This Is Jazz, Vol. 11

by Count Basie

Overview

You can tell how badly Columbia Records has bolixed up their Count Basie catalog -- in contrast to Decca/MCA -- by looking at the credits for this well-intended 17-song compilation. All but one track here (a Basie/Ellington pair-up from the early '60s on "Jumpin' at the Woodside") also appears on several other Basie collections (The Essential Count Basie Vols. 1-3, among others), but none of it appears to have been upgraded in sound quality in any major way from those late-'80s and early-'90s releases. The condition of some of the tracks, such as the noise on "Lester Leaps In," may also explain why Columbia hasn't done a definitive early-Basie collection in the manner of MCA with its Decca and Brunswick sides -- they may not have sufficiently high-grade sources available for such a box. Otherwise, the sound here is passable; it ought to jump out at you, the way it would with 20-bit remastering, but it doesn't, and the volume is low by modern standards. And the selection is close to first-rate for a mid-length mid-priced disc, containing some of the key touchstones ("Lady Be Good," "One O'Clock Jump," "Lester Leaps In," "Broadway," etc.) of Basie's Columbia history, with a couple of vocal numbers ("Goin' to Chicago Blues," "How Long How Long Blues") featuring Jimmy Rushing. But all this does is increase the exposure of Basie's best work for the label and the need for a box. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	09/24/1996
Label:	Columbia / Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0074646496626
Rank:	144596

Tracks

1. One O'Clock Jump
2. Lester Leaps In
3. 9:20 Special
4. Oh, Lady Be Good
5. Goin' to Chicago Blues
6. Red Bank Boogie
7. Dickie's Dream
8. Miss Thing, Pts. 1 & 2
9. Tickle Toe
10. How Long, How Long Blues
11. Broadway
12. Rock-A-Bye Basie
13. Blow Top
14. Let Me See
15. Taxi War Dance
16. Moten Swing
17. Jumpin' at the Woodside

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Count Basie   Primary Artist,Piano
Jo Jones   Guest Artist,Drums
Don Byas   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor)
Buck Clayton   Guest Artist,Trumpet
Jimmy Rushing   Guest Artist,Vocals
Coleman Hawkins   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor)
Duke Ellington   Guest Artist
Lester Young   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor)
Paul Bascomb   Sax (Tenor)
Tab Smith   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Alto)
Benny Powell   Trombone
Jimmy Powell   Sax (Alto)
Dan Minor   Trombone
Shadow Wilson   Drums
James Isaacs   Sequencing
Freddie Green   Guitar
Shad Collins   Trumpet
Earle Warren   Sax (Alto)
Frank Foster   Sax (Tenor)
Eddie Jones   Bass
Vic Dickenson   Trombone
Russell Procope   Sax (Alto)
Walter Page   Bass
Jack Washington   Sax (Alto),Sax (Baritone)
Ed Lewis   Trumpet
Dicky Wells   Trombone
Eli Robinson   Trombone
Al Stearns   Trumpet
Bill Scott   Trombone
Sylvester Payne   Drums
Joe Newman   Trumpet
Rudy Rutherford   Sax (Baritone)
Louis Taylor   Trombone
Juan Tizol   Trombone (Valve)
Jimmy Hamilton   Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Lucky Thompson   Sax (Tenor)
Marshall Royal   Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Quentin Jackson   Trombone
Johnny Hodges   Sax (Alto)
Buddy Tate   Sax (Tenor)
Budd Johnson   Sax (Tenor)
Harry "Sweets" Edison   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Tab Smith   Arranger,Composer
Teddy McRae   Composer
Skip Martin   Composer
Steven Berkowitz   Reissue Producer
Billy Bird   Composer
Jimmy Mundy   Arranger
Jimmy Rushing   Composer
J. Mayo Williams   Composer
Count Basie   Composer
Bennie Moten   Composer
Frank Wess   Arranger
Eddie Durham   Arranger
James Isaacs   Selection,Liner Notes
Shad Collins   Composer
Earle Warren   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Harry "Sweets" Edison   Composer
Buster Moten   Composer
Henri Woode   Arranger
Seth Rothstein   Project Director
Kevin Gore   Reissue Producer
Cozbi Sanchez-Cabrera   Art Direction
Henry J. Wood   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Leroy Carr   Composer
Lester Young   Composer
Ray Henderson   Composer
Buster Harding   Arranger
William Engvick   Composer
Buck Clayton   Composer