Midgets
Count Basie and His Orchestra
Supervised by Norman Grantz
Cover Photo: Herman Leonard
Verve Clef Series Hi-Fi MGV-8012
1957
Personnel:
Trumpets: Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Wendell Cully & Reunald Jones
Trombones: Henry Coker, Benny Powell & Bill Hughes
Alto Saxophones: Marshall Royal & Billy Graham
Tenor Saxophones: Frank Fowlkes & Frank Wess
Baritone Saxophone: Charlie Fowlkes
Piano: Count Basie
Guitar: Freddie Greene
Bass: Ed Jones
Drums: Sonny Payne
From the back cover: One night in Birdland the Count Basie band was playing a new arrangement by William "Wild Bill" Davis of an old song by Vernon Duke – "April In Paris". It's a striking arrangement, this one, for a song that has been played and sung in any number of ways since E. Y. (Yip) Harburg fashioned the words to Duke's melody, it becoming the most memorable feature of a 1932 Broadway show called "Walk A Little Faster". In Davis's arrangement there is one sequence which might well be an instrumental solo except that in Basie's hands the entire ensemble goes to work – the effect being, to say the least, highly unusual; hearing it for the first time one assumes that the band is playing an ad lib melody. Finally, there's the ending, which is a delightful fooler, as all jazz followers are aware by now. Well, on this night in Birdland it seemed natural for Basie to give his orders verbally. "One more time," he directed. Then"One more – Once..."
The result? One of Basie's biggest hits and, now, one of the most frequently requested tunes wherever the Basie aggregation goes. It's typical Basie, of course – swinging, exciting, weightless with a sound that's immediately identifiable. The solos in "April In Paris", incidentally, are authored by Thad Jones on trumpet and Benny Powell on trombone, and the piano, of course, belongs to William "Count" Basie.
Cover Photo: Herman Leonard
Verve Clef Series Hi-Fi MGV-8012
1957
Personnel:
Trumpets: Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Wendell Cully & Reunald Jones
Trombones: Henry Coker, Benny Powell & Bill Hughes
Alto Saxophones: Marshall Royal & Billy Graham
Tenor Saxophones: Frank Fowlkes & Frank Wess
Baritone Saxophone: Charlie Fowlkes
Piano: Count Basie
Guitar: Freddie Greene
Bass: Ed Jones
Drums: Sonny Payne
From the back cover: One night in Birdland the Count Basie band was playing a new arrangement by William "Wild Bill" Davis of an old song by Vernon Duke – "April In Paris". It's a striking arrangement, this one, for a song that has been played and sung in any number of ways since E. Y. (Yip) Harburg fashioned the words to Duke's melody, it becoming the most memorable feature of a 1932 Broadway show called "Walk A Little Faster". In Davis's arrangement there is one sequence which might well be an instrumental solo except that in Basie's hands the entire ensemble goes to work – the effect being, to say the least, highly unusual; hearing it for the first time one assumes that the band is playing an ad lib melody. Finally, there's the ending, which is a delightful fooler, as all jazz followers are aware by now. Well, on this night in Birdland it seemed natural for Basie to give his orders verbally. "One more time," he directed. Then"One more – Once..."
The result? One of Basie's biggest hits and, now, one of the most frequently requested tunes wherever the Basie aggregation goes. It's typical Basie, of course – swinging, exciting, weightless with a sound that's immediately identifiable. The solos in "April In Paris", incidentally, are authored by Thad Jones on trumpet and Benny Powell on trombone, and the piano, of course, belongs to William "Count" Basie.
April In Paris
Corner Pocket
Did'n You
Sweety Cakes
Magic
Shiny Stockings
What Am I Here For
Midgets
Mambo Inn
Dinner With Friends
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