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Review by gonzostick July 19, 2009 (3 of 4 found this review helpful)
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The sound is great and that is the only good thing to say about this turkey.
The singer with this band is one of the worst big band singers I have EVER heard. She takes "Body and Soul" and turns it into a pitch salad of notes that are simply tasteless! Also, she tries to sing high notes that are almost always flat, when she pushes her voice, trying to be hyperdramatic. Worse still, her improvisation talents are not a talent, at all.
The band's playing, though fast, has NO real swing and soul. These charts have been played by this band for so many years, they are lifeless. The classic fast tunes are played so fast by these hyperproficient musicians, that they miss the music and the backbeat swing of this music. What a waste! I guess someone has a zombie version of swing now. This is animated, but dead in life.
The band's new pianist makes the mistake Count Basie worked SO hard to avoid: TOO MANY NOTES. Every time he goes for a solo, he goes bananas trying to show how much he can play. That is wrong on so many levels, if this is REALLY a Count Basie Orchestra, and the pianist should know better. Either this band is true to its tradition, or it is just another stage band, just going through the motions.
One warning: My copy of the disc would not play the final cut, April In Paris. It refused to track on my Pioneer universal disc player. I got this from an import dealer.
The best Basie in High-Res Surround is am old Denon DVD-Audio disc that may still be available used. The performances on that one are excellent, and there is no goofy, squaky singer.
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