Randy Bey Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 I am going through more and more of the numerous Count Basie records that my brother gave to me. Why did I save these to the end? Because I thought I wouldn't like them very much. He (the Count) was the epitome of the "jazz players standing behind white boxes with notes printed on them" jazz. Boy was I ever wrong. This guy cooked. And so many of the records are in NM condition, after a nice little washing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Yeah, he did do a little more than that cameo appearance in "Blazing Saddles"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted May 18, 2004 Author Share Posted May 18, 2004 I just watched that movie again the other night. Been many years, I think. Whatever happened to Cleavon Little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lon Armstrong Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Quote: "He (the Count) was the epitome of the "jazz players standing behind white boxes with notes printed on them" jazz." Wow, whatever gave you that idea? I'd be interested in knowing because. . . well it's so far from my impression! Basie's band with Lester Young was a catalyst for so many innovations in jazz and one of the most important bands ever. . . . imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Check out his stuff with SInatra. Talk about cooking! Sinatra at the Sands, while a bit sonically challenged, is such a great example of later big band swing. Quincy's arrangements swing hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 From the late 30s on there are numerous definitive Basie recordings which contain legendary soloists and vocalists, not least of which is Lester Young whose solos are considered classics. In addition to enjoying these swinging tunes, there are these solos, I have them all written out for study and further admiration, since they contain the seeds of the whole modern style from Parker on. Parker could himself play these early Prez solos by rote and it is interesting to notice that the famous bebop melody Ornithology, for example, was originally just a cool phrase from a Leter solo. By being a Lester "completist" I ended up with a lot of great Basie. I have always grown my collection in this organically musical way, following threads of interest and great historical and musicological significance, of course, this is also the the swingingest stuff. Without intimate knowledge of the Basie material you cannot really understand Lester's place in the Pantheon, and, what the term "Swing" really means in the best and broadest sense. C&S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted May 18, 2004 Author Share Posted May 18, 2004 Quote: "He (the Count) was the epitome of the "jazz players standing behind white boxes with notes printed on them" jazz." Wow, whatever gave you that idea? I'd be interested in knowing because. . . well it's so far from my impression! Basie's band with Lester Young was a catalyst for so many innovations in jazz and one of the most important bands ever. . . . imho. Lon, like when Bogart said he went to Casablanca for the waters and was informed that it was a desert: "I was misinformed." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaama Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 he die a couple years ago from a heart atack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lon Armstrong Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 I hear ya Randy, thanks for the response! I'm a Lester Willis Young completist too; that man was so important to American music. . . as important as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and very few others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorcilantro Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 Maybe someone could do a rundown of Basie vinyl to look for and some to stay away from; what are some of the exceptionally produced recordings & pressings? My friend says any jazz on Pablo is HOT, and a must get. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lon Armstrong Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 If sonics is a big concern, Pablo and stereo Verve sides, and Roulette vinyl would be my suggestions. Though for music itself, Decca and Columbia get the nod, but it's going to be old mono recordings mostly (all Decca, much of the Columbia) recorded on disc, not tape. Fidelity is good as this type of recording goes, but many don't dig this type of recording. (About one-quarter of my collection is mono material of this nature, so I'm a believer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 I think Norman Granz would have had both Basie and Lester Young in the studio once a week if he could have! I have all of the Clef/Verve Basie and Lester Young records and maybe half of the Basie Pablo sides as well. But THE Baise band was the pre-war unit and all of these recordings are 3 minute snippets of what must have been the hardest swinging band of all time. I can only imagine what this band must have been like live--how about a 15 minute romp through "Lester Leaps In" or "Taxi War Dance" with a 12 chorus Lester Young solo--what on earth would you give to have been alive to hear THAT?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lon Armstrong Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Actually, since most of the appearances of the band were for dancing, I think that fifteen minute romps would be very very very rare. . . even live, in fact more likely in the studio. Granz did a series of nine "Jam" lps (10"s I think) that had long long jams, and about a third of these were heavily populated with Basie men. I have these and they are fun. . . not the same thing as the whole Orchestra would be live and stretching out of course. There is talk that Verve will be putting out a box set of all these jam releases soon, I'm all for it! The fifties Verve and Roulette sides are also averaging more than the three minute 78s from Decca and Columbia (more like four to five minutes for a lot of them), so there is a little stretching out going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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