Recorded in 1966 and originally released on LP by
Solid State Records that same year as
Tribute to Count Basie, this delightful ten-song set has seen the digital light before in 1996 when
Laser Light released it on CD under its original title. It features organist
Jimmy McGriff soloing on several
Count Basie numbers accompanied by a big band that includes several alumni from the
Basie orchestra. Make no mistake, this is
McGriff's record, and it sounds exactly like a
soul-jazz outing with some
big band swing grafted in, and that it all works probably has a lot to do with the presence of
Manny Albam (who wrote for
Basie) as the arranger. Among the highlights in what is a joyously cohesive sequence are versions of
Neal Hefti's
"Cherry Point," which features one of those patented ensemble riffs that
Basie so favored, a jaunty take on
Buck Clayton's
"Avenue C," and a sturdy run-through of
Albam's own
"Slow but Sure." McGriff has always maintained that he is a
blues organist rather than a
jazz one, and as these ten selections show,
Count Basie was no stranger to the
blues, either. At just a hair over 36-minutes in length, this is a bit short for the CD era, but it is a wonderful set all the same, and well-worth owning. ~ Steve Leggett
