One of the most hard-hitting Count Basie albums from the Roulette Records years – and that's saying a lot, given the power of Basie at the time! The set was recorded in Sweden, with a kind of triple-time energy that really has the whole thing burning right from the start – as the group's driven onward by some bold work on drums from Louis Bellson – who's working here with a lineup that includes Frank Wess and Frank Foster on tenor, Marshall Royal on alto, and Thad Jones on trumpet. There's a slight rawness to the recording – still as clear as other Roulette sessions, but with a bit more "liveness" too – a sense of place that really helps the performances sparkle. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Little Pony", "Plymouth Rock", "Backwater Blues", "Who Me", and "April In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star jam session from Montreux in 1973 – recorded in true Verve style by the great Norman Granz, Count Basie at the head of a group that includes Louie Bellson, Ray Brown, JJ Johnson, Harry Edison, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, and Zoot Sims! Tracks are nice lengthy rakes of Basie classics, with plenty of solo space – a bit tighter than a more traditional jam session, probably because the players get along so well together! 5 numbers in all, including "Doubling The Blues", "Hanging Out", "Red Bank Blues", "One-Nighter" and "Freeport Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Count Basie on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Johnny Griffin on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Louis Bellson on drums! CD

The genius of Basie meets the genius of Quincy Jones – a 60s pairing that's every bit as great as the 50s pairing of Basie and Neal Hefti! Jones and Basie worked together in a number of settings during the 60s – including a very successful album for Frank Sinatra on Reprise – but here, the pair are really going full-on and hard-swinging, in a fresh style that's got all the hipness of Quincy's budding talent in the 60s, played with the deeply soulful manner of the still-great Basie band of the time. Titles include "Rat Race", "For Lena & Lennie", "The Big Walk", "Meet BB", "Jessica's Day", "Muttnik", and "Quince". CD

The genius of Basie meets the genius of Quincy Jones – a 60s pairing that's every bit as great as the 50s pairing of Basie and Neal Hefti! Jones and Basie worked together in a number of settings during the 60s – including a very successful album for Frank Sinatra on Reprise – but here, the pair are really going full-on and hard-swinging, in a fresh style that's got all the hipness of Quincy's budding talent in the 60s, played with the deeply soulful manner of the still-great Basie band of the time. Titles include "Rat Race", "For Lena & Lennie", "The Big Walk", "Meet BB", "Jessica's Day", "Muttnik", and "Quince". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from one of the greatest pairings in 50s jazz – the crack later group of Count Basie and the amazing arranging talents of the great Neal Hefti! Hefti later went onto greater fame as a 60s soundtrack composer, but back in the day him and Basie were an incredible team together – as Hefti's talent for quirky, witty, whimsical horn passages really opened up the Basie sound of earlier years – and took the band far past any Kansas City cliches, into a groove that was much more suited for a modern audience! This album's one of the best the two ever cut together – and it's overflowing with Hefti gems that include "Cute", "Pensive Miss", "Sloo Foot", "Scoot", "A Little Tempo Please", "Count Down", and "Pony Tail". CD

Tremendous work from one of the greatest pairings in 50s jazz – the crack later group of Count Basie and the amazing arranging talents of the great Neal Hefti! Hefti later went onto greater fame as a 60s soundtrack composer, but back in the day him and Basie were an incredible team together – as Hefti's talent for quirky, witty, whimsical horn passages really opened up the Basie sound of earlier years – and took the band far past any Kansas City cliches, into a groove that was much more suited for a modern audience! This album's one of the best the two ever cut together – and it's overflowing with Hefti gems that include "Cute", "Pensive Miss", "Sloo Foot", "Scoot", "A Little Tempo Please", "Count Down", and "Pony Tail". CD

