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

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

... 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

We totally dig Basie's work from the mid 60s! He was working with Quincy Jones at the time – and Quince laid down some very soulful arrangements that used the best jazz elements of the Basie group to turn out some great pop instrumental tracks with a very groovy sound. This album's a perfect example of that format, as it features some great Basie sidemen, grooving nicely to Quincy's hip swinging arrangements of pop material like "Walk, Don't Run", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "One Mint Julep". LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie plays the piano and Joe Williams sings in his bluesy way and they are backed by a slew of musicians who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Ben Powell on trombone, Frank Foster on tenor saxophone, Sonny Payne on drums and many, many others. Frank Foster did all of the arrangements and the tracks include Williams' "My Baby Upsets Me", "Ev'ry Day", "April In Paris", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Count Basie plays the piano and Joe Williams sings in his bluesy way and they are backed by a slew of musicians who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Ben Powell on trombone, Frank Foster on tenor saxophone, Sonny Payne on drums and many, many others. Frank Foster did all of the arrangements and the tracks include Williams' "My Baby Upsets Me", "Ev'ry Day", "April In Paris", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan gets some backing from Count Basie – making for a record that's one of her jazziest and swinging of the time! As with other Basie-related vocal sessions from the early 60s, this one has a soulful edge and a nice little bounce – one that makes for a more solid approach that gets Sarah's jazz vocals firmly back on track, and away from some of the more overly-produced ballad albums of the time. We like those records too – but on a record like this, she really gets back to basics! Titles include "Perdido", "You Turned The Tables On Me", "Mean To Me", "Corner Pocket", "Alone", "Little Man", and "The Gentleman Is A Dope". LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan gets some backing from Count Basie – making for a record that's one of her jazziest and swinging of the time! As with other Basie-related vocal sessions from the early 60s, this one has a soulful edge and a nice little bounce – one that makes for a more solid approach that gets Sarah's jazz vocals firmly back on track, and away from some of the more overly-produced ballad albums of the time. We like those records too – but on a record like this, she really gets back to basics! Titles include "Perdido", "You Turned The Tables On Me", "Mean To Me", "Alone", "Little Man", and "The Gentleman Is A Dope" – plus 2 bonus tracks. CD

Arranged and conducted by Thad Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe it took a few decades in the careers of both players for them to record together – but that's exactly what you've got here – a landmark meeting of Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the early 60s, near the tail end of Duke's classic stretch on Columbia! Teo Macero produced the session with just the right amount of care and class to keep the whole thing from being an exercise in cliche – and there's a surprising amount of depth here that you might not expect – the best modern elements of Duke's orchestra on Columbia, coming into play with a bit more of the fire and vamp of the Basie group at the time! Titles include "Battle Royal", "Wild Man", "Segue In C", "Jumpin At The Woodside", "To You", and "Take The A Train". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard to believe it took a few decades in the careers of both players for them to record together – but that's exactly what you've got here – a landmark meeting of Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the early 60s, near the tail end of Duke's classic stretch on Columbia! Teo Macero produced the session with just the right amount of care and class to keep the whole thing from being an exercise in cliche – and there's a surprising amount of depth here that you might not expect – the best modern elements of Duke's orchestra on Columbia, coming into play with a bit more of the fire and vamp of the Basie group at the time! Titles include "Battle Royal", "Wild Man", "Segue In C", "Jumpin At The Woodside", "To You", and "Take The A Train". CD

With Butch Miles on drums, Freddie Green on guitar, John Clayton on bass; Danny Turner, Bobby Plater, Eric Dixon, Charlie Fowlkes, and Kenny Hing on saxophone; Wayman Reed, Lyn Biviano, Sonny Cohn, and Pete Minger on trumpets; and Bill Hughes, Mel Wanzo, Fred Wesley, and Dennis Wilson on trombones. Titles include "9:20 Special", "Sunny Side Of The Street", "Lena & Lenny", "Easy Does It", "Every Tub", and "Blues For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow, Zoot Sims, and others – and a solo piano take on "Lady Fair" by George Wallington. LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan is working here with the Count Basie orchestra – but in a way that's still relatively relaxed, and very much in keeping with her best modes of the Pablo years! There's less of the Basie bombast than you might expect on the record – and the group, arranged and conducted by Sam Nestico, leave plenty of room for Vaughan to step out in that warmly flowing vocal style that characterized her best later albums. Most numbers build slowly – with Sarah's vocals leading the cues, and the band glowing in the background to color things in before taking off – and titles include "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", "Just Friends", "Ill Wind", "If You Could See Me Now", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Indian Summer", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

