Drummer
Donnie O'Brien could have played it safe. He could've easily picked lesser-known
Basie standards and done the whole project by the numbers. Instead, he gathered tenor
Carmen Leggio, guitarist
Bucky Pizzarelli, pianist
John Bunch, and bassist
Jay Leonhart, and attempted to capture the spirit of the innovative bandleader on a handful of his most familiar pieces.
Meets Manhattan Swing in a Basie Mood may be a rather cumbersome title, but the music is never awkward. The set fearlessly begins with "One O'Clock Jump" before delivering a handful of fresh interpretations of classic material like "Lester Leaps In" and "Body and Soul."
Leggio offers a solid link to traditional saxophonists like
Lester Young and
Illinois Jacquet. Both
Bunch and
Pizzarelli have also made fine albums for Arbors, and they turn in exceptional work here.
Bunch hints at
Basie's spare style without imitating it, while
Pizzarelli delivers a potent combination of chords and single note leads. There's also a guest appearance by his son,
John Pizzarelli, on "Lester Leaps In." Keeping everyone swinging along are
Leonhart, and of course, leader
O'Brien. The choice of material, spacious arrangements, and inspired takes shows that all of these players would've fit right into
Basie's lineup between 1936-45. A fun album lovingly performed. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.