favorite basie song

[victor]

i have been listening to a lot of count basie lately and i thought a good topic would be what is your favorite basie song.....i know the first one i ever listened to was "harvard blues" with excellent vocals by jimmy rushing......but if i had to pick favorite it would be broken down in two categories
instrumental.....jumpin at the woodside
vocal...........everyday i have the blues done so well by joe williams

[clifton]

Instrumental: "Easy Does It", very great Prez solo, on Columbia, 1940, probably out of print. Vocal: "Blues In The Dark", starring Jimmy Rushing.

[saintvitus]

My pick is the best opener of them all, "The Kid from Red Bank" on Atomic Basie.

[liamw]

I'd never been much of a Basie fan, but what turned me around was a cheapish compilation called "Atomic Swing" -- reissues of Roulette sides from 1957-62. Favorite tune on that: "Lil Darlin'".

[Ed Swinnich]

Chalk another one up for Lil Darlin'

[victor]

i also like "april in paris"

[mr jazz]

let's give credit to the great Neal Hefti for so many, many fine Basie swingers. I think he's my favorite Basie arranger/composer. Of course, he also wrote the Batman and Odd Couple themes as well. I wonder what his residuals on those two alone were/are?

[clandy44]

Two vocals. Old Testament-Sent For You Yesterday. New Testament-The Late Late Show. But, I love almost anything that Basie did so these are choices of the moment.

[John Tapscott]

Freddie Greene's Corner Pocket

[Edward]

instrumental: Jumpin' at the Woodside

vocal: The Comeback

[PDEE]

I'm not a big advocate of top 10's favourites.. who's dead or alive ( you here Marvin.. I sincerely hope you are seriously) etc.

But I'm always fascinated by Teddy the Toad

Not necessarily my favourite.. hell that changes daily.. but an amazing arrangement, exactly in place in the original album.

[walkin]

Lil Darlin or Jumpin At The Woodside

[John Tapscott]

Another favorite: Frank Foster's Blues in Hoss' Flat

[orroonie]

Clap Hands here Comes Charlie - Pres. swinging like crazy.

Blue And Sentimental - Hershel Evans solo on the beautiful standard.

[butchers]

For me it would have to be Lil Darlin. It's just such a beautiful melody and chord structure. You can't look past it.

[Fran]

So much and so little time-

But one, not necessarily THE favorite, that always haunts the back of my mind is the old Okeh label's "Broadway". It just swings soooo nicely.

[the magnificent goldberg]

Blue And Sentimental - Hershel Evans solo on the beautiful standard.

Until last week, that was the only Basie record I had - on a 78. Beautiful, beautiful!

MG

[Tom K]

"Lil Darlin'". - Or "Shiny Stockings", for its laid-back swing?

[spitfirepete]

For you Basie Fans....there is a great DVD: Basie at Carnagie Hall.....get it on ebay...

My choice: Little Darlin and Corner Pocket.

[Big Beat Steve]

Soooo hard to choose ....
But if I had to choose just one it would have to be

JUMPING AT THE WOODSIDE

[iShawn]

Lil' Darlin'


Because it's so damn cool.

Gaeybotjas all the way!

[Lee Gato]

"Belly Roll" (Quincy Jones composition) from Li'l 'Ol Groovemaker. From the Charlie Fowlkes fall that starts it off, to the minor key theme with wailing sax section with the buzz (or Harmon?) muted trumpet answering, the choppy shuffle rhythm, the tenor solo, Basie's piano plunking, the muted trumpet again answering the wailing saxes on the out chorus, the sudden diminuendo, and the brass with quarter note triplets to climax. What a great track! What a great album!

[Fran]

Oh Well! - If your going to bring "Lil Ol Groovemaker " into this then How about the closing tack piano exhibition - "Kansas City Wrinkles".
Bill Basie why didn't you stick around another 50 years or so?

[Lee Gato]

I love that tack piano. Yet another of the delights of that album.

[Prezfan]

I would probably have to say it would have to be between these two:

"Taxi War Dance" - Great solo by Prez to start it off. Prez could say more with just one chorus than most guys could with 10.

"Swingin' The Blues" - Lives up to the title. It's a blues and it swings like mad.

[the magnificent goldberg]

How come no one's mentioned "Lester leaps in" or "One o'clock jump"?

MG