Sarah Vaughan is working here with the Count Basie orchestra – but in a way that's still relatively relaxed, and very much in keeping with her best modes of the Pablo years! There's less of the Basie bombast than you might expect on the record – and the group, arranged and conducted by Sam Nestico, leave plenty of room for Vaughan to step out in that warmly flowing vocal style that characterized her best later albums. Most numbers build slowly – with Sarah's vocals leading the cues, and the band glowing in the background to color things in before taking off – and titles include "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", "Just Friends", "Ill Wind", "If You Could See Me Now", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Indian Summer", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Fair & Warmer" and "Moten Swing". 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

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

A mighty jazzy Christmas from the Count Basie Orchestra – already great on their own in an instrumental mode – but joined here by a few different singers, including Carmen Bradford, Ledisi, and Johnny Mathis – all of whom add a little extra sparkle to the tunes! Pianist Ellis Marsalis also gets plenty of time in the spotlight – stretching out in the lead on piano on a few tunes, in a mode that recalls Basie's vamping in years past – and titles include "Let It Snow", "It's The Holiday Season", "Good Swing Wenceslas", "Winter Wonderland", "The Christmas Song", "Sleigh Ride", "Little Drummer Boy", and "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas". CD

A beautiful mid 50s issue of some of the classic material that Lester Young recorded with Count Basie during the late 30s – all nicely packaged with a great cover, and annotated in a way that offers a lot more information than the original release of the material on 78rpm discs! These are the records that made Lester a giant – and for good reason, as the Basie setting seems to propel Young's horn with even more force than it might have on its own – allowing a great setting for the fresh voice that would go onto transform generations of tenor players to come! The set features 12 tracks in all – and titles include "Moten Swing", "Taxi War Dance", "Dickie's Dream", "Jump For Me", "Song Of The Islands", and "Lester Leaps In". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime jam session material from Verve – nothing fancy, but a great vinyl document of the same spirit that Norman Granz was putting into his famous cross-genre concerts at the time! Players include Wardell Gray, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Stan Getz, Willie Smith, Harry Edison, Freddie Greene, and John Simmons – and the album features 2 long tracks: "Apple Jam" and "Ballad Medley". LP, Vinyl record album

Vintage recordings with Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, with notable sidemen including Hot Lips Page, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rushing, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sinatra-Basie is the inaugural effort from the 2 leaders and the stellar orchestra – and it's a great one. Sinatra is as charismatic and loose out front as he's ever been on record, and the Basie & his players swing brilliantly with arrangements by Neal Hefti. Titles include "Pennies From Heaven", "Please Be Kind", "My Kind Of Girl", "Learnin' The Blues", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 89 orchestra and small group tracks, plus a thick booklet with detailed notes. Tracks include "I'll Remember April", "St. Louis Blues", "Taxi War Dance", "Pound Cake", "Easy Does It", Stay On It", "Rock-A-Bye Basie", and "Ebony Rhapsody". CD

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

A strangely wonderful album – Count Basie's group performing tunes by the Beatles, and doing a better job than they had on a similar Verve album from a few years before! Part of the credit goes to arranger Bob Florence, who gives the tunes a really fluid swing – with lots of cascading reed parts that soar and dip in a groovy late 60s mode that's perfect for the songs. Basie and crew clearly enjoy their work, too – and the band really sets up nicely on late Beatles tunes that include "Norwegian Wood", "The Fool On The Hill", "Something", "Get Back", "Come Together", and "Penny Lane". LP, Vinyl record album

