also featured. Buy one now.

Of course, this beautiful album boasts the solos of Al Grey, Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Frank Wess (flute on "Cute", tenor on "Roll 'em Pete"...), Frank Foster and other major figure in the second testament Count Basie orchestra (plus Joe Williams, plus a guest spot for Harry Sweets Edison in the end...)... There's even a very nice Snooky Young solo on Foster-penned "Who me?"...
BUT it is the strong ensemble work that this band stands out for, with Basie's irresistibly plinking and splanking piano and rock-solid rhythm of Basie, Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b) and Sonny Payne (dm)...
The songs are great, with some creative reworking and blending (for instance the beginning of Hefti's "Cute"), some are "greatest hits", some are less well known and there's an occasional pleasant surprise or two - for instance Ellington's tune "In A Mellow Tone".

Basiecaly, this is an excellent swing album, yet another instance of 2nd testament Basie performing admirably, with chatter of bar-audience augmenting the relaxed atmosphere this tight band so easily creates!
A must have.