Details
Track Listing
1. Bill's Mill
2. One O'Clock Boogie
3. Brand New Wagon
4. Bye, Bye, Bye
5. After You've Gone
6. Seventh Avenue Express
7. If You See My Baby
8. Mr. Roberts' Roost
9. Just a Minute
10. Shine On, Harvest Moon
11. Hey, Pretty Baby
12. Sweets
13. Sugar
14. Basie's Basement
15. Swingin' the Blues
Album Notes
Includes liner notes by Chick Crumpacker.
This album documents the early years of the Basie band, featuring tunes from sessions recorded between 1947 and 1950. In this period, the band was still raw and unbridled, and its creative verve was marked by musical innovation and conceptual uniqueness.
GREATEST HITS documents the final period of what has been termed Basie's "Old Testament Band." The 1950's brought about new developments, and the band's musical style, while always dedicated to swing, became highly arranged and harmonically complex. However, on GREATEST HITS, we hear a lot of blues tunes, with songs such as "Brand New Wagon" and "Hey, Pretty Baby" featuring the soulful vocals of Jimmy Rushing and the trumpet skills of Harry "Sweets" Edison, among others. In general, the band is brassy and energetic; the woodwinds have a choir-like unity, and the rhythm section (including Basie's own spare piano work) maintains a light, buoyant swing throughout.
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