Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. With the exception of a brief period in the early '50s, he led a big band from 1935 until his death almost 50 years later, and the band continued to perform after he died. Basie's orchestra was characterized by a light, swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano, lively ensemble work, and generous soloing. Basie was not a composer like Duke Ellington or an important soloist like Benny Goodman. His instrument was his band, which was considered the epitome of swing and became broadly influential on jazz.

Both of Basie's parents were musicians; his father, Harvie Basie, played the mellophone, and his mother, Lillian (Childs) Basie, was a pianist who gave her son his earliest lessons. Basie also learned from Harlem stride pianists, particularly Fats Waller. His first professional work came accompanying vaudeville performers, and he was part of a troupe that broke up in Kansas City in 1927, leaving him stranded there. He stayed in the Midwestern city, at first working in a silent movie house and then joining Walter Page's Blue Devils in July 1928. The band's vocalist was Jimmy Rushing. Basie left in early 1929 to play with other bands, eventually settling into one led by Bennie Moten. Upon Moten's untimely death on April 2, 1935, Basie worked as a soloist before leading a band initially called the Barons of Rhythm. Many former members of the Moten band joined this nine-piece outfit, among them Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), and Lester Young (tenor saxophone). Jimmy Rushing became the singer. The band gained a residency at the Reno Club in Kansas City and began broadcasting on the radio, an announcer dubbing the pianist "Count" Basie.

Basie got his big break when one of his broadcasts was heard by journalist and record producer John Hammond, who touted him to agents and record companies. As a result, the band was able to leave Kansas City in the fall of 1936 and take up an engagement at the Grand Terrace in Chicago, followed by a date in Buffalo, NY, before coming into Roseland in New York City in December. It made its recording debut on Decca Records in January 1937. Undergoing expansion and personnel changes, it returned to Chicago, then to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston. Meanwhile, its recording of "One O'Clock Jump" became its first chart entry in September 1937. The tune became the band's theme song and it was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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Basie returned to New York for an extended engagement at the small club the Famous Door in 1938 that really established the band as a success. "Stop Beatin' Round the Mulberry Bush," with Rushing on vocals, became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1938. Basie spent the first half of 1939 in Chicago, meanwhile switching from Decca to Columbia Records, then went to the West Coast in the fall. He spent the early '40s touring extensively, but after the U.S. entry into World War II in December 1941 and the onset of the recording ban in August 1942, his travel was restricted. While on the West Coast, he and the band appeared in five films, all released within a matter of months in 1943: Hit Parade of 1943, Reveille with Beverly, Stage Door Canteen, Top Man, and Crazy House. He also scored a series of Top Ten hits on the pop and R&B charts, including "I Didn't Know About You" (pop, winter 1945); "Red Bank Blues" (R&B, winter 1945); "Rusty Dusty Blues" (R&B, spring 1945); "Jimmy's Blues" (pop and R&B, summer/fall 1945); and "Blue Skies" (pop, summer 1946). Switching to RCA Victor Records, he topped the charts in February 1947 with "Open the Door, Richard!," followed by three more Top Ten pop hits in 1947: "Free Eats," "One O'Clock Boogie," and "I Ain't Mad at You (You Ain't Mad at Me)."

The big bands' decline in popularity in the late '40s hit Basie as it did his peers, and he broke up his orchestra at the end of the decade, opting to lead smaller units for the next couple of years. But he was able to reform the big band in 1952, responding to increased opportunities for touring. For example, he went overseas for the first time to play in Scandinavia in 1954, and thereafter international touring played a large part in his schedule. An important addition to the band in late 1954 was vocalist Joe Williams. The orchestra was re-established commercially by the 1955 album Count Basie Swings - Joe Williams Sings (released on Clef Records), particularly by the single "Every Day (I Have the Blues)," which reached the Top Five of the R&B charts and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Another key recording of this period was an instrumental reading of "April in Paris" that made the pop Top 40 and the R&B Top Ten in early 1956; it also was enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame. These hits made what Albert Murray (co-author of Basie's autobiography, Good Morning Blues) called the "new testament" edition of the Basie band a major success. Williams remained with Basie until 1960, and even after his departure, the band continued to prosper.


