Music DVD Review: Count Basie & His Orchestra (Featuring Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis) -- Live in Berlin & Stockholm 1968

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Legend has it that William Basie earned the handle of "Count" from an impressed radio announcer or emcee after realizing "there was already a King (of swing, Benny Goodman), a Duke (Ellington) and an Earl (Hines)."

And while the title of Count mostly brings up images of the number happy Sesame Street character who lived and breathed arithmetic to those in my generation-- Mr. Basie applied the same type of left brain logic with a splendid amount of right brain creativity-- in developing one of the most extraordinary American bands of the twentieth century.



Still going strong today after more than twenty years following Basie's death and led by bass trombonist Bill Hughes who appears in both concert venues featured on the DVD-- musician Count Basie and his incredible orchestra provided that rare "happy ending" case in the history of jazz as it managed to move with the times by embracing and conquering every form from Dixie to Swing to Big Band.

Moreover, Basie helped launch the careers of so many masters-- surrounding himself only with the best but always selflessly promoting the many talented soloists and musical arrangers throughout his extraordinary career (including Lester Young, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Quincy Jones, Neal Hefti, Sam Nestico, Richard Boone, Bobby Plater, Eric Dixon, Marshall Royal, Freddie Green, Marlena Shaw, and many, many more.

While 1968 found America in a state of political and social turmoil during the Vietnam War era, leaders and public figures assassinated, the Black Panther party gaining momentum, and women starting to fight for their own sexual revolution-- it's hard to imagine Basie's jazz music as a companion to the year that seems to come complete with its own trippy rock soundtrack. Yet, Basie still remained popular-- essentially leading his orchestra for roughly fifty years during his lifetime.

With a sound that "was characterized by a light swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano" and focused on "generous soloing" and "lively ensemble work," so that it was a complete team effort-- while he'll always be known as the man with the delicate touch on the keyboard, perhaps the best assessment of his magic was in the argument one writer proclaimed that "his instrument was his band."

And in 1968, he was still going strong despite the turmoil back home as the child who grew up dreaming "of a traveling life, inspired by the carnivals which came to town," and his frequent escape to the silent movies (where one day--playing by ear-- he filled in for the absent pianist and discovered the art of improvisation), fulfilled his desire for adventure by taking Europe by storm. And directly in the eye of the Basie tornado of swing in Europe, in this newly released Impro-Jazz all region compatible roughly seventy minute DVD, viewers can sit spellbound as it charts vintage performances he gave in Berlin, Germany and Stockholm, Sweden.

A terrific find for jazz lovers-- surprisingly, although the footage seems a bit grainy with a distant hiss sound when the DVD begins, soon Basie launches us fully into the sounds of his enormous orchestra in two concerts that could also serve as a wonderful piece of background music for an intimate dinner party or '60s themed evening in.

The concert footage features rows and rows of musicians and in the selection of tracks managing to move forwards and backwards in time to play his first big hit "One O'Clock Jump," (in the closing of the Berlin concert) along with some tracks that feel far more contemporary such as Eric Dixon's incredible "Blues For Ilean" which sounds as though it wouldn't have been out of place in a Henry Mancini score or as a new theme song for TV's Get Smart.

"California Soul" singer Marlena Shaw--who was the first female artist ever signed to the famous Blue Note Jazz label-- appears for a few great renditions on the DVD. In her four year career singing with Count Basie's orchestra following her word-of-mouth breakthrough "wowing audiences in the Catskills, Playboy clubs and various other East Coast venues," and the phenomenally successful recording of her song "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" which impressed the Count-- we get a great sense of her dynamic range on this riveting DVD.

For, just like Basie who made the orchestra his instrument, Shaw manages to move around the register in varying deliveries to become that rare singer who both seems like both a soloist and an integral one-of-a-kind instrument in her own right. While it's often easy for a singer to either overpower a band or find their own voice overpowered by a few instruments, let alone the massively intricate small town sized one run by Basie-- her standout track on this DVD is when she appears to perform"Bill Bailey" before she tops herself again in the achy and soulful "Muddy Water Blues."

Featuring some incredible saxophone solos and outstanding numbers like "Cherokee," the standard jazz classic "A Night in Tunisia," the beautifully wistful sounds of "Lonely Street" that make it seem as though it were ideal for a lovelorn Woody Allen movie, soon the thirteen track performance in Berlin moves us right into Stockholm. Once in Sweden and despite some mic difficulties at the start--the camera work appears to be much more creative, really focusing on the specific performers themselves.

Although a majority of the tracks in the very brief Stockholm section are repeats (although I'm sure nobody would complain at the chance of hearing an even better rendition of "All Of Me," and the awesome "Blues For Ilean" and "Cherokee" again), the first track is one of the best on the DVD as we hear Neal Hefti's "Splanky" which is so inviting, we even see members of the band unable to stop tapping their feet or bobbing their head as though they were audience members listening for the first time.

