Count Basie (comic book + 2 CD)

Count Basie nous a quittés en 1984. C?était un habitué des scènes françaises, qu?il visitait régulièrement en compagnie de son rutilant big band pour le plus grand bonheur des festivaliers d?été à qui sa silhouette ronde, ses manières bonhommes, sa direction d?orchestre décontractée, son jeu de piano discret, voire laconique étaient devenus familiers.

Mais qu?on ne s?y trompe pas: sous cette apparente décontraction se dissimulaient un des plus implacables géniteurs de swing que le jazz ait connu, un chantre intraitable de la vitalité de la pulsation rythmique et un des leaders les plus clairvoyants et exigeants de la musique américaine. Le premier CD offre un panorama des grandes réussites de son orchestre, au sein duquel brillent des solistes qui ont nom Lester Young, Eddie Davis, Buck Clayton, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Dicky Wells, Jo Jones, Jimmy Rushing, entre autres; le deuxième est consacré à un sujet trop souvent négligé: Basie pianiste, dont les formidables vertus de mise en place rythmique, la profonde imprégnation dans le blues, et la manière unique de laisser respirer la section rythmique constituent une magistrale leçon de piano «swing» que l?histoire du jazz ne manquera pas de retenir.

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Count Basie left us in 1984. He was a regular visitor to French stages, always accompanied by a gleaming big band which thrilled summer festival-goers; Basie?s rounded silhouette, affable manner and relaxed conducting, not to mention his discreet, even laconic piano playing, had become familiar to all. But let there be no mistake: beneath this outwardly easy-going attitude lay one of the most merciless swing-generators jazz had ever known, the single-minded high-priest of vitality in pulsing rhythm, and one of the most far-seeing, most demanding bandleaders in American music. The first CD offers a panorama of his orchestra?s greatest hits, featuring such brilliant soloists as Lester Young, Eddie Davis, Buck Clayton, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Dicky Wells, Jo Jones or Jimmy Rushing; the second is devoted to a topic that is all-too-often neglected: Basie the pianist. Steeped in the blues, his formidable virtues in setting the rhythm, and his unique way of letting his rhythm-section breathe, constitute a master-class in ?Swing? piano that has become an unforgettable part of jazz history.

CONTENIDO:

CD1 THE BAND LEADER (1937?1952)

01 JUMPIN' AT THE WOODSIDE 3'04
02 BLUES FOR THE COUNT AND OSCAR 3'10
03 I LEFT MY BABY 3'15
04 TICKLE TOE 2'38
05 SONG OF THE ISLANDS 2'56
06 PARADISE SQUAT 4'08
07 MY WANDERIN' MAN 3'12
08 I AIN'T GOT NOBODY 3'15
09 I MAY BE WRONG 2'52
10 TAXI WAR DANCE 2'48
11 TOPSY 3'10
12 AS LONG AS I LIVE 3'17
13 DON'T YOU MISS YOUR BABY 3'11
14 ONE O'CLOCK JUMP 3'02
15 BROADWAY 3'02
16 NEAL'S DEAL 2'49
17 GONE WHITH ?WHAT? WIND 2'54
18 THE BLUES I LIKE TO HEAR 3'24
19 MY BUDDY 2'55
20 SEVENTH AVENUE EXPRESS 2'43
DURÉE TOTALE 62'23

CD2 THE PIANO PLAYER (1937?1952)

01 RED BANK BOOGIE 2'37
02 WAY BACK BLUES 3'33
03 CAFE SOCIETY BLUES 3'22
04 FAREWELL BLUES 3'21
05 BASIE BLUES 3'04
06 BOOGIE WOOGIE 3'02
07 THE DIRTY DOZENS 3'03
08 HOW LONG, HOW LONG BLUES 2'56
09 HOB NAIL BOOGIE 2'28
10 FARE THEE HONEY, FARE THEE WELL 3'03
11 OH! RED 2'52
12 DUPREE BLUES 3'03
13 BASIE BOOGIE 2'30
14 THESE FOOLISH THINGS 3'00
15 WILD BILL'S BOOGIE 2'38
16 SHINE ON, HARVEST MOON 2'27
17 SHOUTIN' BLUES 2'30
18 I AIN'T GOT NOBODY 3'51
19 I NEVER KNEW 2'17
20 THE MAD BOOGIE 3'01
DURÉE TOTALE 59'18