A smoking stormer from Basie's Verve years – filled with tight-grooving shorter tunes, played in a style that's a great update of the original approach of the group! Eddie Lockjaw Davis is actually working with the group on this set, making for some searing tenor moments that really stand out – and Al Hibbler makes a gues appearance on vocals on two numbers as well. Other players include Ernie Wilkins, Paul Quinichette, Freddie Green, and Charlie Shavers – and titles include "Tippin On The QT", "Blee Blop Blues", "Jive At Five", "Be My Guest", "No Name", "Blues For The Count & Oscar", and "Redhead". Great cover, too – with Basie on a scooter! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Basie Goes Wess", "Peace Pipe", "Blues Go Away", "Stereophonic", "Mambo Mist", and "Sixteen Men Swinging" LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of Basie work from the year 1941 – featuring a lineup that includes Dickey Wells, Tab Smith, Buddy Tate, Don Byas, Freddie Green, and Buck Clayton. Tracks include "Down For Double", "Diggin For Dex", "Jump The Blues Away", "The Jitters", "Tuesday At Ten", "Tune Town Shuffle", "Basie Boogie", and "Fiesta In Blue". Great 50s cover, with some cool geometric cat designs! LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Avenue C", "King", "Taps Miller", "Rusty Dusty Blues", "Mad Boogie", "One O'clock Jump", "Red Bank Boogie", "It's Sand, Man!", "Jimmy's Blues", and "Rambo". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 25 tracks recorded for V-Disc and the Armed Forces Radio Service – with Lester Young, Buddy Rich, Jimmy Rushing, and others! CD

Great work from Basie's Roulette years – a time when the group seemed to be extra snapping and soulful! Players include Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Billy Mitchell on reeds – plus Snooky Young, Thad Jones, and Joe Newman on trumpets – and Al Grey, Henry Coker, and Benny Powell on trombones! LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of some of Basie's first important material – 2LPs worth of classics that set the tone for generations to come! LP, Vinyl record album

Features the tracks "One O Clock Jump", "Jive At Five", "Shorty George", "Basie Blues" and much much more! CD

Late 40s recordings that have the Basie band getting nice and lean – but still with vocals from Jimmy Rushing, tenor from Buddy Tate and Paul Gonsalves, and trumpet from Harry Sweets Edison! CD

Basie plays well-known hits from movies and the stage – titles include "Hello Young Lovers", "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "Laura", "A Fine Romance", "Days Of Wine And Roses", "The Trolley Song", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD includes three bonus tracks, one of which features Tony Bennett on vocals. CD

Way before Sinatra first grabbed the "Chairman Of The Board" title for his own musical persona, Basie laid great claim to the tag with this tight little album for Roulette! The album's got the 50s Basie band working at the height of their powers – with original compositions written and arranged by Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess – all of whom play in the bad, along with other all-stars like Freddie Green, Billy Mitchell, and Al Grey. The sound is tight, soulful, and searing Basie all the way through – with tunes that include "Segue In C", "Blues In Hoss' Flat", "Who Me?", "The Deacon", "Half Moon Street", "Mutt & Jeff", "TV Time", "Speaking Of Sounds", and "HRH". LP, Vinyl record album

With Chu Berry, Lester Young, Buddy Tate, Buck Clayton, Dicky Wells, Harry Edison, and Shad Collins. CD

With Tab Smith, Buddy Tate, Lester Young, Dicky Wells, Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson, Harry Edison and Jo Jones. CD

Seminal work from that key Basie year of 1939 – singles recorded for the Okeh and Vocalion labels – with work from Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Dicky Wells, Lester Young, and Buddy Tate! CD

Earky 40's Okeh recordings with Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Don Byas, Helen Humes and Jimmy Rushing. Tracks include "Love Jumped Out", "Stampede In G Minor", "You Lied To Me", "Wiggle Woogie", "The Jitters" and "9:20 Special". CD

One of THE seminal Basie albums of all time – and a masterful pairing between the Count and arranger Neal Hefti! Hefti has an amazing ear for the Basie groove, and he works here to re-fit the overall sound of the group with a tighter, more fluid approach – one that ensured that they'd be alive and booming well into the 60s. The Hefti touch is one that's slightly lighter than the Basie of before – one that assumes the bump at the bottom, but never overdoes it – and instead almost uses the sound of no sound at all to carry the rhythm – while the horns at the top of the group are vamping around in these majestic charts that break out into fantastically searing solos. Basie's on piano, natch – and other players include Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Henry Coker, Al Grey, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Titles are all brilliant Hefti originals – and include "After Supper", "Flight Of The Foo Birds", "Teddy The Toad", "Splanky", "Fantail", and "Lil Darlin". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – including "The Late Late Show", "Sleepwalker's Serenade", and "Silks & Satins". CD

