Customer Reviews

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Count Basie

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About the only material not covered here are the sessions Basie did with Frank Sinatra in the 60's (Quincy Jones' arrangements), but if you want to know what this band was about, this is a wonderful place to start. The 30's, 40's and 50's are all ably represented here, and even though chestnuts such as "Jumpin at the Woodside" and the haunting "Dark Rapture" sound great, we can only wistfully wonder what today's recording techniques would do for them...

You get a taste of the great vocalists Jimmy Rushing ("Goin' to Chicago") and Joe Williams ("Every Day I Have the Blues"), plus the sidemen such as Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Lester Young, Buck Clayton and Herschel Evans, and drummers Jo Jones and (later on) Sonny Payne.

Although every track here is worthwhile, especially the slower numbers such as "Blue and Sentimental" and "Softly, with Feeling", my personal favorites are "April in Paris" and the majestic "Corner Pocket", which slowly builds into an irresistible crescendo punctuated by Payne's powerful percussion. For someone who wants to discover what inventive "big band swing" was all about, this is the place to start. As the man himself once said, "a band can really swing when it swings easy." Put this disc in and you'll see what he meant.

This is a terrific CD not just because I like it, but because it succeeds so well at what it has set out to do: provide an enjoyable and educational introduction to Count Basie in all his piano playing genius. As a swing dancer and DJ, I love Count Basie in all of his many flavors: earlier hard hitting and hard swinging, or the later and sweeter, more sophisticated Basie. In this CD, you get both and that is not a bad thing! As with almost everything Ken Burns touches, there is magic in listening to his Basie Collection. As one listens to this chronological journey of the evolution of one of Jazz's greatest greats, one can hear the development of 'swing' as well as the techniques of arrangement and playing that Basie was so famous for. Basie is captured in most all of his flavors and Burns' choices have been well made. This is important in and of itself because the task of boiling Count Basie down to only one CD is nearly impossible. At the same time, that is what makes this CD so special and accessable: it is a great representation of Basie's music and his aura of elegance and style. While we might miss Jimmy Rushing and especially Ella Fitzgerald, the essence of the "Basie sound" is well presented. Burn's retrospective would make a great gift and I would certainly buy this CD as a way to introduce a friend to Basie and let him or her decide what they like and where they'd go for more. However, one should note that the selections are "classic" versions of each song, so serious fans of Count Basie would have most of these songs already.

William "The Count" Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 21, 1904, was sufficiently modest about his importance as a keyboard player...he once described himself as a "non-pianist". But far from it, as a young man became an aquaintance with Fats Waller, led to informal lessons and his love for the piano grew and laid-back-style was his trademark. Stranded on the road in Kansas City, left high and dry told his musicians "Beware, The Count is Here" on printed business cards. Joined the Bennie Moten band, wrote arrangements for him...when Bennie passed away suddenly in 1935, Basie found himself at Kansas City's Reno Club as the co-leader.

The following year, record producer and general man-behind-the-scenes John Hammond heard the group...as they began touring, first nationally and later internationally...and the rest is history.

Basie at the piano, had top personnel in his band - Buck Clayton, Ed Lewis, Bobby Moore (trumpet)...George Hunt, Dan Minor (trombone), Earl Warren (alto sax), Herschel Evans (tenor sax/clarinet), Lester Young (tenor sax), Jack Washington (baritone sax/alto sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums) and Joe Williams (vocal) with his trademark tune "EVERY DAY I HAVE THE BLUES". Basie's group with its infectious beat which was constant, top arrangers flocked to be on this band-wagon's swingin' success.

Of course the stand outs - "ONE O'CLOCK JUMP" (1937) and "JUMPIN' AT THE WOODSIDE" (1938), composed by William Basie..."CORNER POCKET" (1955), "APRIL IN PARIS" (1955), "SHINY STOCKINGS" (1956) originally released on "April In Paris" (Verve 314 521 402 2), always with the "hands-off" and seemingly laid-back personality, with shades of "swingin' the blues".

