(Swing, Mainstream) Count Basie - Basie Big Band - 1975 (2001, 20-bit remaster), FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This album is remastered on JVC DAS 900 audio mastering system using 20-Bit A/D converter with K2 interface. Developed by JVC, the 20-Bit K2 Super Coding System
integrates three important digital audio functions:
1. The JVC 20-Bit, 128 times over-sampling high resolution analog to digital converter.
2. The JVC K2 Super Coding resolves the high resolution 20-Bit signal to the 16-Bit compact disc format while retaining the integrity of the low-level information.
3. The JVC K2 Interface effectively eliminates time base jitter in the digital data stream.
The end result is a compact disc of extraordinarily higher resolution than that of today's conventional compact discs.
The 20-Bit K2 SuperCoding system allows tje listener to hear every subtle sonic nuance from the breathing of the musicians to the explosive crack of the snare drum. Enjoy!

It has often been said that in these turbulent musical times, the Count Basie orchestra remains one of the few remaining constants, unswervingly true to its esthetic tenets, defying the inroads of time.
True—and then again, not the whole truth. In all honesty it must be admitted that even an orchestra with a reputation as honorable and durable as Basie's still has its ups and downs, both in terms of orchestral excellence and recorded repertoire. Honesty and common sense make it clear that no orchestra is always at its best. There was a time, a year or so ago, when the personnel was in a state of transition; the famous Basie rhythm section was sagging for want of a worthy drummer, and the morale consequently was not what it should have been. That has all changed dramatically for the better: Basie discovered an arranger that fit the band and understood Basie's point of view perfectly, Sam Nestico. Nestico is a first cousin of Sal Nestico, who played tenor with the band in 1965.
New blood has strengthened the band. Frank Szabo, who used to be with Louis Bellson and Ray Charles, and Dave Stahl, who plays such powerful lead on "Tall Cotton," are responsible for beefing up the trumpet section; Danny Turner is a really first-rate alto player; and of course Butch Miles drives the band beautifully. Butch Miles turned out to be the missing link the band had been seeking, a drummer capable of galvanizing not only the rhythm section but the tout ensemble. He came to Basie after three and a half years with Mel Torme. Though his flamboyant personality may recall another distinguished Basie drummer, Sonny Payne, his style is cast more in the Buddy Rich mold. Miles's enthusiasm when he joined the band in January of 1975 soon spread through the ranks. "Front Burner" is a blues in C, opening with John Duke's stealthy, cat-like bass walk coaxing Bill Basie along. Eric Dixon, a welcome returnee to the saxophone section (he first joined in 1962), offers a typically whimsical flute statement before the band states the main theme. Jimmy Forrest, who has also been in and out of the reed team in recent years, sustains a bold assertive mood, aided by Nestico's skillfully penned background. "Midnight Freight" is taken at a tempo so slow that only a Count Basie can make it swing. Danny Turner, Eric Dixon, and Bobby Plater play the line in three-flute unison. Turner and Grey are the solists, Al sealing it off with a voluble cadenza. "Wind Machine," a vehicle for Jimmy Forrest, explores the other end of the tempo spectrum while affording Butch Miles a chance to display how effectively he can underline the chart's every nuance. "Freckle Face" is a Nestico natural, one of those pieces in the genre that has made him so important to the band. Bobby Mitchell's trumpet solo is lyrical and essentially simple. Sonny Cohn, by the way, plays lead trumpet on the soft chorus, yielding to Frank Szabo for the final chorus in the funky tradition for which Horace Silver's "The Preacher" set the pattern. As a change from the now-familiar trumpet-and-flute sound, Nestico uses a new voicing on "Orange Sherbert"—four trombones, baritone sax, trumpet, and flute. (The same coloration, with the trumpet, was used on "Freckle Face.") Mention of the baritone brings to mind the fact that Charlie Fowlkes, who was an anchor man in the band from 1951 until 1970, returned to the ranks early in 1975. "The Heat's On" offers an illustration of Sammy's writing at its most inventive, with passages of eight-part harmony, complete with diminished chords that give the piece a very special character. Jimmy Forrest, the chief protagonist here, has a track record that covers the 1930s (with Fate Marable on the riverboats, among others), '40s (with Jay McShann, Andy Kirk, Duke Ellington), '50s and '60s (his own band, Harry "Sweets" Edison et al.). "Give 'M Time" is a moderate blues spotlighting Danny Turner, Pete Minger, and some finely meshed scoring for saxophones by Nestico. Finally there is a rare solo outing to frame the elegant alto of Bobby Plater, in "Soft As Velvet." Plater, who came to prominence with Tiny Bradshaw as co-writer of "Jersey Bounce," later put in more than 20 years off and on with Lionel Hampton. "Soft As Velvet" represents an aspect of the Basie band's personality too often ignored: its ability to create and sustain a buoyantly melodic mood. No commentary on the Basie band would be complete without a mention of Freddie Green, the gentle hero who has played perhaps eight bars of solos in the aggregate during 38 years with Basie (no, that is not a typographical error). Rhythm guitar is a special art, one that calls for self-effacement while rendering oneself totally indispensable. I notice Freddie particularly on "Freckle Face," but there is no place on this album where he would not be conspicuous by his absence. Old standbys and new blood: that is the mix represented by the revitalized Basie band. It is reassuring to sense that there are no detours ahead.

1077418824 62304524 01 - Front Burner.wav
1893407988 68196284 02 - Freckle Face.wav
1883478404 39090284 03 - Orange Sherbert.wav
4010504471 40724924 04 - Soft As Velvet.wav
3550736224 29216588 05 - The Heat's On.wav
3138066567 64945820 06 - Midnight Freight.wav
487745915 64590668 07 - Give 'M Time.wav
3847081885 33186764 08 - Wind Machine.wav
3136606337 61904684 09 - Tall Cotton.wav
auCDtect: CD records authenticity detector, version 0.8.2
Copyright (c) 2004 Oleg Berngardt. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2004 Alexander Djourik. All rights reserved.
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