Count Basie And Friends

Product Description:

Personnel include: Count Basie (piano); Joe Williams, Nat "King" Cole, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan (vocals); Freddie Green (guitar); Charles Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Joe Newman, Thad Jones (trumpet); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Eddie Jones, Frank Foster, Ben Webster.

Liner Note Author: Billy Vera.

Recording information: 1957 - 1962.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit technology.

Though Count Basie is connected to the Swing Era proper (the 1930s and '40s), the master pianist and his band enjoyed a remarkable burst of creativity in the '50s and early '60s. 100TH BIRTHDAY BASH is a two-disc set that features Basie's most notable work from this period, with superbly remastered sound. A host of different groups are presented, ranging from small ensembles to large orchestras with strings, and the sound, in general, is more streamlined and lush than earlier Basie outings. But the bandleader has lost none of his impeccable sense of swing, and his minimal, note-perfect piano playing can still steal the show.

The roster of guests makes 100TH BIRTHDAY BASH indispensable. With instrumental solo spots by Illinois Jacquet, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Ben Webster, arrangements by the likes of Benny Carter and Quincy Jones, and vocal turns by Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughn, Nat "King" Cole, and Tony Bennett, this party is so star-studded it creates its own cosmos. Whether tackling standards ("I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face") or revisiting Basie classics ("One O'Clock Jump"), the bands, arrangements, and guests all cook and simmer beautifully on up-tempo numbers and ballads, respectively. This bash finds the mature Basie still able to pack a serious musical punch.