LP-717

Frank Foster - Basie Is Our Boss

Released 1963

Recording and Session Information

Al Aarons, trumpet; Frank Foster, tenor saxophone; Eric Dixon, tenor saxophone, flute; John Young, piano; Buddy Catlett, bass; Philip Thomas, drums
RCA Studios, Chicago, February 18 + 20 1963

12234 Vested interest
12235 I've got a lot of living to do
12236 Why try to change me now?
12237 Kelly blue
12238 May we
12239 Samba blues

Track Listing

Vested Interest	Frank Foster	February 18+20 1963
Why Try To Change Me Now	Coleman-McCarthy	February 18+20 1963
May We	Frank Foster	February 18+20 1963
Samba Blues	Esmond Edwards	February 18+20 1963
Kelly Blue	Wynton Kelly	February 18+20 1963
I've Got A Lot Of Living To Do	Adams-Strouse	February 18+20 1963

Liner Notes

ONCE there were numerous big bands. Many of these featured small units within the framework of the larger orchestra. Sometimes they recorded away from the parent organization. If there were several splinter groups, it was always interesting to hear how each reflected the larger band in their own particular way, Now there are just a few practicing big bands of any jazz note. Most of these are the names we have come to know and love through the years. Count Basie is one that has endured. Today, as it was years ago, there are men within his band Who are worth hearing at greater length in the context of the small group.

In July 1953, on the recommendation of Ernie Wilkins and Billy Eckstine, a 24-year-old Frank Foster was hired by Count Basie. It was a move, judging by the longevity of their association, that neither has regretted. Foster, originally from Cincinnati, where he was born in 1928, studied clarinet and saxophone in high school, and later attended Wilberforce University (also in Ohio) where he was a member of the famous Wilberforce Collegians. It wasn't until he started playing around Detroit in 1949-50, however, that he began to be discussed along the musicians' grapevine that extends from coast to coast. This talk was inspired by the saxophone duets that Frank was engaged in with Wardell Gray. While he was in the army between 1951 and 1953, Frank was stationed for a time on the west coast, and again had the opportunity to play with Wardell. Then, after his return from the Far East and subsequent discharge, Foster joined Basie.

There are others present here who also can be found under the Basie banner. All three are comparatively recent additions to the band, that is if you're stacking them up against Foster's employment record.

Tenor man Eric Dixon came over from the Quincy Jones organization in December 1961. He plays a big-toned, warm tenor, but in this album confines it to the ensemble. His solos are blown on the flute, which he also handles in an extremely virile manner. Dixon has the distinction of being one of the few jazzmen from Staten Island. N. Y.

Trumpeter Al Aaron joined Basie in the spring of 1962. In his late twenties, Aaron is originally from Pittsburgh but he did considerable playing in Detroit, including a stint with the Choker Campbell band. Al plays his horn with heat and a real bright sound — the brassy quality comes through even in his muted work. On Samba Blues he can be heard on tambourine.

Buddy Catlett is another relatively recent addition to the Basie band. He was the bassist with the Quincy Jones aggregation that toured Europe in Free and Easy during 1960. Before joining Basie, Catlett free-lanced around New York, appearing with Al Cohn and Zoot Sims (at the Half Note) among others.

Obviously, since he is a pianist, John Young is not one of Count's men. Many of you know him from his trio albums for Argo (Young John Young and Themes and Things). Those of you in Chicago have heard laim first hand at various local clubs. Young, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, came to Chicago at an early age. As a sideman he worked with Andy Kirk, Eddie Chamblee and King Kolax, His own trio, including drummer Phil Thomas, has backed such stars as Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Howard McGhee, Benny Green and Ira Sullivan. Here, with the Basie-ites, Young exhibits a swing that is a looser contrast to his trio work, and an adroit placement of notes that contains much good humor. He and Thomas are fine accompanists. "A piano player can make or break a date — so can a bass player and drummer, individually or collectively". This was Foster's comment when he made clear how fortunate he felt to have the company of Young and Thomas, as well as Catlett.

Foster's talents are not limited to playing the saxophone, as anyone who has heard his arrangements for Basie will testify. Here he is represented by two original lines and all the charting, wherever it was required.

Vesteå Interest, a blues with a minor-key bridge added, is Frank's tune. The title stems from the way comedian Nipsey Russell used the phrase in his act. From the opening mood set by Young, this one moves along in a medium groove that never falters.

May We, a verbal play in a French expression, is also Foster's. It's romping and stomping from bar one. Again Young has the first solo — this time after the theme — and he keeps things going with some Monkish asides. Choruses by Dixon and Aaron lead to a climatic set by Foster.

Samba Blues, is more southside than South American. If the beat isn't exactly bossa nova, it is latin with appropriate solos by all four principals.

Wynton Kelly's Kelly Blue starts off in a more of Hibernian bag but it gets down home before very long. Al Aaron really shouts on this one.

The slow ballad of the date is Why Try to Change Me Now. Foster heard Frank Sinatra's record on the radio and liked it immediately. He "sings" it romantically but is never over-sentimental. Young assists with a pleasant interlude. Foster's approach here shows his link to Wardell Gray.

One of the high points of the album is reached in I've Got A Lot of Do. When the BasiÉ band was at the Waldorf, the Hi-Los were on the same show and Foster became familiar with the song through their version. His arrangement has much color and rhythmic variety. It begins in 6/8 and shifts into 4/4 in the bridge of the second chorus before sliding back into 6/8. Listen to Frank's break at the beginning of the second chorus. It leads him beautifully into a strong, controlled improvisation that is his tour de force of the set. Like many contemporary tenor men, he has been touched by John Coltrane, but he is a mature enough musician to maintain his own important identity.

These are the Count's men — Basie is their boss. Paced by Frank Foster, they represent themselves, as well as their regular leader, in fine style. In reply to "Basie is our Boss" Count should be proud to state, "There are my men!"

IRA GITLER