Search - Count Basie :: On the Road

Dennis Rowland

Nobuhiko Yonekura | Phoenix, AZ | 08/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dennis Rowland is the featured vocalist in this album. He now lives in Phoenix, Arizona and still is very active. He and his jazz combo will be the guest artists at the Opening Night concert of The Phoenix Symphony on September 8, 2007. He is still best known for his association with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1977 to 1984, he toured the world as the featured vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Tony Bennett. Rowland's smooth, powerful voice also graces two tunes on Basie's 1980 Grammy winning album On The Road. Rowland continued his recording career on the Concord label in 1995. Some of his Concord recordings include Rhyme Rhythm & Reason, Get Here, Now Dig This (a tribute to Miles Davis), and A Concord Jazz Christmas: Volume 2. Rowland has also appeared in a variety of theatrical stage productions including "Chicago," "The Seven Deadly Sins (with Cleo Laine)," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Big River," and "Little Shop Of Horrors." In April 1997, he was invited by Wynton Marsalis to perform with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for "Swingin' The Blues For Count Basie." Rowland's performance was met with raucous audience approval, inspiring New York Times writer Peter Watrous to exclaim, "He's a spectacular blues singer...It was most honest and liberating; what Mr. Rowland dispenses should be sold in drugstores.""

This is vintage Basie.

J. E. Billmann | West Bend, Wisconsin | 08/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you really want to get the feeling and experience the essence of this 17 piece Basie organization, consider this one.It's vintage Basie. This a live, studio audience performance.Trombonist Booty Wood is as colorful and flexible as ever. Eric Dixon and Kenny Hing handle the tenor solos fluently and melodiously. And of course, Basie demonstrates is unique flair for injecting his piano accents just at the right time. Since this is a "live" performance, expect the person on the soundboard to be a little slow on the trigger at times.It was recorded orginally in 1979"

Best Basie Album There Is

William Oliver | Palo Alto, CA United States | 06/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wore out the original record of this fantastic performance."