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

... LP, Vinyl record album

Two wonderful early 50s albums recorded by Count Basie for Verve – both sessions aimed at the dancefloor, and served up with an undeniably soulful groove! The style here is hard and swinging – the older Basie mode refined for the 50s – thanks to arrangements by Ernie Wilkins, Frank Foster, Neal Hefti, Manny Albam, and others! Groups on the set are often a bit small – and feature reeds by Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Paul Quinichette; trumpets by Thad Jones, Joe Wilder, and Joe Newman; trombone from Henry Coker and Benny Powell; guitar by Freddie Green; and both piano and organ from Count Basie – the latter of which is a surprising and wonderful addition to this set! Features 24 tracks in all – with titles that include "Cherry Point", "Bubbles", "Straight Life", "Basie Goes Wess", "Mambo Mist", "Stereophonic", "Plymouth Rock", "Sixteen Men Swinging", "You For Me", "Soft Drink", "Slow But Sure", and "She's Just My Size". LP, Vinyl record album

Live recordings with Lester Young, Buck Clayton, and Heshel Evans – plus vocals from Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday! CD

Count Basie plays the piano and Joe Williams sings in his bluesy way and they are backed by a slew of musicians who include Thad Jones on trumpet, Ben Powell on trombone, Frank Foster on tenor saxophone, Sonny Payne on drums and many, many others. Frank Foster did all of the arrangements and the tracks include Williams' "My Baby Upsets Me", "Ev'ry Day", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". CD

One of the deepest albums that Count Basie ever recorded – thanks to some great arrangements and backings by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's working in the same groovy mode he used with Jimmy Smith's excellent Verve sessions – and although the record doesn't have the same sort of star soloist in the lead, the Basie band members do a great job of trading off solos over the enigmatic backings crafted by Nelson. A number of the tracks have a Latin flair – and work on electric bass grooves that push the set farther than the usual Basie outing of the time – with a flavor that's right up there with the hippest Nelson sessions for Flying Dutchman, and maybe even a bit like spiritual ensemble material too. Titles include versions of Albert Ayler's "Love Flower" and Pharoah Sanders' "Japan", plus originals by Nelson like "Afrique", "Kilimanjaro", and "African Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest Tony Bennett albums you could ever hope to buy – a really wonderful album that features backings by the Count Basie band, in the best swinging mode of their Roulette Records years! Tony always had a lot of jazz in his sound, but this album's a really special one – and quite different than the gentler territory of his later jazz efforts with Bill Evans – instead a record that really pushes that strong vocal range that Bennett always had on his pop singles of the 50s, but refocuses the sound towards a deeper Basie mode. Arrangements are by Ralph Sharon, Tony's usual accompanist – but the sound is pure Basie all the way through! Titles include "Life Is A Song", "Plenty Of Money", "Strike Up The Band", "Poor Little Rich Girl", "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", and "Growing Pains". CD

Hard to believe it took a few decades in the careers of both players for them to record together – but that's exactly what you've got here – a landmark meeting of Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the early 60s, near the tail end of Duke's classic stretch on Columbia! Teo Macero produced the session with just the right amount of care and class to keep the whole thing from being an exercise in cliche – and there's a surprising amount of depth here that you might not expect – the best modern elements of Duke's orchestra on Columbia, coming into play with a bit more of the fire and vamp of the Basie group at the time! Titles include "Battle Royal", "Wild Man", "Segue In C", "Jumpin At The Woodside", "To You", and "Take The A Train". CD

A smoking set of all-star performances – recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1954, and with a sense of tremendous talent that may well blow away some of the Jazz At The Philharmonic sets of the time! The material here is heavy on Count Basie performances – excellent material from that period when he was really hitting full power again on Verve – with strong solos from Frank Foster and Frank Wess on reeds, plus work from Joe Newman on trumpet! Lester Young's tenor also joins Basie's group at one point – and Sarah Vaughan sings with the group too – but the set also features some more Verve-like performances – from Charlie Parker on alto, and Billie Holiday on vocals, who gets almost one side of the record to herself. There's a huge amount of material on the double-length set – and titles include "My Funny Valentine", "Cool Blues", and "The Song Is You" by Charlie Parker; "Them There Eyes", "My Man", and "Lover Man" by Billie Holiday; "Saturday", "Time", "That Old Devil Moon", and "Don't Blame Me" by Sarah Vaughan; and "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Sure Thing", "Perdido", "Blues Backstage", and "You For Me" by Count Basie. LP, Vinyl record album

