America's #1 Band

Product Description:

Personnel includes: Count Basie (piano); Billie Holiday, Helen Humes, Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Tab Smith (soprano & alto saxophones); George Dorset (alto saxophone); Don Byas, Lester Young, Buddy Tate, Coleman Hawkins, Preston Love (tenor saxophones); Jack Washington (baritone saxophone); Rudy Rutherford (saxophone, clarinet); Carl "Tatti" Smith, Buck Clayton, Shad Collins, Clark Terry, Al Killian, Al Porcino, Bob Mitchell, Ed Lewis, Emmett Berry, Snooky Young, Harry Edison (trumpet); Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson, Eddie Durham, Benny Morton, Dan Minor, Eli Robinson (trombone); Buddy DeFranco (clarinet); Freddie Green (guitar); Walter Page, Jimmy Lewis, Rodney Richardson (bass); Shadow Wilson, Gus Johnson, Jo Jones (drums).

Producers: John Hammond, George Avakian.

Compilation producer: Orrin Keepnews.

Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews, Loren Schoenberg.

AMERICA'S #1 BAND was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes and for Best Historical Album.

The unfettered sound of joyous swing is exemplified by Count Basie's considerable output. The four-disc set AMERICA'S #1 BAND showcases the classic orchestras and smaller combos from the '30s to the '50s, led by Basie, an undisputed member of jazz royalty. One of the Count's trademarks was his ever-present piano. While the charts and solos of the brass and wind sections often performed with more complexity, he kept things rooted along with his classic rhythm section, his playing a model of economically well-placed notes. In addition to a who's-who roster that includes Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Billie Holiday, Helen Humes, and Jimmy Rushing, this compilation features fine re-mastering work and copious liner notes by musician-historian Loren Schoenberg. The set contains far too many highlights to single any out. Suffice it to say that Basie and company are well-represented in their ability to swing it-and swing it hard, through three decades.