Count Basie, Lester Young And The Stars Of Birdland On Tour! [Live]

Count Basie, Lester Young | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 3, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Jazz Classics
• ASIN: B000001LZ5
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,257 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Lullaby of Birdland

2. Why Not?

3. Basie Talks

4. Jumpin' at the Woodside

5. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)

6. Every Tub

7. Every Day I Have the Blues

8. Shake, Rattle & Roll

9. Dinner with Friends

10. Lullaby of Birdland

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Little Pony

2. Easy Living

3. Blues (I Still Think of Her)

4. Blee Blop Blues

5. I Get a Kick Out of You

6. Laura

7. Idaho

8. There's a Small Hotel

9. Medley: Will You Still Be Mine?/Gypsy in My Soul

10. 'S Wonderful

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

2-CD all-star set recorded live in 1955 from the Municipal Auditorium, Topeka, Kansas, featuring Count Basie, Lester Young, Joe Williams, Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan, the Erroll Garner Trio, the George Shearing Quintet and others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth buying, April 23, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Count Basie, Lester Young And The Stars Of Birdland On Tour! (Audio CD)

The sound on this CD is so poor you might think it was done by an amateur in the audience using a $12 tape recorder. In addition the constant chattering by the MC is annoying. The recording doesn't do service to some great musicians.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Worth it at the reduced price as remaindered, April 19, 2005

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Count Basie, Lester Young And The Stars Of Birdland On Tour! (Audio CD)

Yes, the sound here is not great, and it may have been recorded by someone in the audience, not professionally, but the history that is here, the era that is here and the blends of music that are here are really what this is about, not the level of sound.

Lester Young toured a lot with Basie during the 1950s. In fact he could simply show up at a Basie Gig with or without his own sideman and the chair was always there for him to jam in the sax section.

Hearing him on tour playign both with his own group and with the New Testament band is interesting, musical, and gives you a good picture of the contrast between the original swing and the 1950s Basie Band which was boppish to the core, even if its arrangements echoed the early basieism. It may be that Lester is not in top form here, but this is history, a part of history that needs more light shined on it.

I rather enjoy the MC and the smaller acts. They put you back when a show was a show, not just unannounced tunes for the insiders to hear.

Now, of course the best teaming up of the New Testament band with Lester, and not only Lester but Joe Jones and Jimmie Rushing as well, and on the concluding One Oclock Jump Roy Eldrige and Illinois Jacquet as well, is on the Basie at Newport Album, an album everyone with ears must own. This is a buy it if you can afford it at the discount price. Basie at Newport is buy if you can, steal it if you must!