CD1
Tracks 1-10: ‘April In Paris’
1. April In Paris
2. Corner Pocket
3. Did’n You
4. Sweety Cakes
5. Magic
6. Shiny Stockings
7. What Am I Here For
8. Midgets
9. Mambo Inn
10. Dinner With Friends
Tracks 11-20: ‘King Of Swing’
11. Cherry Point
12. Bubbles
13. Right On
14. The Blues Done Come Back
15. Plymouth Rock
16. I Feel Like A New Man
17. You For Me
18. Soft Drink
19. Two For The Blues
20. Slow But Sure
CD2
Tracks 1-11: ‘The Atomic Mr Basie'
1. The Kid From Red Bank
2. Duet
3. After Supper
4. Flight Of The Foo Birds
5. Double-O
6. Teddy The Toad
7. Whirly- Bird
8. Midnite Blue
9. Splanky
10. Fantail
11. Li'l Darlin’
Tracks 12-23: 'The Greatest! - Count Basie
Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards'
12. Thou Swell
13. There Will Never Be Another You
14. Our Love Is Here To Stay
15. ‘S Wonderful
16. My Baby Just Cares For Me
17. Nevertheless
18. Singin’ In The Rain
19. I’m Beginning To See The Light
20. A Fine Romance
21. Come Rain Or Come Shine
22. I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With
Me
23. This Can’t Be Love
There are so many classics
on this double album that it leaves one almost
breathless. As they are so well-known, there's
no need to go into much detail. Suffice it
to say that the Count Basie Band reached a
peak with these recordings from the 1950s
- particularly The Atomic Mr Basie.
For me, that album captured for the first
time the real powerful excitement of Basie's
band, with superfine recording of eleven tracks
all written and arranged by Neal Hefti. The
remastering people at Avid have opted for
the mono recording of this album rather than
the stereo version - because of faults they
find with the latter. The sound is all right
but it sounds slightly boxy compared to the
stereo recording many people will be familiar
with.
Nevertheless, Hefti composed
some memorable material for the band to swing
on, including The Kid From Red Bank and
Splanky. The latter includes some superb
drumming from Sonny Payne, which really makes
the climax tell. Other highlights are the
various storming solos from tenorist Eddie
"Lockjaw" Davis and, of course, the remarkable
Lil' Darlin', taken at such a slow
tempo that you keep expecting it to fall apart
- which it never does, because of the superb
control of the section playing and the perfection
of Wendell Culley's muted trumpet solo.
The three other albums in
this collection can't match The Atomic
Mr Basie in consistently incredible playing
and arrangements, but they are still very
worth having - especially at Avid's budget
price. The title track of April in Paris
is rightly famous for its surprise triple
ending (again, propelled by drummer Sonny
Payne) and its unusual take on a well-worn
tune. This album also contains such classic
tracks as Corner Pocket and Shiny
Stockings.
The earlier album King
of Swing has a less exciting recorded
sound but it includes such memorable items
as Neal Hefti's Cherry Point and Two
For The Blues. The last of these four
classic albums, The Greatest!!, features
Joe Williams's smooth, bluesy voice in a dozen
jazz standards. The arrangements are by Buddy
Bregman, who can't quite come up to Neal Hefti's
standards, but few arrangers could.
The only thing left to say
about this bargain package is...buy it!
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Avid
AMSC 946
