'Basie in London' was originally released in September 1957 on Norman Granz's Clef label.
This album was not recorded in London, but approximately 650 miles (around 1,046 kilometers) "as the crow flies" away in Gothenburg, Sweden, in September 1956. Due
to an ongoing feud between the American Federation of Musicians and the
British Musicians’ Union (they would "kiss and make up" in early 1957),
Count Basie’s 1956 European tour did not include any UK dates. I have never been able to find a definitive answer to the purpose of Norman Granz’s deceptive marketing strategy.
Be that as it may…
'Basie in London' features the so-called "New Testament" Basie band firing on all cylinders, and is their definitive live recording. The New Testament Basie band had a different approach than his "Old Testament" band, he brought up from Kansas City in late 1936, which was loose, airy, and centered on soloists like tenor saxophonist Lester Young and trumpeter Buck Clayton. Its arrangements were often little more than a collection of catchy riffs played from memory. Basie’s "New Testament" band turned that concept on its head. Where the original Basie band was light and loose, his new orchestra was tight and heavy. The soloists were now secondary to the arrangements. Frank Foster, along with Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti and other composer/arrangers, helped shape the powerful, new Count Basie sound.
On ‘Basie in London,’ we are treated to stellar solos from players like Joe Newman and Frank Wess. The rhythm section, featuring the great Freddie Green, Eddie Jones, and Sonny Payne, forms the backbone of the band, and of course, the star of the show is Count Basie himself. Then there's Joe Williams with his smooth baritone voice, on "Alright, Okay, You Win", "Roll ‘Em Pete" and "The Comeback".
The Players:
Piano: Count Basie
Alto Sax: Bill Graham, Marshall Royal
Baritone Sax: Charlie Fowlkes
Bass: Eddie Jones
Clarinet: Marshall Royal
Drums: Sonny Payne
Guitar: Freddie Green
Flute: Frank Wess
Tenor Sax: Frank Foster, Frank Wess
Trumpet: Wendell Culley, Reunald Jones, Thad Jones, Joe Newman
Trombone: Henry Coker, Bill Hughes, Benny Powell
Vocals: Joe Williams
'Basie in London' is a prime example of the post-war Basie band's power and style, featuring classic tunes and unique arrangements.
For the freeload, let's talk about albums that are deceptively titled, or not as advertised etc.
Be that as it may…
'Basie in London' features the so-called "New Testament" Basie band firing on all cylinders, and is their definitive live recording. The New Testament Basie band had a different approach than his "Old Testament" band, he brought up from Kansas City in late 1936, which was loose, airy, and centered on soloists like tenor saxophonist Lester Young and trumpeter Buck Clayton. Its arrangements were often little more than a collection of catchy riffs played from memory. Basie’s "New Testament" band turned that concept on its head. Where the original Basie band was light and loose, his new orchestra was tight and heavy. The soloists were now secondary to the arrangements. Frank Foster, along with Ernie Wilkins, Neal Hefti and other composer/arrangers, helped shape the powerful, new Count Basie sound.
On ‘Basie in London,’ we are treated to stellar solos from players like Joe Newman and Frank Wess. The rhythm section, featuring the great Freddie Green, Eddie Jones, and Sonny Payne, forms the backbone of the band, and of course, the star of the show is Count Basie himself. Then there's Joe Williams with his smooth baritone voice, on "Alright, Okay, You Win", "Roll ‘Em Pete" and "The Comeback".
 |
| Sonny Payne, The Count, and Joe Williams |
Tracklist
1 - Jumpin at the woodside
2 - Shiny stockings
3 - How high the moon
4 - Nails
5 - Flute juice
6 - One o'clock jump
7 - Alright, okay you win
8 - Roll em pete
9 - The comeback
10 - Blues backstage
11 - Corner pocket
12 - Blee blop blues
13 - Yestarday
14 - Untitled
15 - Sixteen men swinging
16 - Plymouth rock
1 - Jumpin at the woodside
2 - Shiny stockings
3 - How high the moon
4 - Nails
5 - Flute juice
6 - One o'clock jump
7 - Alright, okay you win
8 - Roll em pete
9 - The comeback
10 - Blues backstage
11 - Corner pocket
12 - Blee blop blues
13 - Yestarday
14 - Untitled
15 - Sixteen men swinging
16 - Plymouth rock
The Players:
Piano: Count Basie
Alto Sax: Bill Graham, Marshall Royal
Baritone Sax: Charlie Fowlkes
Bass: Eddie Jones
Clarinet: Marshall Royal
Drums: Sonny Payne
Guitar: Freddie Green
Flute: Frank Wess
Tenor Sax: Frank Foster, Frank Wess
Trumpet: Wendell Culley, Reunald Jones, Thad Jones, Joe Newman
Trombone: Henry Coker, Bill Hughes, Benny Powell
Vocals: Joe Williams
'Basie in London' is a prime example of the post-war Basie band's power and style, featuring classic tunes and unique arrangements.
For the freeload, let's talk about albums that are deceptively titled, or not as advertised etc.
'Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall' — not recorded at Carnegie Hall, not even a live album.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it's a classic among classics.
Cannonball Adderley's "Live at the Club (with the hit Mercy, Mercy, Mercy)", was actually a studio recording with just extra people allowed into the recording session.