A really great collection of momentous early recordings from the Basie Band! CD

63 songs over three CDs. CD

Killer work from an incredibly productive (and soulful!) period in Count Basie's career – mostly recorded between 1958 and 1962! Features material from a huge number of albums – including rare tracks from some Roulette compilations and samplers, and records with Joe Williams and Maynard Ferguson too! CD

Unissued live material from a great stretch in the career of Count Basie – that time when he was turning in some excellent concert performances for Roulette Records, material that's got very similar charms to the music on this set! As with most of Roulette Basie, that revived sense of timing from Neal Hefti is very strongly in play – that magnificent sense of space between the notes that made this period of the Count's ensemble such a great one – with a rhythmic focus that's brilliant, and which opens up with even more excitement when a key soloist steps in! Players include Thad Jones and Snooky young on trumpets, Henry Coker and Benny Powell on trombones, Frank Foster and Eric Dixon on tenors, Freddie Green on guitar, Marshall Royal on alto, and Frank Wess on flute and alto – and there's a bit of vocals on a few tracks from later soul singers OC Smith and Irene Reid. Titles include "Segue In C", "Why Not", "Easy Money", "Backwater Blues", "Lil Darlin", "Easin It", "April In Paris", and "Cute". CD

Unissued live material from a great stretch in the career of Count Basie – that time when he was turning in some excellent concert performances for Roulette Records, material that's got very similar charms to the music on this set! As with most of Roulette Basie, that revived sense of timing from Neal Hefti is very strongly in play – that magnificent sense of space between the notes that made this period of the Count's ensemble such a great one – with a rhythmic focus that's brilliant, and which opens up with even more excitement when a key soloist steps in! Players include Thad Jones and Snooky young on trumpets, Henry Coker and Benny Powell on trombones, Frank Foster and Eric Dixon on tenors, Freddie Green on guitar, Marshall Royal on alto, and Frank Wess on flute and alto – and there's a bit of vocals on a few tracks from later soul singers OC Smith and Irene Reid. Titles include "Segue In C", "Why Not", "Easy Money", "Backwater Blues", "Lil Darlin", "Easin It", "April In Paris", and "Cute". CD

... CD

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". CD

Stripped-down Count Basie from the start of the 60s – a great little set that has the Count working with some of the best players from his larger group, in a session of even more intimate small combo material! The sounds here echo the Basie groove of the earlier years, but the overall presentation is a fair bit more modern – nicely syncopated with that sense of space discovered by Basie in the 50s – and perfectly interpreted by players who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Freddie Green on guitar, Eric Dixon on flute, and Basie himself on both piano and organ – the latter of which is quite a treat! Titles include "Secrets", "Count's Place", "I Want A Little Girl", "Tally Ho Mr Basie", "Senator Whitehead", "Whatcha Talkin", and "Shoe Shine Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

A Count Basie trio set – the second meeting of the Kansas City Three, a combo that features Ray Brown on bass an Louis Bellson on drums! Basie's really great here – out front, and moving with modes that are quite different than his fuller group sessions – surprisingly sensitive at points, even though still imbued with all of his trademark swing! Bellson's touch on the kit really helps – punctuating things, while never going too far at all – a nice punch, right when needed – and Ray Brown proves once again that he's just the right fit for just about any combo. Titles include "Racehorse", "Blues For Eric", "Draw", "Sandman", "If I Could Be With You For One Hour Tonight", and "I Surrender Dear". LP, Vinyl record album

Early Basie material, packaged in a nicely done 50s LP format – supposedly with some remixing to improve the sound quality of the tracks. Players include Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, Freddy Greene, Walter Page, and Jo Jones – and titles include "Jumpin At The Woodside", "Every Tub", "Out The Window", "Shorty George", "Doggin Around", "Texas Shuffle", "Cherokee", and "Topsy". LP, Vinyl record album

The 50s Basie band, loud and proud – recorded beautifully by Verve on the stage of the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 – a great year, both for the group and the fest! The lineup here features Count Basie firmly at the helm on piano – with players who include Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, and Frank Foster on tenor – plus Thad Jones and Joe Newman on trumpets – all tightly grooving on arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, AK Salim, and others – filled with plenty of Basie jumps, leaps, and vamps! Jimmy Rushing sings vocals on the track "Sent For You Yesterday & Here You Come Today" – and other tracks include "Lester Leaps In", "Swingin At Newport", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "Evenin". CD also contains 5 more bonus tracks from another Verve album – Count Basie & Joe Williams at Newport, most with Williams on vocals – including "All Right Okay You Win", "The Comeback", "Roll 'Em Pete", "Smack Dab In The Middle", and "One O' Clock Jump". CD

The 50s Basie band, loud and proud – recorded beautifully by Verve on the stage of the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 – a great year, both for the group and the fest! The lineup here features Count Basie firmly at the helm on piano – with players who include Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, and Frank Foster on tenor – plus Thad Jones and Joe Newman on trumpets – all tightly grooving on arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, AK Salim, and others – filled with plenty of Basie jumps, leaps, and vamps! Jimmy Rushing sings vocals on the track "Sent For You Yesterday & Here You Come Today" – and other tracks include "Lester Leaps In", "Swingin At Newport", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", and "Evenin". CD also contains 5 more bonus tracks from another Verve album – Count Basie & Joe Williams at Newport, most with Williams on vocals – including "All Right Okay You Win", "The Comeback", "Roll 'Em Pete", "Smack Dab In The Middle", and "One O' Clock In The Morning". CD

A sweet 10" album of work from that great revived Basie band of the early 50s – nice and lean, with tenor from Paul Quinichette and Eddie Lockjaw Davis! LP, Vinyl record album

An interesting little album by Basie – most notable in that it features him playing a bit of organ, which is always a treat! Basie's not the greatest talent on the organ, but he is one of the first jazz players to use the instrument in a wider context, and hearing the album's a good way to check out the organ jazz scene and sound before Jimmy Smith got his hands atop the Hammond and shook the whole thing up! Players on the set include Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, Buddy Rich, and Joe Newman – and titles include "Stan Shorthair", "Count's Organ Blues", "KC Organ Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Basie Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie rewrites history – updating his older work for the Roulette Records years, in this hip collection that features lots of new arrangements from Frank Foster – and rich performances from his great group at the time! The recordings are all new, as are the conceptions of the tunes – so there seems to be even more syncopated swing in the rhythms than on any of the older takes on the material – that fresh sound that the group grew into with Neal Hefti – still going strong here in Foster's hands. So although the tunes are Basie classics – and classics from other bands of the 30s and 40s – the performances and solos are plenty fresh! Titles include "Swinging The Blues", "Out The Window", "Texas Shuffle", "Down For Double", "Lester Leaps In", "Topsy", "Taps Miller", "Shorty George", "Jive At Five", and "Dogging Around". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Verve work by The Count, and a session in which the Basie group plays for dancers – in a style that continued to make them one of the most popular bigger bands of the 50s! Tracks are short, tight, and highly rhythmic – played by a group that features Ernie Wilkins, Marshall Royal, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Thad Jones. Titles include "Stereophonic", "Mambo Mist", "She's Just My Size", "You For Me", "Soft Drink", and "Two For The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

26 songs. CD

Frank Foster is one of our favorite talents in jazz – an excellent tenorist who spent some of his key years in the Count Basie orchestra, but a player who also had a very rich career on his own as well! This album features Frank's talents really coming to the forefront of the Basie group – in a set of all-original material penned and arranged by Foster – really fresh tunes that are a perfect fit for the soulful spirit of the reedman's collaborators in the group, and which definitely show off the growing talents of Foster as a composer. There's a lot more going on here than you might expect – some surprisingly complicated charts for the horns, yet still with that rock-solid swing you'd expect from Basie – and most tracks are longer than usual for a Roulette album, nicely open numbers that include "Brotherly Shove", "Easin It", "Blues For Daddy-O", "Four Five Six", and "Mama Dev". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings from 1959 and 1961, with sidemen including Thad Jones, Benny Powell, Frnak Wess, Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell, Freddie Gren, and Budd Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

