You meet ardent collectors among jazz fans who simply must have each and every album of their favourite music that has been published. Some even possess only records of just a few bands or soloists. But the majority of jazz buffs will most likely act spontaneously once they know what they like: When they hear exciting music of the kind they prefer, they will try to get it on record. Like this they accumulate a large quantity of music and the mixture is quite exciting.
The glorious time of the big bands which was followed by the dance hall craze in the swing era started in the 1920s. Bandleader Fletcher Henderson and his arranger Don Redman developed the style of the big bands. They organized the band completely different from the way it was done in classical jazz. Now they had a brass section with more trumpets and trombones, a reed section with several saxophones and a strong rhythm section. The result was a new powerful sound, based on sophisticated arrangements fired by hot solos. The Henderson band that employed soloist like Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Chu Berry on tenor and trumpeters Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge and Henry “Red” Allen was the role model for many following big bands.
Benny Goodman, the King of Swing of the 1930s, learned a lot from Henderson. He copied his big band concept and played his arrangements. Henderson wrote some of his best pieces for Goodman. The encyclopedia includes many recordings of Goodman’s big band in the 1930s and 1940s. The powerful sound of a swinging big band, distributed by radio and on records,attracted more and more people and the number of successful bands grew immensely. Even well-informed jazz enthusiasts find it hard to name the best among the many bands. Satchmo-fans will stick to their idol and confer the title on Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, others think Duke Ellington’s band was the greatest, or maybe one of the white bands led by Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey.
For many connoisseurs however Count Basie’s orchestra was the ideal of a big band, fiercely swinging and relaxed. In 1932 Basie formed his first band with members of the Bennie Moten orchestra and he successfully led big bands for many years. He worked with soloists such as the trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison and Buck Clayton, saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans and the famous All American Rhythm Section with Walter Page on Bass, Freddie Green on guitar and the drummer Jo Jones. In 1939 the Basie band performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York City, playing two concerts “From Spiritual to Swing” which were organized by the promoter and Basie fan John Hammond.
CD041 - Claude Hopkins (1934-35) Vol.2
CD042 - Count Basie (1937) Vol.1
CD043 - Count Basie (1938-39) Vol.2
CD044 - Count Basie (1939) Vol.3
CD045 - Count Basie (1939-40) Vol.4
CD046 - Count Basie (1940) Vol.5
CD047 - Count Basie (1941) Vol.6
CD048 - Count Basie (1941) Vol.7
CD049 - Count Basie (1942) Vol.8
CD050 - Count Basie (1944-45) Vol.9
CD 41: Claude Hopkins 1934-35
CLAUDE HOPKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. My Gal Sal (Dresser)
02. Three Little Words (Kalmar - Ruby)
03. Everybody Shuffle (Hopkins - Alston)
04. Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong (Whiting - Schwartz - Johnson)
05. Can't Dance (I Got Ants In My Pants) (Gaines - Williams)
06. Margie (Conrad - Robinson - Davis)
07. Chasing All The Blues Away (Hopkins - Alston)
08. Just You, Just Me (Klages - Greer)
09. King Porter Stomp (Morton)
10. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree (Williams - VanAlstyne)
11. Who? (Harbach - Hammerstein II - Kern)
12. Walkin' The Dog (Brooks)
13. Sweetheart O'Mine (Morton - Melrose)
14. Monkey Business (Norman - Hopkins)
15. Zozoi (Snaer - Norman - Hopkins)
16. Mandy (Berlin)
17. Do You Ever Think Of Me? (Kerr - Cooper - Burnett)
18. Trees (Rasbach - Kilmer)
19. Love In Bloom (Robin - Rainger)
20. June In January (Robin - Rainger)
CD 42: Count Basie 1937
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Honeysuckle Rose (Razaf - Waller)
02. Pennies From Heaven (Johnston - Burke)
03. Swingin' At The Daisy Chain (Basie)
04. Roseland Shuffle (Basie)
05. Exactly Like You (Fields - McHugh)
06. Boo-Hoo (Heyman - Lombardo - Loeb)
07. The Glory Of Love (Hill)
08. Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong) (Basie - Rushing)
09. Smarty (Lane - Freed)
10. One O'clock Jump (Basie)
11. Listen My Children (Lane - Freed)
12. John's Idea (Basie)
13. Good Morning Blues (Durham - Basie - Rushing)
14. Good Morning Blues (Durham - Basie - Rushing)
15. Our Love Was Meant To Be (Hill - Davis - Walter)
16. Time Out (Durham)
17. Topsy (Durham)
18. I Keep Remembering (Jones - Newman)
19. Out The Window (Basie - Durham)
20. Don't You Miss Your Baby? (Basie - Durham - Rushing)
21. Let Me Dream (Jerome)
CD 43: Count Basie 1938-39
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Georgianna (McKenzie - Carle - Croom - Johnson)
02. Blues In The Dark (Basie)
03. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today (Durham - Rushing)
04. Every Tub (Basie - Durham)
05. Now Will You Be Good? (Jentes - Pease - Terker)
06. Swinging The Blues (Basie - Durham)
07. Mama Don't Want No Peas An' Rice An' Coconut Oil (Gilbert-Charles)
08. Blue And Sentimental (Basie - David - Livingston)
09. Doggin' Around (Evans - Battle)
10. Stop Beatin' Around The Mulberry Bush (Boland - Reichner)
11. Stop Beatin' Around The Mulberry Bush (Boland - Reichner)
12. London Bridge Is Falling Down (Schuster - Baer - Seymour)
13. Texas Shuffle (Evans)
14. Jumpin' At The Woodside (Basie)
15. Dark Rapture (Goodman - Kurtz - Sampson)
16. Shorty George (Basie)
17. The Blues I Like To Hear (Smith - Rushing)
18. Do You Wanna Jump Children? (Van Heusen - Bryant - Selsman)
19. Panassie Stomp (Basie)
20. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Porter)
21. Sing For Your Supper (Hart - Rodgers)
COUNT BASIE SEXTET
22. You Can Depend On Me (Carpenter - Dunlap - Hines)
CD 44: Count Basie 1939
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Cherokee - Part 1 (Noble)
02. Cherokee - Part 2 (Noble)
03. Blame It On My Last Affair (Nemo - Mills)
04. Blame It On My Last Affair (Nemo - Mills)
05. Jive At Five (Edison)
06. Thursday (Sachs - Graham - Haber)
07. Evil Blues (Basie - Edison - Rushing)
08. Oh, Lady Be Good (Gershwin - Gershwin)
09. What Goes Up Must Go Down (Koehler - Bloom)
10. Rock-A-Bye Basie (Collins - Young - Basie)
11. Baby, Don't Tell On Me (Young - Basie - Rushing)
12. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (One Hour) (Creamer - Johnson)
13. Taxi War Dance (Basie - Young)
14. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (Koehler - Bloom)
15. Jump For Me (Basie)
16. And The Angels Sing (Mercer - Elman)
17. If I Didn't Care (Lawrence)
18. Twelfth Street Rag (Sumner - Bowman)
19. Miss Thing, Part 1 (Basie - Martin)
20. Miss Thing, Part 2 (Basie - Martin)
21. Lonesome Miss Pretty (Basie)
22. Bolero At The Savoy (Krupa - Mundy - Biondi - Carpenter)
23. Nobody Knows (Rushing - Young)
24. Pound Cake (Edison - Basie)
CD 45: Count Basie 1939-40
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. You Can Count On Me (Maxwell - Meyrow)
02. You And Your Love (Mercer - Green)
03. How Long Blues (Carr)
04. Sub-Deb Blues (Martin - Basie - Sears - McKinnon)
05. Moonlight Serenade (Parish - Miller)
06. Song Of The Islands (King)
07. Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (Gaskill - McHugh)
08. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie (Rose - McDonald - Meyer)
09. The Apple Jump (Basie)
10. I Left My Baby (Gibson)
11. Riff Interlude (Basie)
12. Volcano (Basie)
13. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (Koehler - Arlen)
