Count Basie was one of the most influential personalities in the history of jazz history and his legacy is still celebrated today.

As pianist, organist, bandleader, composer and innovator, he enjoyed a stellar career which spanned half a century across the middle decades of the 20th century. That career encompassed several musical and stylistic eras, and one of the most notable of those was the period in the early 1950s, when he formed a new orchestra, which became known as “The New Testament Band”, which adopted a musical approach considered fresh and distinctive for the period.

Formed circa 1952, after Basie’s brief hiatus from the full orchestra as he was working with a small group of six to seven pieces during the industry imposed recording ban that began in 1948, the new approach was captured on recordings which were done at sessions covering a period of around four years. Many of the titles were issued on Norman Granz’s Clef and Verve labels during the mid-1950s.

This 63-track collection comprises just about all the recordings which were released on the albums The Count, Basie Jazz, Basie Rides Again, The Swinging Count, Dance Session, Dance Session No.2, and Basie. The orchestra began to set standards of musical achievement that have been emulated by every jazz orchestra since that time. One of the things that set Basie’s collective apart from all others was the fact the Basie allowed and encouraged his musicians to compose and arrange. As one would expect, the performances featured here include some notable jazz names, including vocalist Al Hibbler, as well as renowned arrangers like Neal Hefti, Buster Harding and Manny Albam.

It’s a collection which offers an enlightening, entertaining and substantial snapshot of Basie’s music at a key moment in his career.

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