Joe Williams had enlivened the 
Count Basie band for so long that it was natural for 
Basie and company to return the favor on his 1959 solo LP for Roulette. And with a trio of 
Basie arrangers -- 
Frank Foster, 
Ernie Wilkins, 
Thad Jones -- providing charts for a rather small group here, the results are excellent. 
Williams focuses in by opening with his two most famous 
Basie-era songs, "Every Day I Have the Blues" and "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home." From there, though, he stretches out slightly by singing all manner of songs from the blues and R&B repertoire that work well with his talents, best of all on a pair of 
Big Joe Turner classics -- "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and "Cherry Red." The arrangements and playing are excellent, as could be expected from this group, including 
Jones and 
Snooky Young on trumpet, 
Frank Foster and 
Billy Mitchell on tenor, 
Freddie Green on guitar, and, of course, 
Basie himself on piano.