The Essential Count Basie, Vol. 1

Count Basie's Columbia recordings from the late 1930s are an essential part of the legacy of one of the greatest big bands of jazz history. The Kansas City territory bands of Walter Page and Bennie Moten were legendary for their swing and powerful riffing style, and the energy of those bands and their best musicians coalesced into the supreme musical instrument of the early Basie band. Propelled by the incomparable rhythm section of guitarist Freddie Green, bassist Page, and drummer Jo Jones, the music here brims with exultant life, a string of great solos cascading out of the pumping horn sections. Basie's sparse and precise recasting of stride piano is a delight, and there are vocals by Jimmy Rushing, the master of big band blues shouting. --Stuart Broomer