At the first Grammy Awards ceremony, Basie won the 1958 awards for Best Performance by a Dance Band and Best Jazz Performance, Group, for his Roulette Records LP Basie. Breakfast Dance and Barbecue was nominated in the dance band category for 1959, and Basie won in the category in 1960 for Dance with Basie, earning nominations the same year for Best Performance by an Orchestra and Best Jazz Performance, Large Group, for The Count Basie Story. There were further nominations for best jazz performance for Basie at Birdland in 1961 and The Legend in 1962. None of these albums attracted much commercial attention, however, and in 1962, Basie switched to Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records in a bid to sell more records. Sinatra-Basie satisfied that desire, reaching the Top Five in early 1963. It was followed by This Time by Basie! Hits of the 50's and 60's, which reached the Top 20 and won the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra for Dancing.

This initiated a period largely deplored by jazz fans that ran through the rest of the 1960s, when Basie teamed with various vocalists for a series of chart albums including Ella Fitzgerald (Ella and Basie!, 1963); Sinatra again (the Top 20 album It Might as Well Be Swing, 1964); Sammy Davis, Jr. (Our Shining Hour, 1965); the Mills Brothers (The Board of Directors, 1968); and Jackie Wilson (Manufacturers of Soul, 1968). He also reached the charts with an album of show tunes, Broadway Basie's … Way (1966).


By the end of the 1960s, Basie had returned to more of a jazz format. His album Standing Ovation earned a 1969 Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Large Group or Soloist with Large Group (Eight or More), and in 1970, with Oliver Nelson as arranger/conductor, he recorded Afrique, an experimental, avant-garde album that earned a 1971 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band. By this time, the band performed largely on the jazz festival circuit and on cruise ships. In the early 1970s, after a series of short-term affiliations, Basie signed to Pablo Records, with which he recorded for the rest of his life. Pablo recorded Basie prolifically in a variety of settings, resulting in a series of well-received albums: Basie Jam earned a 1975 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance by a Group; Basie and Zoot was nominated in the same category in 1976 and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist; Prime Time won the 1977 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band; and The Gifted Ones by Basie and Dizzy Gillespie was nominated for a 1979 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group. Thereafter, Basie competed in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Big Band, winning the Grammy in 1980 for On the Road and in 1982 for Warm Breeze, earning a nomination for Farmer's Market Barbecue in 1983, and winning a final time, for his ninth career Grammy, in 1984 for 88 Basie Street.

Basie's health gradually deteriorated during the last eight years of his life. He suffered a heart attack in 1976 that put him out of commission for several months. He was back in the hospital in 1981, and when he returned to action, he was driving an electric wheel chair onto the stage. He died of cancer at 79.

Count Basie was admired as much by musicians as by listeners, and he displayed a remarkable consistency in a bandleading career that lasted long after swing became an archival style of music. After his death, his was one of the livelier ghost bands, led in turn by Thad Jones, Frank Foster, and Grover Mitchell. His lengthy career resulted in a large discography spread across all of the major labels and quite a few minor ones as well.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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Bill (Count) Basie first shows up on record at the end of the 1920s, playing piano with Bennie Moten & the Kansas City Orchestra. Legend has it that Basie became a "Count" after Moten teasingly referred to him as "that no-account Basie." Classics No. 503 presents Basie's first recordings as a leader. On October 9th, 1936, a five-piece band cut two instrumental stomps and a pair of blues with vocals by Jimmy Rushing. Since Basie was breaking a contract by recording for the Vocalion label, the band was billed as "Jones-Smith, Inc." The "Jones" was drummer Jo Jones, and the "Smith" was trumpeter Carl Smith, filling in that day for Buck Clayton, who had a split lip. Basie opened up "Shoe Shine Boy" with a bit of his own brand of Harlem stride piano, powerfully supported by Walter Page's bass fiddle. Lester Young, shining like the rising sun, was making his very first appearance on phonograph record. Strong as nails, full of ideas and rhythmic enthusiasm, Young was obviously happy to be cooking in front of the microphone that day. On the 21st of January, 1937 the Count Basie Orchestra became a phonographic reality, utilizing former members of Walter Page's Blue Devils and Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra. Basie honored his Harlem roots by dishing up a smart instrumental treatment of Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," and a stomp dedicated to Waller's preferred cathouse, the Daisy Chain. "Roseland Shuffle" is remarkable for the extended "conversation" between Lester Young's sax and Basie's piano. Jimmy Rushing is often narrowly categorized as a blues singer rather than a versatile jazz vocalist who could sing anything, including the blues, with extraordinary passion. Rushing had developed himself as a singer of pop songs with Moten, so it's not surprising that he does so well with "Pennies From Heaven." Rushing often made it seem as though he himself had written the songs he sang. He did all he could with "Boo Hoo," a cutesy Guy Lombardo hit made into a smoking instrumental in 1937 by Fats Waller His Rhythm & His Orchestra. Waller sang on his own version of "Smarty," while Basie was wise enough to keep it instrumental. This left more room for a solo by Herschel Evans, who shared clarinet and tenor sax responsibilities with Lester Young. The March 26, 1937 version of "Boogie Woogie" is a big band expansion of the blues shuffle recorded with the small group five months earlier, and the effect is anything but redundant. What an amazing band! "One O'Clock Jump" made its very first appearance in July of '37, featuring Lester Young in all his glory. Compare his solo with that of Herschel Evans' on "John's Idea" and you'll be savoring one of the greatest tenor sax dichotomies in the history of big band jazz. Evans sounds like Coleman Hawkins or Chu Berry. Young sounds like Young and nobody else. In just a few years, half the tenors in the world would be trying to sound exactly like him. 1937 and '38 were wonderful years for this group of musicians. Things evolved steadily. New energies gradually began to pervade the ensemble: Earle Warren, Freddie Green, Eddie Durham, Benny Morton. Each man brought his personality along with his chops. The future looked, and was, very bright for Basie's Orchestra. What a treat to catch this wonderful band as it perpetually reinvented itself for all to hear.