Sinatra-Basie is the inaugural effort from the 2 leaders and the stellar orchestra – and it's a great one. Sinatra is as charismatic and loose out front as he's ever been on record, and the Basie & his players swing brilliantly with arrangements by Neal Hefti. Titles include "Pennies From Heaven", "Please Be Kind", "My Kind Of Girl", "Learnin' The Blues", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and more. CD

Sinatra-Basie is the inaugural effort from the 2 leaders and the stellar orchestra – and it's a great one. Sinatra is as charismatic and loose out front as he's ever been on record, and the Basie & his players swing brilliantly with arrangements by Neal Hefti. Titles include "Pennies From Heaven", "Please Be Kind", "My Kind Of Girl", "Learnin' The Blues", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and more. CD

A classic Vegas moment for Sinatra – with accompaniment by Count Basie, and arrangements from Quincy Jones, to boot! The set features some great spoken bits – really one of the first chances the American mainstream got to taste the Vegas vibe – and titles include "It Was A Very Good Year", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Come Fly With Me", "Street Of Dreams", "One For My Baby", and "My Kind Of Town". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Vegas moment for Sinatra – with accompaniment by Count Basie, and arrangements from Quincy Jones, to boot! The set features some great spoken bits – really one of the first chances the American mainstream got to taste the Vegas vibe – and titles include "It Was A Very Good Year", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Come Fly With Me", "Street Of Dreams", "One For My Baby", and "My Kind Of Town" – plus the previously unreleased track "Luck Be A Lady". CD

One of Basie's biggest albums – but still a work of pure genius! "April In Paris" is one of the darkest jazz standards ever written, and it never sounded better than in this original version, which features that great ending in which Basie and the band stop, then start, then stop – leaving you completely unresolved at the finish. The group's a strong one – with Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Marshall Royal, Henry Coker, Joe Newman, and Thad Jones – and tracks include "Shiny Stockings", "Midgets", "Mambo Inn", "Sweety Cakes", and "Corner Pocket". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Basie's biggest albums – but still a work of pure genius! "April In Paris" is one of the darkest jazz standards ever written, and it never sounded better than in this original version, which features that great ending in which Basie and the band stop, then start, then stop – leaving you completely unresolved at the finish. The group's a strong one – with Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Sonny Payne, Marshall Royal, Henry Coker, Joe Newman, and Thad Jones – and tracks include "Shiny Stockings", "Midgets", "Mambo Inn", "Sweety Cakes", and "Corner Pocket". Features 6 bonus tracks too! CD

Tracks include "Daly Jump", "9:20 Special", "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", "Moten Swing", and "Teddy The Toad" – 13 tracks total. CD

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". CD

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

Basie and Basie-ites – recorded at Newport in 1957, in a number of varying groupings with players that include Lester Young, Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Joe Newman, and Frank Foster. 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". Contains 5 bonus tracks: "All Right, Okay, You Win", "The Comeback", "Roll 'Em Pete", "Smack Dab In The Middle" & "One O' Clock In The Morning". CD

Features 78 rpm recordings for Decca, Victor, Okeh, Vocalion, and Columbia. Tracks include "Jive At Five", "Blow Top", "Let Me See", "Taps Miller", "Avenue C", "Moten Swing", "Lazy Lady Blues", "One O'Clock Boogie", and "Lady Be Good" – 99 tracks total. CD

Seven full albums on 4 CDs. Notable sidemen include Frank Foster, Thad Jones, Frank Wess, and Joe Williams. CD

Two great Eurpoean performances – with a lineup that includes Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell, Frank Wess, Snooky Young, Freddie Green, and others. 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