14. Ham 'N' Eggs (Basie)
15. Hollywood Jump (Basie)
16. Someday Sweetheart (Spikes Bros.)
17. I Never Knew (What Love Could Do) (Kahn - Fio Rito)
18. Tickle-Toe (Young)
19. Let's Make Hey! While The Sun Shines (Williams - Basie)
20. Louisiana (Johnson - Razaf - Schafer)
21. Easy Does It (Oliver - Young)
22. Let Me See (Edison - Basie)
23. A Blues (I Still Think Of Her) (Rushing - Basie)
24. Somebody Stole My Gal (Woods)
CD 46: Count Basie 1940
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Blow Top (Smith)
02. Gone With 'What' Wind (Basie - Goodman)
03. Super Chief (Mundy - Basie)
04. You Can't Run Around (Rushing - Basie)
05. Evenin' (Parish - White)
06. The World Is Mad - Part 1 (Basie)
07. The World Is Mad - Part 2 (Basie)
08. Moten Swing (Moten)
09. It's Torture (Washington - Basie)
10. I Want A Little Girl (Moll - Mencher)
11. All Or Nothing At All (Lawrence - Altman)
12. The Moon Fell In The River (Parish - De Rose)
13. What's Your Number? (Clayton)
14. Draftin' Blues (Pinkard)
15. Five O'clock Whistle (Gannon - Myrow - Irwin)
16. Love Jumped Out (Clayton)
17. My Wanderin' Man (Feather)
18. Broadway (Woode - McRae)
19. It's The Same Old South (Eliscu - Gorney)
20. Stampede In G Minor (Brewer)
21. Who Am I (Styne - Bullock)
22. Rockin' The Blues (Warren)
CD 47: Count Basie 1941
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. It's Square But It Rocks (Sigman - Slack)
02. I'll Forget (McRae - Stewart)
03. You Lied To Me (Miller)
04. Wiggle Woogie (Warren)
05. Beau Brummel (Gibson - Gray)
06. Music Makers (James)
07. Jump The Blues Away (Lewis)
08. Deep In The Blues (Parish - Lytle)
09. The Jitters (Smith)
10. Tuesday At Ten (Martin)
11. Undecided Blues (Rushing)
12. I Do Mean You (Canter - Fiedler)
13. 9:20 Special (Warren)
14. H And J (Edison)
15. Feedin' The Bean (Basie)
16. Goin' To Chicago Blues (Rushing - Basie)
17. You Betcha My Life (Dennis)
18. Down, Down, Down (Redman)
19. Down, Down, Down (Redman)
20. Tune Town Shuffle (Basie - Ebbins - Winston)
21. I'm Tired Of Waiting For You (Holland -Taylor)
CD 48: Count Basie 1941 (II)
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. One-Two-Three-O'Lairy (Reid - Chamitor)
02. Basie Boogie (Ebbins)
03. Fancy Meetin' You (Kollmar)
04. Diggin' For Dex (Basie - Durham)
05. My Old Flame (Johnson - Coslow)
06. Fiesta In Blue (Mundy - Goodman)
07. Tom Thumb (Warren)
08. Take Me Back, Baby (Basie - Rushing - Smith)
09. King Joe - Part 1 (Wright - Basie)
10. King Joe - Part 2 (Wright - Basie)
11. Moon Nocturne (Warren)
12. Something New (Gamse - Menandez)
13. I Struck A Match In The Dark (Livingston - Curtis - Hoffman)
14. Platterbrains (Smith)
15. All Of Me (Simons - Marks)
16. Feather Merchant (Mundy - Basie)
17. Down For Double (Green)
18. More Than You Know (Eliscu - Rose - Youmans)
19. Harvard Blues (Frazier - Smith - Basie)
20. Coming Out Party (Ebbins)
CD 49: Count Basie 1942
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. One O'clock Jump (Basie)
02. Blue Shadows And White Gardenias (Gordon - Owens)
03. 'Ay Now (Nemo)
04. Basie Blues (Ebbins - Jackson - Basie)
05. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (Weldon)
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ALL AMERICAN RHYTHM
06. How Long Blues (Carr)
07. Royal Garden Blues (Williams - Williams)
08. Bugle Blues (Ebbins - Jackson - Basie)
09. Sugar Blues (Fletcher - Williams)
10. Farewell Blues (Schoebel - Mares - Roppolo)
11. Cafe Society Blues (Basie)
12. Way Back Blues (Basie)
13. St. Louis Blues (Handy)
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
14. Rusty Dusty Blues (Mayor - Williams)
15. Ride On (Tolbert)
16. Lost The Blackout Blues (Green - Russell - Ram)
17. Time On My Hands (Adamson - Gordon - Youmans)
18. It's Sand, Man (Lewis)
19. Ain't It The Truth? (Harding)
20. For The Good Of Your Country (Basie)
CD 50: Count Basie 1944-45
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
01. Kansas City Stride (Wells)
02. Beaver Junction (Edison)
03. Circus In Rhythm (Warren)
04. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (Redman)
05. Basie Strides Again (Basie)
06. Aunt Hagar's Country Home (Dickenson - Conway)
07. Harvard Blues (Smith - Frazier)
08. Taps Miller (Basie)
09. Jimmy's Blues (Rushing)
10. Take Me Back Baby (Rushing - Basie - Smith)
11. Playhouse No 2 Stomp (Basie)
12. Just An Old Manuscript (Redman)
13. On The Upbeat (Kilian)
14. High Tide (I Ain't Mad At You) (Basie - Green - Rutherford)
15. Sent For You Yesterday (Basie - Durham - Rushing)
16. Jimmy's Boogie Woogie (Rushing)
17. Tippin' On The Q.T. (Clayton)
18. San Jose (Byran - Edwards)
19. B-Flat Blues (Basie)
20. Sweet Lorraine (Burwell - Parish)
