(Swing, Big Band) Count Basie - Kansas City 6 - 1981, APE (image + .cue), lossless

This is the second in the series of Count Basie's small group recordings under the general title of Kansas City, where Basie began his career seriously and, as he is quick to admit, learned to play the blues.
This release differs from, among other things, "Kansas City 5", (Pablo Today #2312-126) in that it has a vocal track by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. And it has the nonpareil bassist, Niels Henning Orsted-Pedersen (better known for his contributions to many Oscar Peterson albums, and as half of the duo "Chops" albums done with Joe Pass: "Chops", (Pablo #2310-830), and "Northsea Nights", (Pablo Live #2308-221), playing for the first time in a studio session with Basie. Joe Pass and Louis Bellson are holdovers from "Kansas City 5". I recorded this album in Las Vegas last November where Basie was appearing with his orchestra which gave me the opportunity to use his marvelous trumpet star, formerly with Duke Ellington, Willie Cook, who on some selections sounds uncannily like Louis Armstrong.
An amusing exchange, which describes concisely what this album and Count Basie are about, took place before the session and illustrates Basie's insistence on the Blues being reduced as much as possible to their simplest essential form. "Cleanhead" although an outstanding blues singer is also, as musicians know, a great altoist and a product of the Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie Bop influenced era. As Basie noodled at the piano before the first take, Vinson launched into an explosive Bird-like solo whereupon Basie said. "Was that the blues? You sounded like you were coming from Stan Kenton." To which Vinson replied, "I thought that was the Blues," and Basie, with finality, "Come back home man, you know the Blues, and you know what I mean."
And as you can hear in this album, Vinson and the others played exactly as Basie meant.

This is one of many small-group jam sessions organized by Norman Granz to feature pianist Count Basie. This time around the proceedings (utilizing a sextet) have plenty of solo space for trumpeter Willie Cook, altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (who also takes a vocal) and guitairist Joe Pass. As usual, when Basie had his way, the emphasis is on the blues and the music always swings.