The Count Basie Orchestra – Basie Swings the Blues
Candid Records
12 songs – 48 minutes
From the time he formed his orchestra in the 1930s until his death about 40 years ago, William James “Count” Basie was a colossus in the world of American music, delivering an upscale version of the blues to the masses, and his band – under the direction of Scotty Barnett – continues to work its magic. And they’ve outdone themselves with this CD, which features a pantheon of top talent and delivers the same infectious rhythms delivered by the master in his heyday.
As far as the blues world is concerned, the roster couldn’t have been much deeper with a lineup that includes Shemekia Copeland, Bettye LaVette, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Robert Cray, Keb’ Mo’ and Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman, too. Add Lauren Mitchell, Carmen Bradford, Jamie Davis, Charlton Johnson and Ledisi to the mix and…well…the sum total of this propulsive mix is an album that’s already been nominated for – and probably will win — a Grammy.
Barnett struck upon the idea when seated next to Rush at festivities when Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame four years ago last summer. Fronting an ensemble that had a unique ability to produce azure sounds at different tempos, he decided on the spot to explore the sounds of the Delta, something the unit had never done before.
It started taking shape at a wedding two years later. Half of the band bowed out of the engagement because COVID was sweeping the globe. The roster was full of subs, the groom, R.J. Kirk, asked to sit in on guitar, and they immediately – and successfully – broke into a blues.
Produced by Barnett, John Burk and Steve Jordan, the music was recorded at Eastwest Studios in California with a lineup that includes Barnett on trumpet; David Glasser and Markus Howell on saxes, sax players Doug Lawrence, Doug Miller and Josh Lee, trombonists Isrea Butler, Clarence Banks, Mark Williams and Alvin Walker, trumpet players Frank Green, Shawn Edmonds, Endre Rice and Bandon Lee, bassist Trevor Ware, pianist Glen Pearson, acoustic guitarist Will Matthews and percussionist Robert Boone.
A Basie-style call-and-response between the keys and horns kicks off “Let’s Have a Good Time” – which features Mr. Sipp on guitar and vocals for a song he composed – before becoming a rock-solid shuffle, urging the audience to climb on board. It’s chock-full of Basie class and Sipp sass. He continues on six-string – and makes other appearances throughout — as Rush opens a swinging version of his own “Boogie in the Dark” on harp and laying his familiar juke-joint vocals atop a silky-smooth arrangement.
Shemekia takes the mic for a powerful, downhome take on “I’m a Woman,” which includes both Guy and Musselwhite lending their formidable instrumental talents as she delivers the familiar lyrics with a bite. Keb’ Mo’ and Mitchell double-team vocals on “Down Home Blues.” It’s a version that retains all of the feel of the Z.Z. Hill original while taking it to a level it’s never reached before. LaVette follows and makes “Stormy Monday” her own, giving way for the Basies to swing from the hip in style mid-tune.
If you’ve ever wondered what Cray would sound like fronting a big band, his slow-and-steady version of “The Midnight Hour” will have you gasping for more before Sipp is featured again for “Dirty Mississippi Blues,” another of his own creations. It’s full of cotton field grit amplified by the unwavering, percolating rhythm of the orchestra behind him. “The Patton Basie Shuffle” follows, featuring the guitar stylings of Charlton Johnson. The instrumental gives space for the entire band to shine.
A superstar in R&B circles, Ledisi delivers a sophisticated version of “Evil Gal Blues,” trading her vocals with Lawrence’s flowing tenor sax response, picking up intensity as the tune progresses. A two-time Grammy nominee as the Basie Orchestra’s vocalist, baritone powerhouse Jamie Davis takes command on “Look What You’ve Done” then gives way to “Just for a Thrill,” which features Carmen Bradford, who fronted the band in the ‘90s before going on to an award-winning career of her own. The disc comes to a majesty close with dazzling fret work of George Benson on the rapid-fire instrumental, “Rock Candy.”
Run, don’t walk, to buy this one. You’ll have a hard time getting it out of your CD player. It’s simply that good!
