blues by basie

Count Basie and His All American Rhythm Section recorded this swing blues jam in one session less than a week before a musicians' strike.  'Blues By Basie' features an intimate sextet made up of members of his orchestra.  For all eight sides, Basie played piano with the legendary rhythm section of  'Papa' Jo Jones on drums, Freddie Green on guitar, and Walter Page on bass.  Buck Clayton sat in on trumpet with Don Byas on tenor sax for half of the tracks cut for Colombia Records in Los Angeles on July 24, 1942.

American Federation of Musicians' president James Petrillo had called the strike to address the fact that record companies were not paying royalties to musicians.  The musicians' union strike began on August 1 and no union musician could record for any recording company until it was over more than twenty-seven months later when holdouts RCA/Victor and Colombia finally caved on November 11, 1944.    'Blues By Basie' was not released until May of 1944, consisting of four 10" 78 rpm records.

Freddie Green would consider:  "I think it is the type of rhythm you play that has a lot to do with swing. And it is the rhythm section that determines most whether a band swings...Sometimes we get to a point where we're so tired, but we get up there and swing like mad. Another time, you can have had an awful lot of rest, and you don't swing at all...It depends on how everybody feels. I can't put my finger on any special thing that determines the possibility or the extent of swing. It just happens. Sometimes it gets off the ground and sometimes it doesn't. The audience has a lot to do with it, too...The rhythm section is the foundation of it all. If the rhythm section isn't swinging, then you can forget about it. If it isn't clicking, moving together...Well, I mean, the rest of the band has to rely upon it."

Basie would admit:  “You may think you’re the boss, but the drummer is really the head man. When he isn't feeling right, nothing is going to sound good...We still keep a beat in the back line, relaxed and solid behind the horns.  So it doesn't matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat ... Of course, there are a lot of ways you can treat the blues, but it will still be the blues ...  I just think swing is a matter of some good things put together that you can really pat your foot by. I can't define it beyond that."








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http://www.last.fm/music/Count+Basie+&+His+Orchestra/Blues+By+Basie




Sugar Blues 
(L. Fletcher, C. Williams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijfv_Qag5nk



Bugle Blues 
(Basie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIlVuHtdf58




Royal Garden Blues 
(S. Williams, C. Williams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzy4FWb9ClA




How Long Blues 
(Carr)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1v-q9POp8A




St. Louis Blues 
(Handy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It_BHKDeUjs




Farewell Blues 
(Schoebel, Mares, Rappolo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qELQ023f3SU




Way Back Blues 
(Basie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usZWrjubhSk




Cafe Society Blues 
(Basie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRPBOXZAeZo