Sunday, August 9, 2015

Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 MCA/Impulse! 1986/1962

Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 MCA/Impulse! 1986/1962 (repress) CAT# MCA-5656

Pretty clever album with Count Basie and smaller ensemble...7 as the title implies. It was originally released on the legendary Impulse! label in 1962 and is typically referred to as one of Basie's best outings from the 60s.

This is a MCA Impulse! reissue from the 80's, I guess when Blue Note, Impulse!, and Jazz saw a brief form of coolness in again in the mid-80's. It's a nice pressing, remastered, but it's easy to pick up clean and sounds just fine, although, any snob would tell you an original is the only way to go.

As for the Kansas City 7, it's mostly a namesake and a nod to where Count Basie got his cool from. However, flutist Frank Wess was a native Kansas Citian. Further, most the players did spend time with Basie at his peak in the 50's and throughout the time Basie called KC his home.

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