Two great Eurpoean performances – with a lineup that features Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell, Frank Wess, Snooky Young, and Freddie Green. Tracks include "Why Not", "Easy Money", "A Little Tempo Please", "Jumpin' At The Woodside", "Blee Blop Blues", and "Stella By Starlight". 30 tracks total. CD

Includes 34 tracks on 3 CDs. Notable sidemen include Frank Wess, Thad Jones, Al Grey, Frank Foster, and Freddie Green CD

Tracks include "Oh, Lady Be Good", "Live & Love Tonight", "Rock-A-Bye Basie", "Taxi War Dance", "Miss Thing (parts 1 & 2)", "Nobody Know", and "Pound Cake" – 16 tracks total. CD

Essential is right – as the tracks here are all Vocalion and Columbia 78rpm releases – from a time when Lester Young was in the group on tenor, and Buck Clayton on trumpet! CD

Titles include "The World Is Mad (Part 1)", "Moten Swing", "Broadway", "The Jitters", "9:20 Special", and "Stampede In G Minor" – 16 tracks total. CD

Count Basie and Barbecue – words together that are bound to make us love this album! The set's got an easygoing swing that takes us right back to Basie's best for Roulette Records – a reference the title seems to imply – and although the band's a later one, they've got that perfect Basie sense of fluidity, especially in the way the horns come together! Basie's piano work isn't as dramatic or dynamic as in years past, but that's fine with us, because the band more than makes up for that change with their own groovy sound. Titles include "Way Out Basie", "I Don't Know It Yet", "Lester Leaps In", "Beaver Junction", and "Ain't That Something". CD

Count Basie and Barbecue – words together that are bound to make us love this CD! The set's got an easygoing swing that takes us right back to Basie's best for Roulette Records – a reference the title seems to imply – and although the band's a later one, they've got that perfect Basie sense of fluidity, especially in the way the horns come together! Basie's piano work isn't as dramatic or dynamic as in years past, but that's fine with us, because the band more than makes up for that change with their own groovy sound. Titles include "Way Out Basie", "I Don't Know It Yet", "Lester Leaps In", "Beaver Junction", and "Ain't That Something". CD

With Ray Brown on bass and Louie Bellson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ray Brown on bass and Louie Bellson on drums. CD

A sweet little Count Basie get together – one of those small group sessions from the 70s, which made some of these later years of his career such a delight! The album's nicely relaxed – in the best Pablo Records way – almost an extension of the Verve swing modes of the 50s, when players really got to open up more on their solos – but maybe with a bit more Basie bite in the groove, too! The Count's on piano – and the group features Clark Terry and Harry Edison on trumpets, Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Budd Johnson on tenor and baritone, Freddie Green on guitar, John Clayton on bass, and Gus Johnson drums. The Green/Basie sense of rhythm is as impeccable as always – and titles include "Ode To Pres", "Basie's Bag", "Like It Used To be", "Swinging On The Cusp", and "My Main Men". CD

The Count Basie Band at all their speaker-blasting best – heard here in a very dynamic live performance from Argentina at the end of the 60s – during a time when the revived Basie groove was very much in top formation! There's a great mix here between full-on energy and more contemplative moments – as the group have this way of coming together that's pure Basie, and a real refinement of that rhythm he was bringing to large ensembles in years past, taken in even bolder directions from the Neal Hefti years onwards. Yet in keeping with his best tradition too, the record's got plenty of great solo moments – and features a lineup that includes Sonny Cohn and Oscar Brashear on trumpets, Grover Mitchell on trombone, Marshall Royal and Bobby Plater on alto, Eric Dixon and Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Charles Fowlkes on baritone, and Freddie Green on guitar. Harold Jones is mighty tight on drums – and tracks include "Corner Pocket", "The Flight Of The Foo Birds", "Sunset Glow", "Hittin Twelve", "Whirly Bird", "Hay Burner", "The Magic Flea", and "Lil Darlin". CD

With Al Grey, Bill Hughes, Groer Mitchell, Melvin Wanxo, and John Watson Sr on trombones; Paul Cohen, George "Sonny" Cohn, George Minger, and Waymon Reed on trumpets; Bobby "Jersey Bounce" Plater, Eric Dixon, Curtis Peagler, JC Williams, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on saxophones; Freddie Green on guitar, Norman "Dewey" Keenan on bass, and Harold Jones on drums. CD

