Count Basie

[mep]

i have likely 98-99% of all the 45rpm re-issues (over 1000). they are the most dead solid locks of any Lps you can buy. the worst of them are very good.

I can't think of a single 45 RPM reissue LP that I own that sounds worse than the 33 1/3 RPM LPs. If 33 1/3 RPM records can be compared to 15 ips master tapes, 45 RPM records can be compared to 30 ips master tapes.

 

[Bill Hart]

FWIW, maybe just a side note, I happened to find a nice clean 6 eye of Take Five in my stacks and it was remarkably good. I'll get a copy of the 45 at some point and compare them.

 

[jazdoc]

FWIW, maybe just a side note, I happened to find a nice clean 6 eye of Take Five in my stacks and it was remarkably good. I'll get a copy of the 45 at some point and compare them.

whart

My original 6 eye stereo and mono pressings compare very favorably with the Classic records 4 sided 200 gm 45 rpm issue. Not better, but different. I'd be interested for someone to compare with the new AP reissue.

 

[puroagave]

i was looking for a vinyl copy of "basie big band" and recently picked up two on epay, today was my first opportunity to play them. the music and recording is a stunner and imo up there with Basie 88:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpHDDXfwXq0&lc=N5VLbs9TwQ3NZcEitjz7DCbHpaNkhYSYp69dS3D5s9g

 

[NorthStar]

iBay, not "epay".

 

[MylesBAstor]

i was looking for a vinyl copy of "basie big band" and recently picked up two on epay, today was my first opportunity to play them. the music and recording is a stunner and imo up there with Basie 88:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpHDDXfwXq0&lc=N5VLbs9TwQ3NZcEitjz7DCbHpaNkhYSYp69dS3D5s9g

Chad also reissued it at 45 rpm.

 

[garylkoh]

i was looking for a vinyl copy of "basie big band" and recently picked up two on epay, today was my first opportunity to play them. the music and recording is a stunner and imo up there with Basie 88:

Absolutely! There's something I enjoy about big band much more on vinyl (and tape) than digital.

 

[jazdoc]

Absolutely! There's something I enjoy about big band much more on vinyl (and tape) than digital.

+1!

 

[puroagave]

Chad also reissued it at 45 rpm.

hmm...you sure? did he use different cover art because its not on the website as OOP or his print catalog going back a few years.

 

[puroagave]

Absolutely! There's something I enjoy about big band much more on vinyl (and tape) than digital.

agreed. analog horns and brass can sound more convincing than digital, the 20bit remaster as good as its is falls short of my '75 pressing.

 

[garylkoh]

agreed. analog horns and brass can sound more convincing than digital, the 20bit remaster as good as its is falls short of my '75 pressing.

I also have the 20bit remaster, and yes the original pressing smokes it.

 

[garylkoh]

hmm...you sure? did he use different cover art because its not on the website as OOP or his print catalog going back a few years.

I have "Farmer's Market Barbeque" on 45rpm, but I didn't know that "Basie Big Band" was....

 

[jazdoc]

FWIW, maybe just a side note, I happened to find a nice clean 6 eye of Take Five in my stacks and it was remarkably good. I'll get a copy of the 45 at some point and compare them.

I have the Classic Records single sided 45 rpm stereo reissue of "Time Out" and prefer my original mono 6-eye (and 2-eye)...

I also prefer my original Pablo of "This One's For Blanton" over the 45 rpm. Both are superb, but with different presentation. I just happen to prefer the original 33 1/3 release. Likewise, I slightly prefer my original mono of Art Pepper's "Smack Up" to the 45 rpm stereo reissue. But most of the time, I prefer the 45 rpm reissues.

 

[Bill Hart]

I have the Classic Records single sided 45 rpm stereo reissue of "Time Out" and prefer my original mono 6-eye (and 2-eye)...

I also prefer my original Pablo of "This One's For Blanton" over the 45 rpm. Both are superb, but with different presentation. I just happen to prefer the original 33 1/3 release.

I have This One's for Blanton on the 45 and on a DMM? 33. The percussive quality of the piano is more pronounced on the DMM. I bought a slew of early Pablos in Austin off the rack- like 8-10 bucks a piece. Haven't had a chance to listen to them yet. I bought so much vinyl there, I had to get an air-conditioned storage room for the 'Texas' vinyl, because I didn't want to ship it back to NY, then move it all down to Tx.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I have the Classic Records single sided 45 rpm stereo reissue of "Time Out" and prefer my original mono 6-eye (and 2-eye)...

I also prefer my original Pablo of "This One's For Blanton" over the 45 rpm. Both are superb, but with different presentation. I just happen to prefer the original 33 1/3 release. Likewise, I slightly prefer my original mono of Art Pepper's "Smack Up" to the 45 rpm stereo reissue. But most of the time, I prefer the 45 rpm reissues.

Problem is that you don't know if the original LP release and the 45 rpm were cut from the same tape. The original could have even been cut from a later generation than the 45rpm as happened with Art Pepper Plus 11. In fact, the 45 rpm LP, not the CD, SACD, etc., is the only release cut from the original tape.

 

[DonH50]

Don't have a TT set up but need to refresh my big band stock, great thread! Dep'd the lead in a big band couple of weeks ago and realized I need to get back in the swing of things, too much orchestra stuff this past year.

 

[Portugal]

I like this one

 

[jazdoc]

I like this one

+1...especially the mono version.

 

[puroagave]

If you liked Sinatra at the sands this is right up your alley...i cant wait:

"Count Basie and Frank Sinatra had the perfect arrangement at the Sands. Before the Chairman hit the stage in Vegas, Count Basie and his big band warmed up the already enthusiastic crowd with a brief set of their own. A dynamite entertainer, the legendary leader causes hearts to race, hips to shake, and fingers to snap with high-energy readings of his trademark swing music, taken to feverish heights by both his first-rate orchestra and the incredibly swank setting. Fortunately, the finest of Basie and Co.’s introductory performances from the historic 1966 dates have been preserved here and serve as a seminal complement to Sinatra’s iconic Live at the Sands.

Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s analog version of Live at the Sands (Before Frank) gives you a dead-center, eighth-row seat at the famed Sin City club. You’ll just need to supply your own table and cocktail. Renowned for its sonic clarity, transparency, crispness, and punch, the record is now tremendously enhanced, with improved tonality, a deeper soundstage, correct balances, and lifelike presence. Each horn occupies its own space, and Basie’s transfixing piano—a focal point throughout—resonates with gorgeous detail and impeccable pacing. The collective’s energy almost demands to be measured with an SPL meter.

Captured in late January and early February 1966, Live at the Sands (Before Frank) contains most of Basie’s signature pieces delivered with an enthusiasm, style, and brassiness that exceed that gracing nearly any of the Count’s studio efforts. His band is stacked to the nines, with tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, saxophonist/flautist Eric Dixon, and drummer “Sonny” Payne among the prized cast. The Sands dates marked the first time in years that these players, as well as trombonist Al Grey, gathered onstage together.

Encouraged by Basie, the instrumentalists engage in a series of call-and-response passages and standout solos, not the least of which is Davis’ turn on a white-hot “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” and he and Dixon’s exchanges on “This Could Be the Start of Something Big.” No slouch, Basie approaches “Makin’ Whoopee” with graceful playfulness, and oversees the assortment of uptempo swing numbers and mellow ballads with astute melodicism. A sublime version of the Don Gibson country standard “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” arranged by Quincy Jones, can almost be considered a bonus."

 

[jazdoc]

Little nervous about this one...the "Sinatra At The Sands" MOFI was sonically disasppointing...