julius wrote:As a dancer, I think Frank Foster's band stank.....I thought HRO did a far better job honoring Basie's spirit Friday night than Frank Foster did Saturday night.....
I wasn't at the shows, but this comment is perfectly understandable. Frank Foster isn't an arranger or composer for dancers.
He came up in the 50s era of Basie. He was never satisfied with playing the same things over and over again. He constantly wants to move the music forward. He is probably the biggest reason the current Basie Ghost band is still composing new stuff. When he took over the ghost band, Frank was still trying to infuse new music into the 'Ghost' band genre.
Did the current Ghost band play at all? I've heard them maybe 4 times in the last 2 or 3 years and they are an amazing hard swing band. Not really for dancing, but a very powerful band to listen and enjoy.
Now was the event being promoted as a dance only event, or was it a tribute to the centennial of Basie? Remember the dance era of Basie (~1937-1945) was a very small portion of Basie's overall music.
I personally find more listening enjoyment to the 50s and beyond bands.