A solid, unselfish and highly entertaining group that seems to be the epitome of teamwork but still managing to give every incredible member a chance to shine in the spotlight-- while Basie fans may just be interested in picking it up simply for the Count himself-- seeing the entire orchestra in action makes you realize that in music, what you hear is only half the story.

Likewise, being given a chance to travel back in time to witness these vital performances makes one appreciate the songs and the man you thought you knew on a whole other level-- since there would be no orchestra without Count Basie and without the orchestra there would be no Count Basie.

DVD Track List

Berlin, Germany, November 9, 1968

1) All Of Me
2) Hittin' Twelve
3) Blues For Ilean
4) Bill Bailey
5) On A Clear Day
6) Cherokee
7) Good Time Blues
8) A Night In Tunisia
9) Muddy Water Blues
10) Whirly-Bird
11) Lonely Street
12) The Magic Flea
13) One O'Clock Jump


Stockholm, Sweden, November 12, 1968

14) Splanky
15) All Of Me
16) Hittin' Twelve
17) Blues For Ilean
18) Cherokee

Soundtrack Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Music From the Motion Picture (2 CD Set)

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Adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's intriguing short story about a child who is born elderly and then ages backwards for director David Fincher (Zodiac, Fight Club, Seven) by Forrest Gump and Munich screenwriter Eric Roth, the critically acclaimed big screen version of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will arrive in theatres on Christmas Day.

A sweeping epic with a running time nearing the three hour mark, Button stars Brad Pitt in the titular role alongside the multiple award-winning cast including Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond and Elias Koteas. While the circular nature of time and aging calls up images of clocks and mirrors to such an extent that mirror images abound throughout the 2-Disc beautifully packaged CD soundtrack set as Pitt and Blanchett are on opposite sides of the cover and the CDs themselves look like exact opposites with Disc 1 appearing with normal left to right font and Disc 2 presented with a backwards label, it's perhaps most intriguing that a composer also decided to also use this motif musically throughout.

The talented Oscar nominated and Award-winning Parisian born Alexandre Desplat (who has also crafted superb soundtracks for The Painted Veil, Lust Caution, Casanova and The Queen) is already generating as much Oscar buzz to equal the other talented involved in Fincher's film including the actors, screenwriter, and director. Highly sophisticated and classy, Desplat's score echoes the best loved cinematic soundtracks of the twentieth century by instantly transporting the listener to the various times and places that exist in the course of Button's life which spans from his birth at the end of World War I and death just before Hurricaine Katrina strikes New Orleans.

Reminiscent of the scores utilized in some of Hitchock's most romantic yet intriguing work like Rear Window and Vertigo along with the scores that caused the tears to flow heavily in the '50s films of director Douglas Sirk, Desplat's unique creation was composed with his strict goal to remain "powerful, yet very silent... delicate and prudent-- never showing off-- while always conveying the character's underlying emotions... [such as Benjamin Button's] great empathy with his situation as it illuminates his moments of sadness and questioning."

While the first disc is comprised entirely of Desplat's original score which was also conducted and produced by the composer along with Executive Album Producer and Sound Designer Ren Klycee who helped him "enlist... 87 exceptional musicians of the Hollywood Studio Symphony." Released by Concord Music Group, the remarkable transfer quality of the score is first rate and manages to avoid the trappings typical for soundtracks of forcing listeners to crank the volume up to ear piercing levels to catch the faintest sound of a bow on a violin string before the orchestra joins in.

As Pitt's character meets Blanchett's Daisy in "Meeting Daisy," Desplat begins the unabashedly romantic and old fashioned score that segues perfectly into the Sirk-like "A New Life," before humor and mystery arrive in the Hitchcockian "Love in Murmansk." Fitting for the enigmatic main character, "Mr. Button," sounds perfectly mysterious and Desplat grows livelier in various compositions that compliment the action listed in the track titles such as "Children's Games," and "Growing Younger" (which you can stream here in .qtl or .asx).

However, the standout of the album is the amazingly elegant and piano heavy closing track, "Benjamin and Daisy" (stream here via .qtl or .asx) that again makes you sense the mirror motif used throughout as each hand playing the keys acts as the perfect mate of the other.

In fact as the Concord release notes, "to mirror Benjamin's retrograde existence, Desplat created a main theme that can be played backwards as well as forwards," as likewise "other themes come and go, and chords switch from major to minor, as the clock ticks and characters disappear from the story."

Describing the experience as giving him "everything that a film can offer to a composer: A humanistic script by Eric Roth of a man's epic journey living his life biologically in reverse through a century, a heartbreaking love story played with intensity by two of the most glamorous and gifted actors of our times, the pulse of jazz in the city where he was born, a twist of witty humor, the metaphysical question of death, and the pure visual magic created by a genius director."