Count Basie takes on groovy tunes from films – including "Shadow Of Your Smile", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Hurry Sundown", "Strangers In The Night", and "Secret Love". LP, Vinyl record album

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32 songs over two CDs. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Small group work – with Eddie Cleanhead Vinson on alto sax, Joe Pass on guitar, and Willie Cook on trumpet. CD

A great little set – despite our initial fears about the package – and a really wonderful pairing of the talents of Count Basie and Benny Carter! We'll admit that we're the first ones to shy away from anything that says "Kansas City" in the title – as we expect a lot of hoke – but this album's a surprisingly great batch of tunes, original numbers written by Benny Carter in honor of the KC of days past, but arranged and performed by the Basie group in a swinging style that's got the best touches of their Roulette years, plus a bit of Ellingtonish ambition in the horn charts. Titles include "Katy Do", "Miss Missouri", "Jackson County Jubilee", "Sunset Glow", "Meetin Time", and "The Wiggle Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A repackaged version of material from Count Basie's excellent Dance Session albums for Verve – no-nonsense albums that really get at the high-grooving side of the group, and which feature the kind of compelling and catchy tunes that always made them a favorite on the dancefloor! The Count manages to play a bit of organ on the session, in the tone that we really like at the time – and arrangements are by Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti, Johnny Mandel, and Frank Wess – on tracks that include "Straight Life", "Soft Drink", "Cherry Point, "Plymouth Rock", "Slow But Sure", "Two For The Blues", and "Bubbles". LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie and Quincy Jones were always a mighty mighty combination – and there's no finer proof of that fact than this sweet little set! Quincy had a way of swinging Basie's group even more than Neal Hefti did – really letting the piano step out front, and swinging the larger horn parts in this mode that was extremely soulful, yet never with the hoke that could sometimes mar a Basie set – a style that was very 60s groovy, and which really helped breathe new life into the Count's ensemble! The album's a killer all the way through – and the tunes are all originals – written by Quincy, and arranged especially for the set – great little numbers that include "Nasty Magus", "Dum Dum", "Boody Rumble", "Count Em", "Belly Roll", and "Lil Ol Groovemaker Basie"! CD

Count Basie and Quincy Jones were always a mighty mighty combination – and there's no finer proof of that fact than this sweet little set! Quincy had a way of swinging Basie's group even more than Neal Hefti did – really letting the piano step out front, and swinging the larger horn parts in this mode that was extremely soulful, yet never with the hoke that could sometimes mar a Basie set – a style that was very 60s groovy, and which really helped breathe new life into the Count's ensemble! The album's a killer all the way through – and the tunes are all originals – written by Quincy, and arranged especially for the set – great little numbers that include "Nasty Magus", "Dum Dum", "Boody Rumble", "Count Em", "Belly Roll", and "Lil Ol Groovemaker Basie"! LP, Vinyl record album

A live set – recorded before Frank Sinatra's famous appearance with Basie at the Sands! CD

A very late set from Basie – but still swinging hard in the best Pablo mode! Some tracks also feature a smaller group – with Booty Wood on trombone and Eric Dixon on tenor. CD

With Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Benny Carter on alto, Zoot Sims on tenor, Vic Dickenson and Al Grey on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, and Jimmie Smith on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Basie hits the hits of the 50s and early 60s – working here with some tight Billy Byers arrangements that really help transform the tunes! The groove is upbeat, bright, and brilliantly soulful – that punctuated Basie groove first formed when Neal Hefti was with the group, still carried off here wonderfully by a lineup that includes Frank Wess and Frank Foster on saxes, Snooky Young and Al Aarons on trumpets, Benny Powell and Henry Coker on trombones, and Freddie Green on guitar. Titles include "The Second Time Around", "Hey Jealous Lover", "All Of Me", "This Love Of Mine", "Saturday Night", "Come Fly With Me", and "South Of The Border" – almost a Sinatra album in spirit, given the choice of tunes like these! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album of 60s Basie – one that focuses on the writing and arranging talents of the great Neal Hefti! Hefti's one of our favorite soundtrack composers of the decade, but in the years before his film fame, he was a frequent partner of Basie – and this album marks one of their greatest collaborations together. The tunes are very much in the "loud, then soft, then loud" mode that Hefti pioneered with Basie's angular group of the 50s – but they've also got some of the warmer, more whimsical touches that Neal would explore more fully in his later soundtrack work too. The result is a classic Basie session, but with plenty of surprises – featuring a fresh batch of tunes that includes "Jump For Johnny", "Ducky Bumps", "Rose Bud", "Shanghaied", "Together Again", and "Eee Dee". LP, Vinyl record album

