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. ~ John Bush