And it's precisely those ingredients including the pulse of magical jazz of New Orleans that make up the far more spirited and eclectic second disc of songs. Weaving in the dialogue of Pitt (in character) as well as other actors and actual historical sources (including FDR's "a date which will live in infamy") to establish the timeline, Button's second CD is filled with blues, jazz, Dixie, Big Band, standards, and '50s classics that kick off right away with the New Orleans sounding "We Shall Walk Through the Streets of the City," and followed up by some terrific cuts including the fun "Ostrich Walk," the sounds of tap shoes accentuating the beat of The Boswell Sisters' "That's How Rhythm Was Born," before it moves into cool and moodier blues territory with the Dixie-esque "Freight Train Blues" (which is not included in the film) and "Basin Street Blues."

Also providing some sultry and playful works by Louis Armstrong including "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)" and the wonderful "Dear Old Southland," a few of my other favorites included the remarkable and bittersweet "Out of Nowhere" by Sidney Bechet that follows up Pitt's dialogue marvelously in giving us a better insight to the character's loneliness and struggle to return home along with the lively Latin optimistic rhythms of "Skokiaan."

Additionally featuring the beautiful piano piece "Arabeske," as well as the heartbreaking and yearning "My Prayer" by The Platters before closing with "Bethena (A Concert Waltz)," it serves as a far reaching and wonderfully fulfilling musical experience for the listener by serving up such a mesmerizing musical variety that helps us-- even before we see the film-- try to gather all of the facts to solve David Fincher's Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Disc 1: Score

(Original Score Composed, Conducted and Produced by Alexandre Desplat)
1. Postcards (2:51)
2. Mr. Gateau (3:02)
3. Meeting Daisy (1:22)
4. A New Life (3:39)
5. Love in Murmansk (3:53)
6. Meeting Again (2:41)
7. Mr. Button (2:05)
8. "Little Man" Oti (2:02)
9. Alone at Night (2:33)
10. It Was Nice to Have Met You (1:43)
11. Children’s Games (4:10)
12. Submarine Attack (2:40)
13. The Hummingbird (2:35)
14. Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain (3:33)
15. Daisy’s Ballet Career (2:03)
16. The Accident (2:38)
17. Stay Out of My Life (1:44)
18. Nothing Lasts (2:54)
19. Some Things You Never Forget (1:36)
20. Growing Younger (2:14)
21. Dying Away (2:58)
22. Love Returns (1:44)
23. Benjamin and Daisy (2:32)

Disc 2: Songs

1. “My name is Benjamin” – Benjamin Button (:27)
2. We Shall Walk Through the Streets of the City – Doc Paulin’s Marching Band (3:17)
(Traditional)
Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Records
3. “Some days I feel different” – Queenie & Benjamin Button (:21)
4. Ostrich Walk – Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra featuring Bix Beiderbecke (3:12)
(Edwin Edwards/James La Rocca/H.N. Ragas/Anthony Sbarbaro/Larry Shields)
5. “How old are you?” – Benjamin Button & The Preacher (:11)
6. That's How Rhythm Was Born – The Boswell Sisters (2:57)
(Nat Burton/J.C. Johnson/George Whiting)
7. “When was the last time you had a woman?” – Benjamin Button & Captain Mike (:18)
8. Freight Train Blues – Billie & DeDe Pierce (5:34)
(Traditional) Arranged by Billie Pierce
9. Basin Street Blues – Preservation Hall Jazz Band (7:36)
(Spencer Williams)
Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc. (ASCAP)
10. “Thanksgiving, 1930” – Benjamin Button (:07)
11. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) – Louis Armstrong and His Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra (3:36) (Henry Creamer/James Johnson)
12. “What's YOUR secret?” – Captain Mike & Benjamin Button (:28)
13. Chanson Sur Staline – Choeur de la Cathedral de la Rue Daru, Paris XVII (3:09)
(Matvey Blanter/Alexej Surkov)
14. “A date which will live in infamy...” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1941 (:19)
15. Arabeske for Piano in C Major Op. 18 (3:23)
(Robert Schumann)
16. “Coming home” – Benjamin Button (:12)
17. Out of Nowhere – Sidney Bechet (3:04)
(Johnny Green/Edward Heyman)
18. Dear Old Southland – Louis Armstrong (3:19)
(Henry Creamer/Turner Layton)
19. “Defined by opportunities” – Benjamin Button (:05)
20. “Skokiaan- Perez Prado & His Orchestra (2:38)
21. “Things Are Becoming Different For Me…”- Benjamin Button (:17)
22. “My Prayer”- The Platters (2:46)
23: “Bethena (A Concert Waltz)- Randy Kerber (5:43)