Following a brief lull earlier in the 1950s,
Count Basie had rebuilt his big band by the time of this trio of studio sessions originally recorded for Clef. Among the musicians present on one or more of the dates are trumpeters
Joe Newman,
Joe Wilder, and
Thad Jones and a reed section with
Marshall Royal,
Frank Foster,
Frank Wess, and
Ernie Wilkins, along with a dependable rhythm section anchored by
Basie's longtime rhythm guitarist,
Freddie Green. The
Basie band explores ten originals, most of which were written by either
Neal Hefti or
Manny Albam. While none of the numbers seemed to stay in the band book for all that long, the consistently swinging performances and tasty solos make this reissue, which is available only until May 2005, worth the attention of swing fans. ~ Ken Dryden