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AlekseyKosygin · #1 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Sep 12, 2004 2:56 pm

Great new online exhibit on the Count thanks to the Institute Of Jazz Studies...

http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/ijs/cb/

While you are there check all the exhibits out!

Jitters · #2 Post by **Jitters** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:25 pm

Great site!

I couldn't stop reading this thing.

In one of the photo essays it shows a showbill from a battle between Chick Webb w/Ella and Count Basie w/Billie. Does anyone know anything about this show? Was it recorded. I've heard a lot about the Benny Goodman v. Chick Webb battle, but nothing about this one. I was wondering if anyone knew anything additional about it. I regret missing it and I wasn't born for another 44 years.

Kyle · #3 Post by **Kyle** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:46 pm

In a breif talk with Julius, there aren't many live recordings of early Basie. There is one that is great for headphones but not PA's. Can anyone direct me to any recordings that you might know about

Jerry_Jelinek · #4 Post by **Jerry_Jelinek** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:47 pm

Very cool!!!!

I couldn't immediately find the picture of the billboard for the battle.

But I seem to recall reading that the same evening as the famous Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert (Jan 16, 1938) the Goodman band battled Chick Webb at the Savoy!!!

http://www.jitterbuzz.com/carcon.html

Can you imagine seeing that Goodman band at Carnegie Hall and then heading uptown to the Savoy to watch a battle of Chick Webb vs Benny Goodman??!!!

Jitters · #5 Post by **Jitters** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:25 pm

You're right about the Carnegie Hall gig. Here is the blurb that appreas under the stagebill on the Basie exhbit site:

Count Basie and Chick Webb, their bands and star vocalists—Billie Holiday with Basie and Ella Fitzgerald with Webb—face off in a “Battle of Swing” at the Savoy Ballroom on January 16, 1938. That evening, Count Basie and members of his orchestra took part in Benny Goodman’s historic concert at Carnegie Hall. Frank Driggs Collection.

CafeSavoy · #6 Post by **CafeSavoy** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 2:26 pm

Kyle wrote:In a breif talk with Julius, there aren't many live recordings of early Basie. There is one that is great for headphones but not PA's. Can anyone direct me to any recordings that you might know about

The Columbia reissue, Count Basie America's #1 Band, has probably the best mastering of the early live Basie material. It includes his early recording with Billie Holiday at the Savoy and Meadowbrook Ballrooms. It also has some previously unreleased recordings. Volume 1 and 2 of Count Basie The Golden Years (Jazz Archives) has most of these recording too. The compilation Rock-a-Bye Basie, Live in '38 & '39 has some songs not seen elsewhere but the sound quality isn't that good. Two other early live dates are Swingin' at the Chatterbox 1937 [in pittsburgh] and At the Royal Roost NY 1948. There are also live Basie on Great Jazz Bands Play 22 Original Recordings and Complete Original American RCA-Victor Recordings.

Jerry_Jelinek · #7 Post by **Jerry_Jelinek** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:33 am

I just spent 20 mins ready most of this site. This is so darn cool!!!

Everyone who loves Basie needs to read the site and learn more about the Count.

kitkat · #8 Post by **kitkat** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:04 am

I have to go get America's #1 Band. Reading the Decca box set liner notes, I'd been under the impression that no recordings of Billie w/ the group survived. I'm so excited that there are live versions.

CafeSavoy · #9 Post by **CafeSavoy** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:17 am

kitkat wrote:I have to go get America's #1 Band. Reading the Decca box set liner notes, I'd been under the impression that no recordings of Billie w/ the group survived. I'm so excited that there are live versions.

Those have been previously released. They were live recordings at the Savoy Ballroom and Meadowbrook Ballroom. But there are a couple of other recordings on #1 that were previously unreleased.

Jerry_Jelinek · #10 Post by **Jerry_Jelinek** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:30 am

Speaking of Billie and Count, there is a film of 2 vocals done by Billie with the Basie small group from around 1950. If I recall correctly, one song was the typically Holiday mournfull ballad and one song more of a up tempo swing thing.

I haven't seen the videos yet on DVD.

They were released on both laser disc and VHS tape in the "Swing Era" videos done in the 1980s. They pop up on ebay ever now and again.

The entire set of videos is really wonderful. I would expect enevtually they will end up on DVD.

FYI