Description
Anyone who ever heard Count Basie launch his band into a blues with several choruses of effortless piano has lamented that there is far too little of Basie the soloist among his recorded legacy. This shortage was rectified to a certain extent by the trio albums Basie made with Ray Brown and Louis Bellson in the Seventies, of which this is the sequel to the For the First Time set of the previous year.
Once again, Basie’s poetic introductions, precise calibrations of touch and colouration, and definitive swing create a joyous program of four venerable standards and an equal number of new blues. Bellson is empathetic throughout and dances with his brushes on “Sandman,” while Brown’s robust tone and earth-moving walking lines bring out the best in Basie as a soloist and accompanist.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.