And now with have the highlights - "LI'L DARLIN'" written for Basie by Neil Hefti, became a standard and was an instant hit, with its infectuous rhythm and repeating theme.

Hats off to Ken Burns and the gang at Verve Records, this collection epitomizes the best of the big-band style, with "The Count" and his minimal piano work - as the band always came together as a whole...that was the reputation and style of the one-and-only - COUNT BASIE!

Total Time: 71:29 on 19 Tracks...Verve Records 314 549 090 2...(2000)

A terrific overview of the Count's career, spanning the years 1932 to 1957. This cd does as much as one cd can possibly do, for an artist as popular and prolific as Basie and his Orchestra. It is a great place to start discovering their music. Included are a couple of vocals, one with Jimmy Rushing, "Goin' to Chicago", and the immensely popular hit "Every day I have the Blues" with Joe Williams. And the sound is pretty good too, even the songs from the '30's. There is a very little hiss on some, but nothing too noticable, unlike some of the other Ken Burn's releases. The 12 page booklet contains a couple of photos and a 3 page essay on Basie.

First of all, I didn't really get into the Jazz film, probably because I felt that it was too long (19 hours? Geez!). But Ken Burns can walk away knowing that he accomplished at least two successes out of this project: the companion book (which I found more interesting than the film) and this CD. Believe me, it is really hard to find a CD containing all of Count Basie's greatest hits, mainly because he did a lot of label-hopping during his career. But Ken Burns has managed to find most, if not all of them, put them together, and voila! The definitive Count Basie.

Also, even if you weren't too crazy about the film, you can still praise Ken Burns for trying to introduce jazz music to a different generation. Some of the CDs in this collection, such as the Miles Davis CD, can only serve as samplers of the great work that these artists have done, since their work is too broad to be put on just one CD. You have to go to their albums. But trust me, if you like Count Basie, then don't be discouraged to buy this CD. It's worth it.

Although Count Basie released some great albums, his work is better suited to Ken Burn's compilations as there are numerous great individual tracks in Basie's work. In fact the compilations in Ken Burns's series work better for the earlier musicians as the later ones are much more album orientated.

The music on the first half of this album sets the standard for swing. The rolling riffs of 'Toby', Basie's effortlessly cool piano playing on '1 o'clock jump', the loud interjections of 'Topsy' and of course the pure rhythm and heavy riffing of 'Jumpin' at the Woodside' with the brilliant Lester Young. The pace only slows for 'Blue and Sentimental' before the frenetic 'Doggin' Around', where countless riffs are crammed into a shorter space, giving the track a unique dynamism. The 30's close out with the lilting vocal of 'Dark Rapture' and the velvet tones of Cherokee.

The music drops a pace from the 40's on, but there's still the frenzied backing behind Jimmy Rushing's vocal on 'Goin To Chicago' and Basie tried to keep the swing era alive with '9:20 Special' and 'Jive at Five' but unfortunately to no avail.

Once we overlook the bland ballroom dancing of 'Softly Feeling', we discover the old Basie with a sophisticated new sound on 'Corner Pocket' and what about the brilliant song structure of 'April in Paris', with its amusing repeated endings. 'Everyday I Love The Blues' with Joe Williams proved to be a popular hit and 'Shiny Stockings' is another fine example of Basie's sound, original, cool and breezy. The compilation ends with the wonderful 'Lil Darlin' which has an almost Miles Davis-like quality in its halting, haunting melody.

A great introduction to a jazz great.

Count Basie has to be my favorite Bigband. His music has a very distinct style that I really like. If you are new to music of the swing era, Basie is a good way to start your collection off. And this CD is a good way to start your Basie collection off. This CD is excellent.

If you open up the insert, which contains four pages of background notes written by pianist/arranger Brian Priestley in May 2000, one page about the Ken Burns film on jazz, and a track-by-track listing of the personnel on each, the complete title says "The Definitive Count Basie."

That's open to conjecture as there are many of the Count's big hits omitted in favour of some relatively obscure stuff - still very good, mind you, but not exactly among his more memorable works. The hit single, after all, was what brought home the bacon back before the days of the LP and EP and, for the most part, was what we heard on the radio.

These were any artist's most popular tunes and what made them stars, and in the case of the Count Basie orchestra, from 1943 to 1968 he chalked up 18 hit singles on the Billboard pop charts, and added another 3 to the R&B charts alone, for three of the biggest labels then in existence.

He started with Columbia in 1943 when Rusty Dusty Blues went to # 6 on what was then known as the Harlem Hit Parade [now the R&B charts], while the flipside, All Of Me, made it to # 17 on the Pop charts with Lynne Sherman doing the vocals. Neither is here, nor are his next seven Columbia hits, beginning with For The Good Of Your Country [# 16 pop in 1944 with Jimmy Rushing on vocal].

This was followed by Red Bank Boogie [# 6 R&B in April 1945]; Jimmy's Blues [# 3 R&B/# 10 pop in October 1946, again with Rushing]; Jivin' Joe Jackson [# 12 pop in January 1946 with Ann Moore doing the vocals]; The Mad Boogie [# 10 pop in May 1946] and its flipside, Patience And Fortitude [# 14 pop], and Blue Skies [# 8 pop in October 1946] - the last two also with Rushing singing.

In 1947, by which time he had moved over to RCA Victor, he had his biggest hit with the hilarious Open The Door, Richard featuring Harry Edison and Bill Johnson, a # 1 pop and # 2 R&B that spring. That was followed in April by Free Eats which reached # 7 pop with an ensemble vocal. At this point Decca, which owned a lot of his 1930s material, re-released One O'Clock Jump, his theme song and a 1937 hit which, this time, reached # 12 pop in June. Around the same time One O'Clock Boogie was rising to # 8 pop for RCA Victor. Two months later his final RCA Victor hit, I Ain't Mad At You (You Ain't Made At Me) peaked at # 7 pop. None of these, except for One O'Clock Jump, are included here.

Eight years later, in August 1955, he returned to the charts for the Clef label when Every Day (I Have The Blues) reached # 2 R&B with Joe Williams on vocal, and that will be found at track 17, while perhaps one of his finest works, April In Paris [track 16] made it to # 8 R&B/# 28 pop in the spring of 1956. This would be handed a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1985.

In 1958, while with Roulette, he had a # 100 pop with Going To Chicago Blues [not the one at track 11], with vocals by Joe Williams, Jon Hendrix, Dave Lambert, and Annie Ross, and in 1962 added another Roulette hit when The Basie Twist reached # 94 pop. A stopover at Sinatra's Reprise label in 1963 produced the # 77 pop I Can't Stop Loving You, and in 1968 he completed his chart history on the Brunswick label with two hits featuring Jackie Wilson. For Your Precious Love peaked at # 26 R&B/# 49 pop in March, while Chain Gang made it to # 37 R&B/# 84 pop. None of the foregoing are included here.

So, as you can see, calling this a "definitive" Count Basie compilation differs from what some others may consider interpretive. Even so, it is a nice inexpensive addition to any jazz musical library.

While other swing bands may have had a lot more hits Count Basie's band had IMHO had the best players. I consider myself very fortunate in having seen Basie & his band several years berfore he died. It was a night I'll never forget they were certified group of solid swing cats, they weren't just tight, but born at the hip. This is probably the best 1 disc CD of Basie's music out there & THE best disc in the Ken Burns series. Enjoy!

A great album! ( In case you do not know, this album is part of a Ken Burns series called "Jazz" )

I honestly do not know how they fit so many songs onto one CD, but they did it!

MUSIC ITSELF: 5
SOUND QUALITY: 5
COVER, INSIDE: 5
JUST PLAIN COOL: YES