Kansas City 5

Performer: Count Basie
Artist: Milt Jackson; Joe Pass; Louie Bellson
Engineer: Geoff Sykes
Producer: Norman Granz
Distributor: Fantasy (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Joe Pass (guitar); John Heard (bass); Louis Bellson (drums). Recorded on January 26, 1977. Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Joe Pass (guitar); Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Louie Bellson (drums). Audio Remasterer: Phil DeLancie. Liner Note Author: Norman Granz. Recording information: Kendun Recorders, Burbank, CA (01/26/1977). Photographer: Phil Stern. Unknown Contributor Roles: Count Basie; Joe Pass; Milt Jackson. Late in his career, Basie began casually putting together small groups for the Pablo Records label, naming them in accordance with the number of participating musicians. KANSAS CITY 5 represents the first of these groups and most notably features vibraphonist Milt Jackson. From beginning to end, Jackson adds excitement and energy to the music. His fluid, expressive lines seem to float garrulously atop Basie's spare accompaniment. This is most evident on the wistful ballad "Memories of You." Very few jazz musicians create the light and buoyant swing that Basie does. His understated pianistic style never trounces over soloists but offers them the freedom to explore new soloing vistas This is most apparent on "Jive at Five" and the relaxed and delicate "Blues for Joe Turner." On the latter, guitarist Joe Pass (known for his bebop work with the Oscar Peterson trio) plays uncharacteristically bluesy lines. However, he does so with great confidence and poise, making this sullen blues truly come to life.

Simply put, Count Basie led the most swinging of the classic big bands. His youthful education in playing stride piano in New York was meshed with a deep immersion in the hard-swinging Kansas City jazz scene of the early 1930s. As Basie moved from sideman to bandleader, his tight-knit ensemble eventually came to rival Duke Ellington's group. The Basie orchestra's perfectly interlocking rhythm section provided a springboard for a succession of jazz giants--most notably tenor man Lester Young--to launch their solo excursions. Basie's big-band vision was so strong that his group continued for decades after his passing.

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