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First Time! The Count Meets...
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0074646557167
Edition: Requires SACD-compatible hardware
Format: Enhanced, SACD
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: August 08, 2000
Studio: Sony
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Editorial Review:
The two greatest big bands in jazz history side by side on your headphones: What can be more glorious? If, as Billy Strayhorn said, Duke Ellington's band was his instrument, then this 1961 session finds Ellington and Count Basie "trading fours," as it were. The composer credits and solo space are divided democratically, to say the least--four songs from Duke's camp, four from Basie's. The sparring between soloists of both bands is a pure delight, especially the gentle conversations between the two leaders-pianists, who finish each other's thoughts as if all four hands were attached to one unified torso. Highlights include two engaging new Duke compositions--the blistering opener "Battle Royal" and the impulsive "Wild Man"--and the closing Basie chestnut "Jumpin' at the Woodside," on which the lead tenors Frank Foster and Paul Gonsalves engage in ferocious dueling. Amazingly, there is no toe-stepping amid the rousing interplay. --Marc Greilsamer
Take the Kansas City-style streamlined swing of Count Basie's band and put it together with the omni-American "total jazz" of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and you've got one memorable session. Recorded in 1961 and reissued with unreleased, rehearsal, and alternate takes, the date has a friendly after-hours feel, with the Ellington crew in the right channel and the Basie band in the left. They both deliver the type of no-nonsense straight-ahead jazz that characterized the best of the big-band sound: Ellington's brisk 4/4 opener "Battle Royal" features some stratospheric blowing by tenor saxophonist Frank Wess and trumpeter Cat Anderson along with a volcanic drum "conversation" between Sam Woodyard and Sonny Payne. The sound of the locomotive drives the midtempo "Corner Pocket," the Basie-associated standard by guitarist Freddie Green, steered by saxophonist Paul Gonsalves's robust tenor sax. "Segue in C" showcases Ellington and Basie's Fats Waller-Willie "the Lion" Smith stride-piano roots, with the former's dark chord clusters and the latter's feathery in-the-pocket phrasing. The ballad "To You" is marked by cascading horn harmonies laced with Ellington trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson's pleading muted solo. The Basie-Ellington hits "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and "Take the 'A' Train"--with composer Billy Strayhorn tickling the ivories in place of Basie--bring out the best in Basie, Foster, Gonsalves, and trumpeter Ray Nance, and they trade fours and cap this amazing encounter. --Eugene Holley Jr.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A Royal Ball (one casualty)
This is not the cacophonous circus that two big bands playing together (for the first time, without rehearsal, and in one 12-hour session) might have become. Think of it as one large ensemble (like Kenton's 40+ piece mellophone orchestra) commanded by a first captain (Ellington) and two assistant directors (Basie and Strayhorn). Basie, the spokesperson for understatement, and Ellington, the supreme creator of small ensembles within larger ensembles: the result is sensible, swinging, and frequently ... Read More
Rating: - Double Greatness
Basie Meets Ellington. Anyone who does not understand this significance is clueless so let me clue you in. I bought the LP years ago and jumped at the chance to get it on CD. Ellington: a composer/musician whose abilities match anything accomplished by Bach Bartok or Stravinsky. Basie: His famous punctuated piano solos acted only a lure to a sudden wall of sound that hit with such tsunami power it probably broke many a sound meter in its day. Both men lead big bands of legendary proportion. Basie ... Read More
Rating: - Bubbling over with swingin' joy!
The first track, Battle Royal, says it all. Incredible excitement jumps from the grooves as two of the finest musical ensembles ever assembled play together for the first and last time. You can absolutely feel the love and respect from the bands for each other and the music, and boy oh boy the peaks are breath-taking. I tend to crack up in laughter at moments throughout this recording, the intensity is so overwhelming. These are some of the best jazz players the genre has produced, veterans of four decades ... Read More
Rating: - Truely Explosive Music
The arrangements in this cd are great, both bands are in top form. The addition of the unreleased tracks is a pure treat, sometimes I think some of the alternate takes should have been the tracks to make it on the original release, for instance Jumpin at the Woodside and the Battle Royal, even though it is not as polished as the one that made it onto the original release i feel it has more energy and excitement. The liner notes are top class and have incredible photos of the two day recording session and insightful ... Read More
Rating: - Two giants shaking hands!
This is an emblematic and historical document for hard fans and jazz lovers; the successful encounter of the most pyramidal jazz artist ever born; "The Duke" joining his creative moods with another giant of the genre: Count Bassie.
A collection album.
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