Count Basie - The Golden Years Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4 (4 CD) (1996)

Extraordinary jazz files of the king of swing, the four volumes of this great saga. Highly recommended!

Albums:





Rather than concentrate on studio sessions from 1937, this offering combines two airchecks from the Savoy Ballroom and the Meadowbrook in New Jersey. Of course, it's the Basie band in their prime with Buck Clayton as lead trumpet, a sax section with both Lester Young and Hershel Evans aboard, and the unmovable rhythm section of Freddie Green, Walter Page, and Jo Jones swinging every note. Add vocals from Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday and you've got a treasure trove of performances.

Tracklist:

01. Moten Swing (1:57)
02. Shout And Feel It (2:25)
03. The You And Me That Used To Be (3:48 )
04. The Count Steps In (2:44)
05. They Can't Take That Away From Me (3:27)
06. I'll Always Be In Love With You (3:18 )
07. When My Dreamboat Come Home (2:28 )
08. Swing! Brother Swing! (2:03)
09. Bugle Blues (6:03)
10. I Got Rhythm (2:33)

Buck Clayton ,Ed Lewis, Bobby Moore (tp) George Hunt, Eddie Durham, Dan Minor (tb) Earl Warren (alto,cl) Hershel Evans ,Lester Young (tenor,cl) Jack Washington (baritone,alto) Count Basie (p) Freddie Green (gtr) Walter Page (b) Jo Jones (drums)
Jimmy Rushing (vocals on 3,7) Bilie Holiday (vocal on tracks 5.8 )

Savoy Ballroom New York June 30, 1937

11. Moten Swing (1:13)
12. One O'Clock Jump (4:44)
13. I Can't Get Started (2:59)
14. A Study In Brown (2:53)
15. Rhythm In My Nursery Rhymes (2:27)
16. John's Idea (5:09)
17. Good Morning Blues (2:53)
18. Dinah (3:09)

Buck Clayton ,Ed Lewis,, Bobby Hicks (tps) Benny Morton, Dan Minor(tb) Eddie Durham 9tb.electric gtr) Earl Warren (alto) Hershel Evens, Lester Young (tenor,cl)
Jack Washington (baritone,alto) Count Basie (p) Freddie Green (gtr) Walter Page (b)
Jo Jones (drums) Jimmy Rushing (vocal on 15.17,18 ) Billie Holliday (vocal on track 13)

The Meadowbrook Cedar Grove New Jersey 03/11/1937





The Count Basie band got its big break in 1938, thanks to some stellar early Decca sides and a stay at New York's Famous Door nightclub. In fact, many feel the late '30s represent the group's best period, a time when Basie counted such jazz giants as Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Dicky Wells, Helen Humes, and Jimmy Rushing among his ranks. Thankfully, Basie's many studio sides from this time have been given their sonic due on quality reissues released by the Hep and Classics labels. As for rarities like radio broadcasts and live material, though, the available examples are rare and often the worse for sound wear. The EPM label, then, should be commended for their series of late-'30s and early-'40s collections chronicling Basie's many airchecks and concert recordings. This 1938 volume includes both, with fine vocals by Humes ("Blues With Helen") and Rushing ("Boogie Woogie Blues"), as well as several cuts brimming over with top-notch solos by Young, Clayton, and Wells.

Tracklist:

01. "Allez Oop" (3:58 )
02. Blues With Helen (3:38 )
03. I Ain't Got Nobody (3:59)
04. Don't Be That Way (4:05)
05. Song Of The Wanderer (1:46)
06. Mortage Stomp (3:39)

Buck Clayton (tp), Lester Young (cl. tenor) Count Basie (p) Walter Page (b) Jo Jones (drums) Helen Humes (vocals on tracks 2,5)

New York 03/06/1938

07. Every Tub (5:24)
08. Song Of The Wanderer (2:44)
09. Flat Foot Floogie (4:38 )
10. Oh, Lady Be Good (3:49)
11. Boogie Woogie Blues (3:18 )
12. One O'Clock Jump (5:55)
13. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (4:50)

Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Ed Lewis (tp), Dan Minor, Benny Morton, Dicky Wells (tb) Earl Warren (alto) Hershel Evens, Lester Young (tenor) Jack Washington (baritone,alto) Count Basie (p) Freddie Green (gtr) Walter Page (b) Jo Jones (drums) Helen Humes (vocal on track 8 ) Jimmy Rushing (vocal on tracks 9.11.13) Charles Arrington (Master of Ceromonies)

New York 06/08/1938

14. King Porter Stomp (3:58 )
Same but Harry James (tpt) added

Famous Door New York 23/07/1938

15. King Porter Stomp (4:03)
Same as track 7 New York 09/08/1938

16. I Haven't Changed A Thing (3:56)
Same as track 7 Helen Humes (vocal New York 12/08/1938)





Tracklist:

01. One O'Clock Jump (1:38 )
02. Ebony Rapsody (3:13)
03. Riff Interlude (3:43)
04. Darn That Dream (4:00)
05. Take It, Pres (3:50)
06. Baby, Don't Tell On Me (3:55)

Ed Lewis, Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Al Killian (tp) Vic Dickenson, Dicky Wells , Dan Minot (tb) Earl Warren(alto) Lester Young, Buddy Tate (tenor) Jack Washington (baritone sax ,alto) Count Basie (p) Freddie Green (gtr) Walter Page or Abe Bolar(b) Helen Humes (vocal on tracks 4.7) Jimmy Rushing (vocal track 6) Fred Cole (announcer) Don Redman (arr on track 2) Eddie Durham (arr on track 6)

Southland Theatre Boston 20/02/1940

07. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (3:18 )
08. I Got Rhythm (5:33)
09. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (3:03)
10. Sent For You Yesterday (3:31)
11. Basie Boogie (2:09)
12. I've Found A New Baby (2:17)
13. Rock-A-Bye Basie (3:50)
14. Swing Shift (3:28 )
15. Red Bank Boogie (2:17)

Ed Lewis, Joe Newman, Harry Edison, Al Killian (tp) Ted Donnelly, Eli Robinson, Louis Taylor, Dicky Wells (tb) Jimmy Powell, Earl Warren (alto) Buddy Tate,Lester Young (tenor) Rudy Rutherford(baritone ,cl) Count Basie (p) Rodney Richardson (b) Jo Jones (drum) Thelma Carpenter (vocal track 9) Jimmy Rushing (vocal on track 10)
Eddie Durham(arr on track 2) Buck Clayton (arr track 15)

Liederkranz Hall New York 10/01/1944

16. Dinah (2:26)
17. Baby Won't You Please Come Home (1:41)
18. Rock-A-Bye Basie (4:51)
19. One O'Clock Jump (4:28 )

Same but Illinois Jacquet (tenor) replaces Lester Young .add Freddie Green (gtr) Buddy Rich(drums) replaces Jo Jones, Jimmy Rushing (vocal on track 17) Jimmy Mundy (arr on track 17)

Hollywood 2/10/1944





This volume is of similar vintage to Vol 3. It features 4 separate sessions, the first of which presents the same musicians as January 1944. Harry Edison and Joe Newman remain the mainstays of the trumpet section. Lester Young and Buddy Tate are still the star tenor saxophonists and Dicky Wells is the lynchpin of the trombones. The impressive rhythm section of Freddie Green, Rodney Richardson and Jo Jones is still solidly in place. Jimmy Rushing is in there taking care of vocals

Tracklist:

01. Kansas City Stride (4:17)
02. Beaver Junction (3:40)
03. Circus In Rhythm (3:36)
04. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (4:04)
05. Basie Strides Again (Along Avenue C) (3:01)

Harry Edison, Al Killian, Ed Lewis Joe Newman (tpt)
Ted Donnelly, Eli Robertson, Louis Taylor Dicky Wells (tmb)
Earl Warren, Jimmy Powell (alto) Buddy Tate ,Lester Young (tenor)
Rudy Rutherford, (bs,cl) Count Basie (p) Freddie Green (gtr) Rodney Richardson (b)
Jo Jones (drums) Jimmy Rushing (vocals tracks 4,6,8,9)

New York 27/5/1944

06. Harvard Blues (4:27)
Same but Illionois Jacquet(tenor) replaces Lester Young , Jesse Price replaces Jo Jones New York 30/10/1944

07. Taps Miller (5:09)
08. Jimmy's Blues (3:06)
09. Take Me Back Baby (3:15)
10. Playhouse No. 2 Stomp (5:06)
11. Just An Old Manuscript (3:30)
12. On The Upbeat (3:49)
As track 6 but Lucky Thompson(tenor) replaces Illinois Jacquet , Joe Marshall (drums) replaces Jesse Price New York 11/01/1945

13. High Tide (5:43)
14. Sent For You Yesterday (2:19)
15. Jimmy's Boogie Woogie (1:54)
16. Tippin' On The Q.T. (3:43)
17. San Jose (2:46)
18. B Flat Blues (2:40)

Buck Clayton, Harry Edison,Karl Geotge ,Al Killian, Ed Lewis (tpt)
Ted Donnelly, Jay Jay Johnson Eli Robinson, Dicky Wells (tb) Count Basie (p)
Freddie Green (gtr) Rodney Richardson (b) Shadow Wilson (drums)
Taps Miller (vocal on track 13) Jimmy Rushing (vocal on tracks 14.15)

New York 14/05/1945