ReplyDeletePaul & Andre Live In America
ReplyDeleteIt was live and it was in America,which is a small village in the south-east of The Netherlands
Peter Best - Best Of The Beatles
It is true, quite deceptive, but true.
Bill Doggett - 3046 people danced til 3 A.M.
ReplyDelete(No, they didn't).
ANON RF: Howzzabout "The Blues Project Live At Town Hall"? Live? Not live? From Allmusic: "According to Kooper, it was a pastiche of studio outtakes and a few live performances..." Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteIn the soul and gospel genres many LPs were issued as "The Greatest Hits of…" but were actually performed by vastly different group lineups, long after the original group's glory days. The Drifters and The Soul Stirrers are a couple that spring to mind. Joe Tex's album, Live and Lively, great as it might be, was cut in a studio with dubbed audience.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few Doo-wop acts doing the nostalgia circuit, with no original members from the 50s. Typically, they’re led by a guy who joined in 70s. The thing of it is, very few people can name the original members of say “The Five Satin Gents” or “The Coasters”, which is how they “get over”.
DeleteAdd another one, Wes Montgomery's Smokin' at the Half Note. Only 2 tracks are live, with the rest (and, arguably, the best) being done at the famous Van Gelder studios.
ReplyDeleteBeside his brilliant bands and arrangements, I count Basie among my fave pianists. He played notes like each cost him real money, sparingly, and unvaryingly in exactly the right spot for maximum funkiness. Over the years, his bands must've included hundreds of individual players; I remember in reading his autobiography, thinking the guy was not just a brilliant musician, but that he also ran a terrific human resources department. And despite all the comings and goings of the players, I don't think I've ever read or heard anything negative about the guy.
ReplyDeleteI remember in the 70s, K-Tel (and similar budget labels) occasionally released albums with titles like "20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!”, “Hits By The Original Artists”, and similar titles, that were "sound-alike" or cover versions of the songs to avoid licensing costs. They were usually sold in drug stores or discount department stores. They skirted around litigation, by claiming the band who performed the songs called themselves: “The Original Artists” or “Original Stars”
ReplyDeleteI remember buying a couple of those K-Tels. The took a few 2 minute songs and faded them out at about a minute & a half to fit them on the collection. That;'s what you get for a 99 cent album!
DeleteSheer Heart Attack
ReplyDeleteNot a single heart attack to be found. (No "Sheer Heart Attack" either)
I've often wondered: What in the wide, wide world of sports is a Sheer Heart Attack?
DeleteEven earlier in the late 50s and early 60s. a lot of 45 EP's flooded drugstores and five and dimes with typically three "hits" per side. One quick listen and you knew it was not the original hit, but a lame copy. When I first developed my vinyl jones as a teenager, I got stung buying a couple of those, much to my chagrin.
ReplyDeleteWell, surely everybody knows that the Who never lived at Leeds.
ReplyDeleteI've heard tell, that Pete tried to have Roger committed to a to psychiatric hospital. But the Doctor declined, citing Bible saying "It says explicitly, 'Thou shalt not commit a Daltrey'".
Deleteoh my
DeleteWow. Just, uhm, wow.
DeleteI was also thinking of "Live at Leeds" in that the cover was evocative of a bootleg, at least at first glance. If you bought the original LP, you got not only a "Maximum R&B" poster, but reproductions of various ephemera that illustrated how expensive it was to smash guitars at most of your shows. Not deceptive, but suggesting it was something other than what it was (an official Who release, of the highest quality).
ReplyDeleteI still reach for the 1995 CD reissue, because the extra tracks really add so much: the "Heaven and Hell" opener, "Tattoo," a glorious 8:25 of "A Quick One While He's Away," an appropriate slice of Tommy ("Amazing Journey/Sparks"), along with the tracks that made it so well-received when it was released as an LP.
I thought that the Beach Boys "Live in London" LP was recorded elsewhere, but it says on Wikipedia that Finsbury Park Astoria (soon to be The Rainbow Theatre) was the location, and that's in London.
D in California
The Band - "Live at Watkins Glen"
ReplyDeleteOne Size Fits All Izzatso? Thanks Babs
ReplyDeleteNRBQ At Yankee Stadium!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about Cheap Trick's "At Budokan" is that most of the songs recorded at Budokan were unusable due to the fans screaming. Much of it was recorded in Osaka.
So you're saying, NRBQ didn't get booked to headline a forty-six thousand plus venue. Are you sure?
DeleteNow that you put it that way, I'm second guessing myself. 46,000 NRBQ fans can't be wrong, can they? And if they ARE wrong, then I don't want to be right.
DeleteWell put, good Sir
DeleteCCR - The Royal Albert Hall Concert 1980
ReplyDeletefrom discogs:
Released as "The Royal Albert Hall Concert", later discovered it was actually a performance given at the Oakland Coliseum in California in January 1970. Subsequent releases of this concert simply titled "The Concert".
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/Xm4DfPFT9ET
"Waiting For Columbus" SPOILER: he never arrives
ReplyDelete"Chris is gonna find Ray Charles!" — Isabella
DeleteWhen my older sister packed for college I secretly replaced her Flip Wison vinyl with Mom's Englebert Humperdink so I could play it at home. Loved that skit. She didn't have any music albums I wanted, just the comedy
DeleteExtrabreit called their first Album "Ihre größten Erfolge" after
ReplyDeletepublishing just 1 single.