by arwulf arwulf, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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The second Count Basie release on the Classics label, 1938-1939 offers a generous helping of the prime, groundbreaking swing the group brought to the national limelight from 1936-1942. These original Decca sides include everything from full-band charts by arranger Eddie Durham and fine vocals by Jimmy Rushing and Helen Humes to rare cuts of Basie accompanied only by his rhythm section. And, of course, there are many fine solos by star instrumentalist and jazz legend Lester Young, who came up with Basie between 1936-1940. In addition to Young's fine tenor saxophone statement on "Every Tub," other stellar contributions are made by trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, trombonist Dickie Wells, and unsung reed player Herschel Evans, whose tenor solos on "Blue and Sentimental," "Doggin' Around," and his own composition "Texas Shuffle" especially stand out. Throughout the set, rhythm section members drummer Jo Jones, bassist Walter Page, and guitarist Freddie Green provide the kind of streamlined swing that not only became manna for dancers during the late '30s, but also garnered the admiration of jazz musicians all over the world. This is a nicely varied and highly gratifying set of Basie tunes. The sound is great too.

by Stephen Cook, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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This CD has Count Basie's last three sessions for Decca and his first recordings for the Columbia/Vocalion labels. One of his tenor stars, Herschel Evans, had just passed away and is replaced by Chu Berry on one date before Buddy Tate became his permanent replacement. Otherwise, the band's very strong personnel remained the same. The first four numbers are showcases for the Basie four-piece rhythm section, "You Can Depend on Me" is by a sextet with Lester Young and trumpeter Shad Collins, and there are also four titles by "Basie's Bad Boys," an octet from the band with Basie doubling on organ. Among the other highlights are "Red Wagon," the two-part "Cherokee," the original version of "Jive at Five," "Rock-A-Bye Basie," "Taxi War Dance," and Helen Humes' warm vocal on "Don't Worry 'Bout Me."

by Scott Yanow, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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The Count Basie Orchestra may not have been the number one band popularity-wise in 1939 (Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw were ahead of Basie), but it was certainly the most swinging ensemble. With Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Dicky Wells, Lester Young, and Buddy Tate as major soloists, Jimmy Rushing and Helen Humes providing vocals, and the Basie rhythm section saying so much with so little, few bands were in Basie's league. This set has a variety of Columbia/Vocalion recordings from 1939, including the two-part "Miss Thing," "You Can Count on Me," "Song of the Islands," "I Left My Baby," and two numbers from a small-group date ("Dickie's Dream" and "Lester Leaps In"); there are plenty of gems to choose from, although one does regret the lack of any alternate takes, as is Classics' custom.