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Benny Carter was really on fire in the 60s – a saxophonist who was not only re-asserting his role as a soloist, but also a growing new talent in the field of arranging, as well – on records like this killer outing with the Count Basie group, and a host of other excellent albums to come! The set features all original material by Carter – penned and arranged specifically with a Basie flair, and that group's special blend of modern elements and old-school swing – developed in the years with Neal Hefti, and carried through strongly here with Carter. Benny himself plays alto with the group – and other players include Frank Foster and Budd Johnson on tenors, Sam Herman on guitar, and Eddie Jones on bass – whose instrument lines up wonderfully with the drums of Sonny Payne to make for some very sweet bottom action on the set. Thad Jones and Snooky Young are on trumpets – and titles include "The Trot", "Easy Money", "Goin On", "The Swizzle", "Who's Blue", "The Legend", and "Turnabout". LP, Vinyl record album

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 beautiful pairing of these two legendary pianists – heard late in the Basie career, in a setting that lets both of them open up nicely! Basie also plays a bit of organ, too. CD

A late 60s swinger from The Mills Brothers – with the aging vocal group get some great assistance from the Count Basie Orchestra! By the time of this sessions, The Mills Brothers had been recording for at least 4 decades – and although their early hits had gained the group a great deal of fame, their career as a whole was fading considerably in the 60s. Enter Basie, whose group was still very much at the top of its form in the decade – thanks to a great ear for transforming older tunes into fresher takes, and newer tunes into more swinging jazz-based vehicles. Working here with arranger Dick Hyman, the Basie group gives the Mills Brothers a soaring, bouncing kind of support – one that takes their vocals, tightens them up, and really sends the tunes home with a nice sort of zing! Old and new numbers come off great in the setting – and titles include "Release Me", "I Want To Be Happy", "Down Down Down", "I Dig Rock & Roll Music", "Let Me Dream", "April In Paris", "I May Be Wrong But I Think You're Wonderful", and "Tiny Bubbles". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual pairing, and recorded with a small group too, with John Heard and Louis Bellson – and Basie plays a bit of organ! LP, Vinyl record album

Breakfast Dance & Barbecue? Our stomachs are growling already! The album's a great little live set from Basie – recorded at the Americana Hotel in Miami at 2 in the morning – and is one of the totally great, totally smoking live sessions that Basie recorded for Roulette – maybe some of his best work ever! The group's an all-star lineup – with Frank Foster and Frank Wess on tenor, Joe Newman and Thad Jones on trumpets, Freddie Green on guitar, and Sonny Payne on drums – plus Joe Williams vocalizing on a few of the tunes on the set. The tracks are a bit longer than usual – which is quite nice – and titles include "Let's Have A Taste", "Moten Swing", "Who Me", and "Counter Block". Includes 10 bonus tracks, not on the LP. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Down For The Count", "Whirly Bird", "Cottontail", "In A Mellow Tone", "Basie", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Bug Out", "Love Makes The World Go Round", "Farmer's Market", and "Basie Power". CD

Quincy Jones handles the arrangements, so the set's got plenty of soul – and the band really swings on titles that include "Tea For Two", "Deed I Do", "My Last Affair", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", and "Shiny Stockings". CD

With Eddie Davis and Zoot Sims on tenor, Harry Edison on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, Irving Ashby on guitar, and Louis Bellson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

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

... LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Jive At Five", "Down For Double", "Whirly Bird", "Cute", "Jumpin' At The Woodside", and "Easy Money" – 20 tracks total. 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

Tracks include "Roseland Shuffle", "The Glory of Love", "Sing For Your Supper", "Texas Shuffle", "Dupree Blues", "Oh, Lady Be Good", and "Exactly Like You". CD

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

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". CD

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We totally dig Basie's work from the mid 60s! He was working with Quincy Jones at the time – and Quince laid down some very soulful arrangements that used the best jazz elements of the Basie group to turn out some great pop instrumental tracks with a very groovy sound. This album's a perfect example of that format, as it features some great Basie sidemen, grooving nicely to Quincy's hip swinging arrangements of pop material like "Walk, Don't Run", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "One Mint Julep". LP, Vinyl record album

We totally dig Basie's work from the mid 60s! He was working with Quincy Jones at the time – and Quince laid down some very soulful arrangements that used the best jazz elements of the Basie group to turn out some great pop instrumental tracks with a very groovy sound. This album's a perfect example of that format, as it features some great Basie sidemen, grooving nicely to Quincy's hip swinging arrangements of pop material like "Walk, Don't Run", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "One Mint Julep". CD

