Was surfing the net last week looking for test records and ran across this review: http://www.tnt-audio.com/topics/basiejam_e.html This picqued my interest and I found one on e-bay. It arrived today. Cleaned it on the KMAL and threw it on the PS-X7 with Shure V15 Type IV and I was floored :yes: I probably would have never given Count Basie a chance but 2 weeks ago I picked up a two lp set "The Count Basie Years" on Roulette in mint shape for 25 cents ( half price, was originally 50 cents! ) and I enjoyed it! So I thought I would gamble that the reviewer knew his stuff. He did, and it is great lp. If you ever run across it, you might want to pick it up and give it a whirl. Great stuff. Basie Jam on Pablo records # 2310 718 :banana:

Kim

Kim,
I could give you a list of Basie on Pablo that you should pick up if you like "Basie Jam". Count Basie is my guy for sure.


Oh what the hell, here goes.

Pablo Live Montreux '77 *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
I told You So ***very good ***
The TimeKeepers *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
For The First Time *** very good ***
Prime Time ***very good ***
Kansas City Shout *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
Kansan City 3 *** excellent *** :thmbsp:

My all time favorite.......... 88 Basie Street *** most excellent *** :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

Your milage may vary, but those are some of my favorites.

RC

I had the pleasure and honor of meeting The Count in 1978 when my high school stage band was in a competition Judged by him in West Orange New Jersey. I was our band's tuba player. I remember we played the Stan Kenton version of My Funny Valentine and took first place. The Basie band did a set after the judging, and after that, I snuck downstairs and got to meet The Man himself, who not only recognized that I was out band's tuba player, but told me, "Man, you can blow!"

You always remember those things... I heard the great Buddy Rich live three times. Heard Stan Kenton twice (the loudest, most powerful big band I ever heard), watched as he touched up tuning on a freshly tuned Bosendorfer piano just before a performance. Heard Basie once. Heard Woody Herman (and shook his hand) once. And others.

Some great bands!

Frank Sinatra said that he was a little nervous before singing with Count Basie because he knew the Basie Band was very good. I wish I could have heard those bands live. Are Pablo releases record only? Are any of those Basie titles on CD?

Kim,
I could give you a list of Basie on Pablo that you should pick up if you like "Basie Jam". Count Basie is my guy for sure.


Oh what the hell, here goes.

Pablo Live Montreux '77 *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
I told You So ***very good ***
The TimeKeepers *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
For The First Time *** very good ***
Prime Time ***very good ***
Kansas City Shout *** excellent *** :thmbsp:
Kansan City 3 *** excellent *** :thmbsp:

My all time favorite.......... 88 Basie Street *** most excellent *** :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

Your milage may vary, but those are some of my favorites.

RC






Man, you're talking my kind of big band music. If you love ""88 Basie Street" check out Warm Breeze, Me and You, and Basie Big Band. :thmbsp: All on Pablo. I saw the band live, first in '74 and twice in the early 80's. Awesome!!!

Thanks for the tip NYV. I going to be looking for that recording for sure.


RC

I love big band and Count Basie definitely swings. I'm also a big Woody Herman fan and recently ran across a rather unique album that he did called Brand New. The guitar player for several tracks is Mike Bloomfield! Blues tinged jazz! That's a great album too. :music:

Also check out The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra. Good stuff :thmbsp: Their new cd is; Live at MCG

And there's trumpeter band leader, Randy Sandke, also very good. Different and interesting. :yes: Give "Outside In" a try.

Basie's PRIME TIME has a lot of musically good cuts on it, but the sonics are AFU! Not because most of it is nearly mono, but that everything sounds like the mikes are under the floor or in the next room! 'Sweet Georgia Brown' has a really big botch where the trumpet mike(s?) (track or tracks??) are faded up AFTER they start playing! Basie deserved so much better. On the musical side, compare the version of Sam Nestico's 'Ya gotta try' on this album (medium chuggin' Basie tempo) with the identical arrangement of it on BUDDY RICH PLAYS AND PLAYS AND PLAYS which is taken WAY faster. Rich had better trumpets, but both tempos work well. BTW I saw a Pablo Basie compilation CD a few years ago, and 'Prime time' was on it--in mono. What gives, eh?

Was WOODY HERMAN 1964 ever released on CD? It's a killer album from the '62-'65 band with Sal Nistico, Bill Chase, Jake Hanna, etc. Features a version of 'A taste of honey' they recorded on 22 November 1963....just after learning JFK had died.

Any thoughts on BIG BAND JAZZ by Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass? Umbrella direct-disc double LP UMB-DD4, from 1978. Another goodie....