With Freddie Green on guitar, Keter Betts on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums, with orchestra! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic collection of material from Count Basie – with some sides from 1942, a few from 1946, and a few great ones from the revival years at the start of the 50s! We love these last ones the best – and titles include classic readings of "Little Pony", "Beaver Junction", "I'm Confessin", and "One O'Clock Jump". 40s material includes "Mutton Leg", "Stay Cool", "Ay Now", and "Ride On". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Lester Young on tenor and Jimmy Rushing on vocals. Tracks include "Exactly Like You", "Glory Of Love", "Pennies From Heaven", "Listen My Children And You Shall Hear", and "Time Out". CD

Count Basie goes pop, and the results are mighty nice – a hard-swinging take on familiar tunes from the 60s, but all re-tooled the jazzy Basie way! The vibe here is right up there with the best Neal Hefti moments with the group – and although the arrangements are by Billy Byers, they've got that sense of tightness that Hefti first help bring to the band – a great setting for the inventive solos, and all the cool little twists and turns that make a record like this so great. And while you might think of the setting, or the title, as some sort of sell-out on the Count's part – the album's instead a perfect way to hear what made the Basie band so great – how they could completely transform tunes like "Pretty Woman", "Bye Bye Love", "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy", "At Long Last Love", and "Go Away Little Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's not a hokey TV reference or anything like that – but a strong reminder that the Count Basie group was still very much in their prime during the 1970s, thanks especially to the recording talents that the Pablo label brought to records like this! Most of the work here was arranged and composed by Sam Nestico – the talent who was bringing a really fresh voice to the Basie group while still keeping most of its best elements intact. The track "Bundle O Funk" features some great Fender bass in the grooves, and is arguably one of the few funky tracks that Basie ever recorded – but other tracks get back to an all acoustic groove, and include "The Great Debate", "Ya Gotta Try", "Reachin Out", "Featherweight", and "Prime Time". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Notable sidemen include Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jack Washington, Earl Warrant, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, and Walter Page. CD

With Marshall Royal and Bobby Plater on alto, Eric Dixon and Eddie Davis on tenor, Charles Fowlkes on baritone, Gene Goe, George Cohn, Oscar Brashear, and Al Aarons on trumpet, Grover Mitchell, Richard Boone, Bill Hughes, and Steve Galloway on trombone, Freddie Green on guitar, Harold Jones on drums, and Norman Keenan on bass. CD

A sublime blending of modes – the sound of the excellent Count Basie band during their Roulette Records years, mixed with a bit of strings for a very moody sound! Don't worry about any too-commercial or pop modes going on here – as the arrangements are all super hip, and handled by talents like Quincy Jones and George Williams – who keep things in this dark-tinged style that's just perfect for the key talents in the Basie group, as the album features standout solos on almost every number – including a bit of tenor from guest Ben Webster! Titles include "Song Of The Islands", "Stringing The Blues", "The One I Love", "Blues Bittersweet", "She's Funny That Way", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of 28 early Basie recordings for Vocalion, Columbia, and Brunswick labels, plus unissued masters! Includes work with the orchestras of Mildred Bailey, Harry James, Glenn Hardman, Teddy Wilson, plus the Basie orchestra, with vocals by Billie Holiday, Helen Humes, and Jimmy Rushing. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "One O'Clock Jump", "Lester Leaps In", "9:20 Special", "Oh, Lady Be Good", "Goin' To Chicago Blues", "Red Bank Boogie", "Dickie's Dream", "Miss Thing Pts 1 & 2)", "Tickle Toe", "How Long, How Long Blues", "Broadway", "Rock-A-Bye Basie", "Blow Top", "Let Me See", "Taxi War-Dance", "Moten Swing", and "Jumpin' At The Woodside". CD