JOE TURNER WITH COUNT BASIE
Flip, Flop & Fly (Pablo/OJC)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Big Joe Turner and Count Basie were quite familiar with one another in the Kansas City jazz scene of the 1940s. Here they are, thirty years later, playing in Frankfurt, Germany, with the great singer fronting the Count's big band, and even though you know it can't possibly be as magical as it would have been in KC in the day, there's something happening in these speakers.

Maybe it's the banter between Turner and the musicians, something that always pulls the listener into the moment. There certainly seemed to be some genuine affection between the singer and all the musicians, including their leader, Count Basie. Or maybe it's hearing Joe in front of a big band instead of the small combos we're used to hearing him front. Or it could just be the excitement of the big name pairing, or even the excitement of hearing saxman Lockjaw Davis take off on "Flip, Flop and Fly,". Could be the whole band, one of Basie's best later-day groups, with Al Grey, Mel Wanzo, Bill Hughs and Bob Hooks on trombones, Pete Minger, Sonny Cohn, Paul Cohen, and Wayman Reed on trumpets, Curtis Peagler, Bobby Plater, Eric Dixon, John Williams and the aforementioned Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis on saxophones, Freddie Green on guitar, Norman Keenan on bass and Sonny Payne on drums.

Aw, knock it off, it's all of that, but what it really is is the way these elder statesmen brought their very best, and how they totally and clearly turned Frankfurt into Kansas City, if just for a few evenings. "I beg ya, Mr. Count Basie - Play the blues for me - I want ya to hit a high note - Play like ya used to play it way down in KC." That's what Big Joe said, and that the Count did. Highly recommended.

Track List:

Hide & Seek * TV Mama * Corrina Corrina * Cherry Red * Shake, Rattle & Roll * Since I Fell For You * Flip, Flop & Fly * Everyday I Have The Blues * Good Morning Blues

© 2001 - DJ Johnson