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Count Basie Orchestra

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SimonCSimonC Frets: 1399
in Music
My musical tastes seem to be aligning more and more with my Dad’s as I get older. I’m not sure whether that’s a cause for concern or not, but it’s led me to a new appreciation of the likes of Count Basie with the inimitable Freddie Green on guitar.

This footage isn’t perhaps the best quality, but what an amazing performance by a group of musicians absolutely on the top of their game. No egos or showboating, just fabulous music and improvisation.....and a drum solo which is actually engaging and worth listening to. Just stunning.


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Comments

  • Matt_McGMatt_McG Frets: 323
    The thing that is great about Green is that sometimes on the various pieces of footage that exist, you hear the band start up, and he's not playing, and then he joins in, and the groove just sort of locks into swing, and yet, you can almost not hear him. And yet ... he's utterly central.
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16295
    My memory of Count Basie and his orchestra is almost entirely from Blazing Saddles.



    When I was a final year student I lived in a shared house and felt sorry for the elderly couple next door having to live next to us. Anyway, for some reason I ended up in a discussion with him about music and he loved big band swing, something I was vaguely aware of but expressed polite enthusiasm for. He lent me a bunch of cassettes of various bands so I was revising to those kind of sounds. I don't remember much about them TBH but that was my short lived big band period. I shall give the link in the OP a listen and see if I can suddenly remember all about Durkheim and the division of labour.     
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • SimonCSimonC Frets: 1399
    Matt_McG said:
    The thing that is great about Green is that sometimes on the various pieces of footage that exist, you hear the band start up, and he's not playing, and then he joins in, and the groove just sort of locks into swing, and yet, you can almost not hear him. And yet ... he's utterly central.
    That whole rhythm section is really phenomenal, they seem to have almost psychic communication.
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  • ZoolooterZoolooter Frets: 887
    He did a great album with Sinatra.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bHWJfjJ6bSk&list=PLGIcZonDP3p6DdQbh-lVFYDI053V3NBD3&index=2&t=0s

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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14270
    tFB Trader
    My dad is a big fan - Seen the band a couple of times + a fan of Duke Ellington - So I've always grown up with big band and swing etc
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  • Matt_McGMatt_McG Frets: 323
    @SimonC As far as I have read, the original Basie rhythm section basically invented a whole style of playing.

    Walter Page more or less invented waking bass, and Jo Jones more or less invented modern jazz drumming, and Freddie Green more or less invented a whole style of comping.

    There's some great 30s and 40s small group recordings with both members of the Basie band and members of Benny Goodman's band playing together, so Charlie Christian and Lester Young, with the Basie rhythm section.

    I love that whole era, there's loads of stuff where the Basie, or Goodman, or Lionel Hampton groups basically played Rock'n'Roll years before Elvis and the test.

    Oscar Moore's playing with Nat Cole is also great.


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  • SimonCSimonC Frets: 1399
    I think you’re right @Matt_McG that’s basically the roots of Rock’n’Roll right there.

     I need to do some more exploring and properly listening to this stuff.
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14270
    tFB Trader
    Matt_McG said:
    @SimonC As far as I have read, the original Basie rhythm section basically invented a whole style of playing.

    Walter Page more or less invented waking bass, and Jo Jones more or less invented modern jazz drumming, and Freddie Green more or less invented a whole style of comping.

    There's some great 30s and 40s small group recordings with both members of the Basie band and members of Benny Goodman's band playing together, so Charlie Christian and Lester Young, with the Basie rhythm section.

    I love that whole era, there's loads of stuff where the Basie, or Goodman, or Lionel Hampton groups basically played Rock'n'Roll years before Elvis and the test.

    Oscar Moore's playing with Nat Cole is also great.


    My dad's favourite sax player is Lester Young 
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