A great title for this classic Count Basie album – as it really gets at the tight, focused direction that makes Basie so great at this point in his career – his way of singling out each and every instrumentalist, and perfectly timing their performances! The sense of rhythm is what makes the Basie group so different from so many other large ensembles – not big band swing, not tonal modern, but this rootsy, soulful style at the bottom – even when the instrumentation is impeccable – that undeniable groove that makes a record like this swing from the start, then keep on going strongly, even when lots of colors and tones come into the mix. The whole lineup's great – and players include Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, Thad Jones on trumpet, and Freddie Green on guitar – and the album features a lot of sweet originals that really keep things interesting – including "The Daly Jump", "Not Now I'll Tell You When", "Rare Butterfly", "Back To The Apple", "Blue On Blue", and "Swingin At The Waldorf". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record from this legendary pair – a late nite, bluesy sort of record that's a nice change from some of the Joe Williams/Count Basie material on Verve! Basie plays Hammond on part of the record – and the organ makes a wonderful accompaniment to Joe's vocals – played with this open tone that kind of flows up from the bottom and around the edges, while the rest of the Basie group provide slightly gentler backigns – still that syncopated swing we love from the Count, but more laidback too – in a way that fits the material and the vocals perfectly! Titles include "Sweet Sue", "Dinah", "Memories Of You", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", and "Call Me Darling. LP, Vinyl record album

With Lester Young, Herschel Evans, Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Benny Morton, Dicky Wells, Freddie Green, Jo Jones, Walter Page, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album that follows on the trend that was begun by Sinatra and Tony Bennett – one that takes strong jazz backings from Count Basie to push a singer past the usual pop format! Sammy didn't always get backing this strong – and the album's got Quincy Jones handling the arrangements for Basie in the same mode the he used on the Sinatra/Basie sides for Reprise. Titles include "The Girl From Ipanema", "She's A Woman", "New York City Blues", "Work Song", and "Blues For Mr Charlie" – and the album even features Sammy doing a bit of tap dancing! CD

A cool meeting of talents – and one that makes for some of the grooviest Count Basie material of the 70s! The vibes of Milt Jackson are a very welcome addition to the Basie groove here – an instrumental sound that didn't always show up in the Count's work, and which brings an extra soulful swing to the proceedings – ringing out with that rich tone that Milt developed in his years away from the MJQ! Horn players include some familiar Basie names, plus Fred Wesley in the trombone line – and titles include "The Comeback", "Lady In Lace", "Lil Darlin", "Good Time Blues", and "Basie". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sinatra's greatest records ever – pure genius all the way through! Frank's backed here by the orchestra of Count Basie, with some incredible arrangements by Quincy Jones that really have a jazzy, syncopated kick to them. The move seems to be an unintentional way of covering for Frank's slightly failing pipes – but it also picks up on a seminal beat change in 60s pop, the same sort of gentle snapping groove that you'd find in the best work by Bacharach, a shift that really infuses Frank's vocals with a whole new sound, one that shows that he's ready to keep on growing and growing after being stuck in a Nelson Riddle rut. All tracks are superb – hip 60s pop and showtunes, like "I Believe In You", "Fly Me To the Moon", "More", "The Good Life", "Wives & Lovers", and "I Wanna Be Around". CD

One of Sinatra's greatest records ever – pure genius all the way through! Frank's backed here by the orchestra of Count Basie, with some incredible arrangements by Quincy Jones that really have a jazzy, syncopated kick to them. The move seems to be an unintentional way of covering for Frank's slightly failing pipes – but it also picks up on a seminal beat change in 60s pop, the same sort of gentle snapping groove that you'd find in the best work by Bacharach, a shift that really infuses Frank's vocals with a whole new sound, one that shows that he's ready to keep on growing and growing after being stuck in a Nelson Riddle rut. All tracks are superb – hip 60s pop and showtunes, like "I Believe In You", "Fly Me To the Moon", "More", "The Good Life", "Wives & Lovers", and "I Wanna Be Around". CD