By the early 1970s,
Count Basie was having difficulties drawing the attention of record labels to his band, as rock was dominating their interest. So the discovery of this previously unreleased concert from 1970 in Budapest, Hungary is a welcome addition to his considerable discography. The material included old favorites and new contributions to the band book.
Basie, like
Duke Ellington, was a master at pacing a show, though he was less likely to enter into long jams or medleys of hits. A variety of arrangers and soloists are represented on this disc, with only one selection, a long workout of the blues "I Needs to Be Bee'd With," running over four-and-a-half minutes. In addition to the obvious star soloists, who include
Harry "Sweets" Edison,
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and
Eric Dixon, and singer
Mary Stallings, a recent addition to the band who shines in her interpretations of "Four or Five Times" and "The Party's Over."
Basie's ever economical piano stays mostly in the background, though he does take a few brief solos. Even though the recording picks up the rhythm section a tad better than the reeds and brass, the strong performances more than make up for the odd balance on the masters. ~ Ken Dryden