Basie Jam in Bloomington, MN

The official start of
Count Basie
's decade-long association with
Norman Granz
's Pablo label was a bit disappointing, an all-star cast (with trumpeter
Harry "Sweets" Edison
, trombonist J.J.
Johnson
and tenors
Eddie Davis
and Zoot Sims) playing one blues after another. Reasonably pleasing but uninspired, there would be many better
Basie
dates coming up. ~ Scott Yanow