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Your Friends at Mosaic Records
Together “Pres" & Basie Began To Completely Reinvent Jazz
Available at last: the most important collection imaginable from the legendary pairing of Lester Young with Count Basie... a set whose contents rank among the most influential recordings in history.
It was an era when the music was in transition; a time when musicians were achieving new milestones of personal expression; a point in his career when Basie, with Young and others beside him, was establishing his credentials as one of the leading band leaders of the swing era; and the moment when Lester Young was creating a completely new approach to the tenor saxophone. Without reservation, we can assure you these are masterpieces.
The suppleness of the Basie, Jones and Page rhythm section and how conducive it was for electrifying soloists has been well-documented. But you can't overstate the effect on Lester Young. Other musicians - great ones - would build solos that seemed utterly brilliant for their organization and improvised cleverness. Young's seemed brilliant for arriving places utterly unexpected. For decades, saxophonists have sought to match his level of carefree, confident command.
Our 4 CD set includes 84 tracks, beginning with Basie's and Young's first session together under the the name “Jones-Smith Inc." The collection is notable as well for including along with all previously-known gems on the Columbia labels, the results of our research in the vaults: almost a dozen of alternate tracks never heard before. Also included is the legendary session from the Benny Goodman Septet with Count Basie. Sidemen in addition to Page and Jones include Buck Clayton, Charlie Christian, Freddie Green, Jimmy Rushing, Harry Edison, Vic Dickenson, and Tab Smith.
You'll hear many tunes from the Basie book now considered classics, such as “Oh, Lady Be Good “Lonesome Miss Pretty," “Dickie's Dream," Young's signature tune “Lester Leaps In," “Easy Does It," and more. These are the definitive versions and the very tunes emulated by generations of saxophonists who followed Lester Young's lead.
The Mosaic booklet includes rare photographs from the period that are rarely seen including six photos from the Goodman session. Immersing yourself in Loren Schoenberg's passionate and well-documented liner notes while listening to the brilliant remastering production by Malcolm Addey from the original source material is a jazz lover's joy.
There was nothing like this music in jazz until this group set the standard. And today, it's hard to imagine that it wasn't always this way.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
