Swing Shift

Count Basie, Count Basie Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mama Records
• ASIN: B00000K0U1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,673 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Judging by the first few tracks on Count Basie Orchestra's Swing Shift--the rollicking "Burnin'," "Easy Go," and "Four for Basie"--the band is trying to cash in on the swing revival that sawBig Bad Voodoo Daddy play at the 1999 Super Bowl halftime show and Brian Setzer miraculously extend his career. And why not? The CBO is, after all, the real deal, the big band that can be credited with defining the classic swing rhythm in Kansas City in the 1930's--remember, the Orchestra has been steadily touring and recording since Basie's death in 1984. But while the disc is indeed an exhilarating set of big band swing, peppered with impossibly tight horn arrangements and scorching solos from standouts like saxophonists Brad Leali and Kenny Hing and trumpeter Bobby Ojeda, it's also a lot more than that. Swing Shift is at once a classic swing album and a thoroughly modern big-band jazz record, with 11 new compositions and three classics showcasing brand new arrangements. Of course, everything here is impeccably done in the swinging Basie style, making Swing Shift an ideal disc both for older fans already hooked on the Orchestra's sound and for swing newcomers curious about the music's origins. --Ezra Gale

From Jazziz

The swing "revival" of recent years has produced some jarring generation-gap moments. Khaki-clad kids approach big-band leaders after a long set of '40s big-band classics to query, in all sincerity, "Do you guys play any swing?" Dance-party DJs entertain pleas to "Play some of that new music - you know, that swing." Young hipsters whose zoot-suit pockets are deeper than their knowledge of tradition have an ear-opening revelation in store if they take the neo-swing bait this album's cover offers. And longtime connoisseurs of the Count's trademark sound will be treated to one of the hottest Basie band sessions in years.

Throughout its history, the Basie Orchestra has often adapted its sound to accompany singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. It's also veered off to devote entire albums to covers of Beatles fare and, most recently, the music of Duke Ellington. But swing shift is elemental basie at its bluesy best, a retreat to basic precepts of swing that are "in" once again.

Unlike virtually all of the original swing bands still in existence, the Basie Orchestra continues to add new repertoire by top-notch composers and arrangers. It's currently under the leadership of trombonist Grover Mitchell, and on this recording, 11 of the 14 tracks are contributed by Allyn Ferguson and Basie band trumpeter Bob Ojeda.

The intuitive jazz feel of long-serving veterans like drummer Butch Miles, saxophonists Brad Leali and Kenny Hing, and valve man Ojeda, coupled with fat ensemble blowing on takes like the aptly titled opener, "Burnin'," and "Four for Basie," draw a sharp distinction between the time-tested Basie formula and the over-the-edge, too-heavy-on-the-backbeat, rock-rooted style of the new retro-swing units. Textbook swing, impeccable musicianship, strong jazz soloing,

and more than a little class add up to one of the more memorable Basie sessions in a long time.

--Mark Holston, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Basie Big Band Music to Close the 20th Century, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swing Shift (Audio CD)

"Swing Shift", the latest album by the Count Basie Orchestra directed by Grover Mitchell, is in the finest tradition of the original band. This band swings, playing marvelous arrangements Basie would have loved. Having heard the Basie band any number of times over the years, before and after Bill Basie's passing, it's safe to say that its great sound will cross the bridge to the new millenium and be around for decades to come.

And "Swing Shift"! What a great title for the Basie band's last album of the 20th Century!

George Spink, former host, "Swing Shift" (1978-1981), WBEZ-FM Chicago.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great big band sound!, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Swing Shift (Audio CD)

The sound reproduction is outstanding. I liked the sound quality. The big band sound of Basie is back with this album. I recommend this to any one who is looking for good big band music to listen to. I heard the demo at a store and then stayed to listen to the whole album. I asked to buy it from the guy on the spot and he sold it to me!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Serious Basie Fan Reports, July 18, 2000

By 

Thomas J Klepaczyk (Eastport, ID United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing Shift (Audio CD)

This CD lives up to the very high standard established by Count Basie himself. Grover Mitchell and other veterans of the orchestra get it right in all the ways that the Basie Band is known for. Play it back-to-back with any other Basie issue and it delivers. You will notice some differences, especially at piano. That, of course, can't be helped. The Basie sound pulses through just the same and it's a slice of immortality to hear it continue into the 21st Century.