by Scott Yanow, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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The Count Basie Orchestra continued to grow in strength during the period covered by this CD, with Vic Dickenson replacing Benny Morton in the trombone section, high-note trumpeter Al Killian taking over for Ed Lewis, and Tab Smith being added as an alto soloist. Among the classics recorded by the definitive swing band are "I Never Knew," "Tickle Toe," "Louisiana," "Easy Does It," "Somebody Stole My Gal," "Super Chief," and a remake of "Moten Swing." This set would be well worth acquiring if only for the Lester Young solos, and there is much more to savor including spots for Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Dicky Wells, Buddy Tate, Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, and Basie himself.

by Scott Yanow, AMG

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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The biggest change for the Count Basie Orchestra during this period of time is that after the first session (which resulted in four selections, including "Broadway"), Lester Young left the band, at first replaced by Paul Bascomb and then Don Byas. Otherwise, the classic orchestra remained intact and stayed at the same high swinging level. Among the highlights are the rare anti-racism protest song "It's the Same Old South," "Rockin' the Blues," the original version of "Goin' to Chicago Blues," and two numbers ("9:20 Special" and "Feedin' the Bean") that have the great tenor Coleman Hawkins guesting with the band.

by Scott Yanow

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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This CD can easily be divided into two. The first 14 selections are from 1945 and feature the Basie band at a time that Lucky Thompson and Buddy Tate were the tenor sax soloists, and the repertoire included such hot tunes as "Avenue C," "High Tide," and "Blue Skies"; a few of the selections are taken from V-Discs. The final six numbers have Illinois Jacquet taking over on tenor and include "Rambo" and the exciting "The King." Throughout, the Basie rhythm section swings as hard and as lightly as usual while the horn sections are full of lively players, including Harry "Sweets" Edison and Dicky Wells. Another strong entry in the Classics label's chronological study of the early Count Basie band.

by Scott Yanow

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Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1936-1951 (1990-2002) [8CD, Classics Records]

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Having weathered the same upheavals in the music business that knocked many other bandleaders right off of the scene, William "Count" Basie calmly persevered by recording with septets and octets, occasionally finding it possible to assemble the 16-piece orchestra that he loved to lead. The scaled-down ensembles heard on this disc were fortified with brilliant young players who were capable of swinging hard while expanding the music in new and exciting directions. The eight-piece group that recorded in February of 1950 – this was Basie's last session for Victor – served up a perfect blend of established styles and innovative ideas. "If You See My Baby" is a swinging recipe for instant gratification. "Sweets," arranged by Buck Clayton, features exceptionally fine muted trumpeting by Harry Edison. What really makes this session valuable, though, is the presence of tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. His best moments come during "Rat Race," an upbeat cruise with a very modern introduction. After a powerful solo, he engages in a bit of tenor jousting with Georgie Auld. The anomaly here is "Solid As a Rock," a weird attempt at a love song sung by the Deep River Boys, a holdover vocal group from the early '40s. With "Neal's Deal," listeners officially encounter the Basie sound of the 1950s. This has a lot to do with Neal Hefti, whose spiffy melodies and clear, clean arrangements practically defined the new style that would become closely associated with the Basie bands. And it's got everything to do with the individuals who came in to work for the Count: Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Serge Chaloff, Charlie Rouse and Buddy Rich, who comes across as emphatic but not too showy. This was a great little band. "The Golden Bullet" is a smoker. The instrumental version of "You're My Baby, You" sounds a lot like something out of Boyd Raeburn's book. Clark Terry does a fine job of singing smoothly on a second take, coolly pronouncing a line like "I could be your candied yam" as if it were the most natural thing in the world to say. In November of 1950 the plot thickened wonderfully when Wardell Gray joined the band, engaging in a lively chase with Terry and DeFranco on "Song of the Islands." Gray sounds magnificent on "I'm Confessin'" and "I'll Remember April." "These Foolish Things" is really gorgeous. As for the vintage material, "One O'Clock Jump" and "I Ain't Got Nobody" came out sounding stronger and better than ever. "Tootsie" is a wild offshoot of a much older idea, directly traceable back to the old "Boogie Woogie" record of 1936. In April of 1951, Basie was once again able to make records with a huge ensemble, coordinated by brassy arrangements. "Howzit" and "Nails" have that punchy quality associated with Buster Harding. "Little Pony," composed and arranged by Hefti, is deservedly famous as a blazing feature for the brilliantly inventive Gray. Tacked on to the end of this disc is a previously overlooked side from 1942, with Jimmy Rushing cutting in on Cab Calloway's rhetorical game of "spin the vernacular."

by arwulf arwulf