The Greatest! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards

Performer: Count Basie
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Count Basie (piano, organ); Joe Williams (vocals); Buddy Bregman (arranger); Marshall Royal (alto saxophone, clarinet); Bill Graham (alto saxophone); Frank Foster (tenor saxophone); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Thad Jones, Reunald Jones, Wendell Culley (trumpet); Henry Coker, Bill Hughes, Ben Powell (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Eddie Jones (bass); Sonny Payne (drums). Includes liner notes by Michael Bourne. When it comes to accompanying a singer, there is probably no better jazz orchestra than the Count Basie Band. They swing so hard, that no matter who is singing with them, they seem to find a way to prop up even the best of jazz stylists. Such is the case with Joe Williams, a singer who should need no formal introduction to jazz fans. Williams' deep and rich tone is immediately recognizable and is, indeed, one of the great voices the idiom has produced. On THE GREATEST!!, Buddy Bregman's arrangements can often be angular and edgy. Other times, especially on the ballads, his arrangements are soft, mellow and lush. For example, on "My Baby Just Cares For Me," the brass shoots razor-sharp notes against a canvas of swingin' reeds. In contrast, on "Nevertheless," the music is serene and romantic, wistful and sentimental. Highlights on this album include the diverse and familiar "Singin' In the Rain," "A Fine Romance," and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me."

Down Beat (1/91) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "..a nice illustration of how influential people influence each other...a reminder that Basie was the hippest accompanist any modern singer could want."

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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