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116 JAZZ
to spring from that city was that of Bennie Moten whose Kansas City Orchestra included pianist William Basie. The important year for 'Kay-Cee' band jazz were between 1926 and 1928, during which period the band recorded the ten fine titles on HMV DLP 1057.
Moten's premature death in 1935 left the reins of the band in the capable hands of William 'Count5 Basie who then carried on the riff-laden, Blues-inspired negro swing music to formidable heights; so much so that, today, Basie is regarded as the forerunner of negro modern progressions in jazz. First his richly laden work of the 'thirties is exemplified by "One O'clock Jump" and other pieces by Count Basie and his Orchestra on Brunswick LAT 8028; then, to offer a rewarding comparison which is so necessary to appreciate the growing force of this tremendous outfit, "Dance Session" on Clef 33 CX 10007, supervised by Norman Granz.
Another superb negro band is led by Edward Kennedy Ellington, and this too has carried on its own tradition, unmarred by warring elements and outside influences. But whereas Basie has become the logical sire of a whole school of jazz thought among coloured jazzmen, 'Duke' Ellington has pursued a very personal path. Again, two LPs are necessary if you are to assess his work even vaguely: "Saturday Night Function" by Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra (HMV DLP 1094)—this covers the embryonic period between 1927 and 1929—and |
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