I think April in Paris is a really boring disc, honestly.
My favorites are as follows, in chronological order:
Chronological Classics Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, 1930-31
(Count Basie joined Moten as Pianist and would inherit his band when he passed away in 1931.)
The Complete Basie on Decca 1937-39, 3-Disc set
The Complete American RCA/Victor Recordings, 3-Disc set
Count Basie: Atomic Swing
Basie's Golden ’58
Count Basie at Newport
Count Basie: Breakfast Dance and Barbecue
Duke Ellington Meets Count Basie: The First Time!
The last two have some overlap in the playlists, although the arrangements are slightly different. ("Hallelujah, I Love Her So" off Golden ’58 is a real treat with Sammy Davis, Jr.)
My favorite tunes that no one has mentioned yet:
"Wonderful Thing"
"Seventh Avenue Express"
"Lester Leaps In"
ANYTHING else with a Lester Young solo
Count Basie, and especially Lester Young, really shaped my understanding of the music and the dance. He has always been my favorite bandleader, and many of his sidemen are among my favorite soloists.
When I first started dancing and later DJing I really liked his later 50s-60s stuff, but there is a lot of it that I find very homogeneous, and coming from Chicago, much of it became played out. I really think his best stuff was in his early years when he had a band full of legends playing with him: Lester Young, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Buck Clayton, Walter Page, Jo Jones, Dickey Wells, and Vic Dickenson. Lester wasn't on much if any of his RCA/Victor years but Paul Gonsalves was playing with the band at this time.
I really do like his duets with Oscar Peterson from the 1970s (Satch and Josh, Satch and Josh...Again, Basie & Friends, The Timekeepers) but I really prefer these for listening nowadays. I'm all about the 1930s KC stuff.
Basie: Your Favorite Songs
Moderators: Mr Awesomer, JesseMiner, CafeSavoy
Birdland All Stars at Carnegie Hall
Yes! I definitely would have done so, myself, except that he called for songs, not albums. But "April In Paris" holds a special place in my heart, and is on my "25 Essential Swing CDs" list.Shorty Dave wrote:It hasn't been mentioned yet, so I gotta do a shout out to the classic April in Paris cd!
I suspect that the primary reason Drew thinks it is boring is because it and other 50s Basie were overplayed when he was a newbie in Chicago. (I was part of the conspiracy). Every generation feels a natural inclination to rebel against the traditions of the previous one: damn teenagers! With Frankie over-using "Shiney Stockings" in workshops and EVERYONE using Corner Pocket as a Birthday Jam song since 1996, it's no surprise that it got worn out. But that's not the album's (or Basie's) fault!! They are overplayed because they are so damn good and so damn seminal.
If this thread is going to evolve into album recommendations instead of song recommendations, then I might as well completely agree with this one. It is also on my "Top 25 Essential" list, and is one of the best original albums (not compilations) out there, not just the best of Basie or Ellington.Drew wrote:Duke Ellington Meets Count Basie: The First Time!
On the contrary, I have a lot of Basie from this era that I still play (and enjoy). A few of them I still carry (and spin) in my book:Lawrence wrote:Yes! I definitely would have done so, myself, except that he called for songs, not albums. But "April In Paris" holds a special place in my heart, and is on my "25 Essential Swing CDs" list.Shorty Dave wrote:It hasn't been mentioned yet, so I gotta do a shout out to the classic April in Paris cd!
I suspect that the primary reason Drew thinks it is boring is because it and other 50s Basie were overplayed when he was a newbie in Chicago. (I was part of the conspiracy). Every generation feels a natural inclination to rebel against the traditions of the previous one: damn teenagers! With Frankie over-using "Shiney Stockings" in workshops and EVERYONE using Corner Pocket as a Birthday Jam song since 1996, it's no surprise that it got worn out. But that's not the album's (or Basie's) fault!! They are overplayed because they are so damn good and so damn seminal.
Basie's Golden '58
Basie at Newport
Breakfast Dance and Barbecue
The Atomic Mr. Basie
Atomic Swing
Ella and Basie
Blue Ella (not a Basie album per se, but his band backs up Ella on at least half the tunes)
Count Basie Meets Duke Ellington: The First Time
Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings
Count Basie and the Kansas City Seven
I don't care for April in Paris because the versions of the tunes on that album aren't that interesting. I was never that big a fan of that album, even at the height of my hi-fi affinity.
After listening quite a bit, I've found that I really like "Panassie Stomp." It starts out rather quietly, but then it snowballs. Plus, Basie plays a lot.
Last edited by Matthew on Fri Jul 11, 2003 7:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Another good one is "The Time Is Right" with Basie and Peterson off of Satch and Josh . . . Again. It has some awesome breaks.
-Jeremy
It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
Very well put. 
Funny, I was disappointed by this album after I bought it. Maybe I should give it a re-listen.Yakov wrote:i love all the tunes from COUNT PLAYS DUKE, a new CD from Grover Mitchell's Count Basie Orchestra. All new arrangements, great tempi, gorgeous playing, and of course the audio fidelity is top-notch.