Post Description

One of Count Basie's few small-group sessions of the '60s was his best. With trumpeter Thad Jones and tenors Frank Foster and Eric Dixon filling in the septet, Basie is in superlative form on a variety of blues, standards and two originals apiece from Thad Jones and Frank Wess. Small-group swing at its best.

Although Basie's main claim to fame is his glorious big band, even the big band records often have tracks with smaller groups, equally swinging, but giving more space for individual artists.
The strength of Basie's big band, after all, often comes from treating the band as a small and rhythmically compact unit, with different sections tight as can be, thus combining the intensity of smaller bands with the rich and creamy big band sound.

This cd is simply magnificent, utilizing virtuoso horn of Thad Jones and great saxes, clarinet and flute skills of Eric Dixon, Frank Wess and Frank Foster, with exquisit rhythm section headed by Basie (on organ for subtle "I Want a Little Girl") and irreplacable rhythm guitar of Freddie Green.
This is Basie in the best pre WW-II wain.
However, many song (such as "Shoe Shine Boy" and "What'cha Talkin'") also investigate the possibilites of more modern and cool sound (with emphasis on the sound of flute rather than the mighty sound of the tenor sax), never sacrifising the true sense of swing and the power of Basie's original approach.

Highly recomendable record for all swing and mainstream fans! I wonder what Thad Jones, in his personal musical choises usually more modernist than Basie, thought of this great album?

Track listing

"Oh, Lady Be Good!" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 4:40
"Secrets" (Frank Wess) - 4:08
"I Want a Little Girl" (Murray Mencher, Billy Moll) - 4:16
"Shoe Shine Boy" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin) - 4:07
"Count's Place" (Count Basie) - 5:28
"Senator Whitehead" (Wess) - 4:12
"Tally-Ho, Mr. Basie!" (Basie) - 4:28
"What'cha Talkin'?" (Thad Jones) - 4:59

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 21, 1962 (tracks 2, 6 & 8), and March 21, 1962 (tracks 1, 3-5 & 7)