I Want a Little Girl - Count Basie, Mencher, Murray
Shoe Shine Boy - Count Basie, Cahn, Sammy
Count's Place - Count Basie, Basie, Count
Senator Whitehead - Count Basie, Wess, Frank
Tally Ho, Mr. Basie! - Count Basie, Basie, Count
What'cha Talkin? - Count Basie, Jones, Thad
Trey of Hearts [*] - Count Basie, Jones, Thad
Count Basie was visiting some old musical territory when he recorded this CD in 1962, but he was also enjoying the qualities of his sidemen. While "Shoe Shine Boy" and "Lady Be Good" look back to his late 1930s small group... more » recordings with Lester Young, there are also new tunes by Basie, cornetist Thad Jones, and flutist Frank Wess. The septet has the Basie big band's rhythm section, with Freddie Green on guitar, Ed Jones on bass, and Sonny Payne on drums, all underpinning the leader's spare and graceful piano punctuations. Thad Jones and multi-reed player Eric Dixon are joined on five tracks by Frank Foster on tenor and clarinet and on three by Wess to complete the septet. It's an engaging band, with an air of characteristic Basie ease. Jones is a particularly inventive soloist, and his shifting mutes add to the surprising tone colors from the reeds. Within the swinging Basie framework, contrasts abound. The riffing tenors of "Count's Place" supply a big band in miniature, and Basie even plays organ on "I Want a Little Girl," a dreamlike slow tune with a serene clarinet solo from Dixon. --Stuart Broomer« less
Count Basie was visiting some old musical territory when he recorded this CD in 1962, but he was also enjoying the qualities of his sidemen. While "Shoe Shine Boy" and "Lady Be Good" look back to his late 1930s small group recordings with Lester Young, there are also new tunes by Basie, cornetist Thad Jones, and flutist Frank Wess. The septet has the Basie big band's rhythm section, with Freddie Green on guitar, Ed Jones on bass, and Sonny Payne on drums, all underpinning the leader's spare and graceful piano punctuations. Thad Jones and multi-reed player Eric Dixon are joined on five tracks by Frank Foster on tenor and clarinet and on three by Wess to complete the septet. It's an engaging band, with an air of characteristic Basie ease. Jones is a particularly inventive soloist, and his shifting mutes add to the surprising tone colors from the reeds. Within the swinging Basie framework, contrasts abound. The riffing tenors of "Count's Place" supply a big band in miniature, and Basie even plays organ on "I Want a Little Girl," a dreamlike slow tune with a serene clarinet solo from Dixon. --Stuart Broomer
"I've had the privilege of hearing a number of the Basie small ensemble C.D.'s. I've loved his big band work for decades. The "jam sessions" and the Kansas City 5, 6, 7 et al are excellent examples of Basie's flexibility. This particular offering is indeed one of his finest. Thad Jones, Frank Weiss, Frank Foster, Eric Dixon, Eddie Jones, Sonny Payne and the incomparable Basie on piano and even organ make for a stellar cast. The numbers sing joyfully throughout the album. The harmonies and rhythms are fresh and uplifting. If you like Basie and and you like good jazz played by some musicians who know how to be at their best with their art their ensemble and their instruments this will be for you."
Classical Basie
Nikica Gilic | Zagreb, Croatia | 11/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although Basie's main claim to fame is his glorious big band, even the big band records often have tracks with smaller groups, equally swinging, but giving more space for individual artists.
The strength of Basie's big band, after all, often comes from treating the band as a small and rhythmically compact unit, with different sections tight as can be, thus combining the intensity of smaller bands with the rich and creamy big band sound.
This cd is simply magnificent, utilizing virtuoso horn of Thad Jones and great saxes, clarinet and flute skills of Eric Dixon, Frank Wess and Frank Foster, with exquisit rhythm section headed by Basie (on organ for subtle "I Want a Little Girl") and irreplacable rhythm guitar of Freddie Green.
This is Basie in the best pre WW-II wain.
However, many song (such as "Shoe Shine Boy" and "What'cha Talkin'") also investigate the possibilites of more modern and cool sound (with emphasis on the sound of flute rather than the mighty sound of the tenor sax), never sacrifising the true sense of swing and the power of Basie's original approach.
Highly recomendable record for all swing and mainstream fans! I wonder what Thad Jones, in his personal musical choises usually more modernist than Basie, thought of this great album?"
Small Group swing At It's Best
Original Mixed Up-Kid | New York United States | 09/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kansas City indeed...a great Basie CD with great sound on this digipak Impulse/GRP release..with booklet and a bonus track..40 minutes of music with extra track..wish it was longer..nice hearing some of the older classics revisited in 1962..not to be missed if you are into Basie, the band is swinging in a sophisticated fashion giving added weight to all the players..all are stellar here."
Count Basie is Amazing!
MusicMan | Swannanoa, NC USA | 03/12/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I received this cd as a gift just yesterday and i can't stop listening to it! The tracks that stand out in my mind as the best are, "Oh, Lady Be Good" and "I Want a Little Girl". If you like jazz like me or are just trying out new music, this cd is the one to buy. Pick this one up today."