EKE BBB Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 We have a Lester Young thread (thanks, ubu!) but, after some research, I didn´t find any "general" thread on this jazz giant, COUNT BASIE... and I couldn´t stand it! Just to start, I´ll resume my feelings on this matter: -the OLD TESTAMENT BAND IS THE SWINGIN´EST BAND EVER -the NEW TESTAMENT BAND IS ONE OF THE SWINGIN´EST BAND EVER His organizations (the big band and the small combos) were a "who is who" in jazz. I´m amazed the incredible ammount of wonderful musicians that went in and out his band through the years. And I really dig his work as a pianist, his skeleton and swingin´ style. A true giant. God bless him! Quote
EKE BBB Posted March 4, 2004 Author Report Posted March 4, 2004 (edited) Count Basie, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 (from Gottlieb´s website) Edited March 4, 2004 by EKE BBB Quote
EKE BBB Posted March 4, 2004 Author Report Posted March 4, 2004 Count Basie, Ray Bauduc, Herschel Evans, and Bob Haggart, Howard Theater, Washington, D.C., ca. 1941 (from Gottlieb´s website) Quote
EKE BBB Posted March 4, 2004 Author Report Posted March 4, 2004 (edited) Old Jimmie Rushing in the frontline... Edited March 4, 2004 by EKE BBB Quote
king ubu Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Thanks for starting this, EKE! The swingingest indeed! My exploring of Pres (thanks to Milan, my dear friend, and thanks to Lon for being so generous!) has led me to explore early Basie (first testament). Before that, all I had was some Verve albums and the Live Mosaic box. Now I had the pleasure of hearing for the very first time the Decca set, and I also bought that 4CD Columbia set (I sure wish they'd give us all in such great sound, though!). And this is really a revelatory trip for me! No rhythm section was that tight and swinging in such an easy, floating way in the thirties, I guess. Then there's all the great soloists: Prez, Herschel Evans, Clayton, Sweets, Washington (wish he'd have more solo space), Warren (as long as he stick to alto he's fine with me), and all the great trombone men, Trummy Young, Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson... later Byas, Jacquet, etc. I'd love to beam me back to the Savoy, 1937, and catch them in full flight, accompanying the Pres (which is what they were there for, no? ) ubu Quote
brownie Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Ubu, welcome to Basieland! Small correction, Trummy Young was with Jimmy Lunceford, not Basie. Benny Morton was another great Basie trombone player... Quote
Harold_Z Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 I never met a Basie record I didn't like..... Quote
jazzbo Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Cuscuna should put all the Roulettes out, one by one. That would be a great jazz service. I grabbed the lp with strings last year and was glad to! Oh I'm a Basie nut. Quote
king ubu Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Ubu, welcome to Basieland! Small correction, Trummy Young was with Jimmy Lunceford, not Basie. Benny Morton was another great Basie trombone player... Thanks brownie! I should know that, as I have an LP set of Lunceford with lots of fine Trummy Young. I did indeed mix Young and Morton up - strange thing to happen (at least I know I never was good with names...) ubu Quote
catesta Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Basie is my favorite of the big bands right after Ellington. I simply love the sound they put out, it's amazing how tight the band always seemed to be. I'm a big fan of his latter years small group dates as well. One more time!!! Quote
Chrome Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 I was lucky enough to find a copy of "Live at the Royal Roost" at the ol' Borders Outlet a few months ago ... highly recommended. According to AMG, Dinah Washington and Anita O'Day, both of whom sing on the disc, hadn't otherwise recorded w/Basie. It's a recording of live radio performances from 1948, but the sound is really pretty good and the band just, well, rocks. Quote
neveronfriday Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Up ... ... with one of my fave Basie pics by Lee Friedlander. That's Pee Wee Marquette, "half a motherf*cker", with Basie in New York City, 1957. Cheers! Quote
desertblues Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 That "America's #1 Band" boxset has made me a huge fan of that wonderful band! It's absolutely my favorite release of the last year or so, and I can't wait to hear more. Long live the Count! Quote
John L Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 Basie 1937-1940 is my absolute favorite big band, full stop. Quote
Brad Posted March 4, 2004 Report Posted March 4, 2004 I know it's probably sacrilege but I put Basie before Duke. Old testament, New Testament; they can just play the hell out of it. Wish I had the Studio Mosaic. Quote
neveronfriday Posted March 5, 2004 Report Posted March 5, 2004 UP! Count Basie was my first jazz concert experience. I was very young and my dad thought I should see some good jazz. I loved it and decided right there and then that I wanted to be a musician. Before I went to see just about everyone that was still alive and big at the end of the seventies, beginning eighties, my dad took me to see Basie again, Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson and many of the other larger-than-life jazz greats, but also, for example, Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra. If it hadn't been for my dad's collection and these concerts, I don't think I would have been such a jazz buff today. I'm paying him back today by supplying him with a steady stream of CDs, many of which he wouldn't buy himself anymore today. Just sent him the Teddy Wilson Mosaic which he loves, Mulligan (Village Vanguard), Basie (Chairman ...), and Oscar Peterson (Exclusively ...) and after many years of actually having been to lazy to simply put on a CD, I think I got him hooked again. Like crack, the stuff. Cheers! P.S.: I think I'll start another thread on jazz and your parents' influence, if any. CU there. Quote
LAL Posted March 5, 2004 Report Posted March 5, 2004 (edited) Since Columbia messed up their Basie reissue for a second time, should us fans send them a petition to do it properly (i.e complete chronological reissue) or allow a dedicated party (e.g. Mosaic) do the job or is this going to be an exercise in futility? Edited March 5, 2004 by LAL Quote
Big Al Posted March 5, 2004 Report Posted March 5, 2004 Speaking of Coumbia, what's the difference between Decca Basie and Columbia Basie? Quote
mmilovan Posted March 5, 2004 Report Posted March 5, 2004 (edited) The Deccas had better sound! The complete Decca's were issued, the complete Columbia's probably never will be! LAL, can I sign your's petition first? And, I am with John also on this one (as for much other cases): although they have no perfect intonation at times, although so much riff based material and head arrangements can be repetitios at times, although Lester left band and Hershel died, yes... that OT was greatest band of all times! Edited March 6, 2004 by mmilovan Quote
LAL Posted March 6, 2004 Report Posted March 6, 2004 MMilovan- sure, but we still need a few hundred (or at least dozens) more names and signatures. The grand total of 3 we had on the other BB probably wouldn't get past Columbia's mailroom clerk. Quote
mmilovan Posted March 6, 2004 Report Posted March 6, 2004 Yes, we have 3 people to sign petition! Surely, that is something. Quote
Cliff Englewood Posted August 21, 2007 Report Posted August 21, 2007 No posts in the "Count Basie Zone" since March 2004. I should talk, after pretty much ignoring his music for years; I have become a real convert to both the Old and New Testaments. I really love this photo of the man himself; if anyone has a better quality version of it, please post it. I found this kinda interesting page on the one and only Freddie Green. Freddie Green. I am constantly amazed by the way he makes himself heard in both the Old and New Testament bands, (without an amplifier???). It really does add to the overall sound of the band and I can't believe he got lucky with ALL the sound engineers that recorded the various groups, it had to be his own work. Quote
DukeCity Posted August 21, 2007 Report Posted August 21, 2007 OK, I'll contribute... I'm a fan. I have some of the Old Testament, but tend to gravitate to stuff from the late '50s. I really like "Chairman of the Board" with some of those Thad Jones charts. Quote
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