Count Basie and the Kansas City 7

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

One of Count Basie's few small-group sessions of the '60s was his best. With trumpeter Thad Jonesand tenors Frank Foster and Eric Dixon filling in the septet, Basie is in superlative form on a variety of blues, standards and two originals apiece from Thad Jones and Frank Wess. Small-group swing at its best.

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Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 is an album by American jazz bandleader and pianist Count Basie featuring small group performances recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label.^[1]



Track listing 

1. "Oh, Lady Be Good!" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:40
2. "Secrets" (Frank Wess) – 4:08
3. "I Want a Little Girl" (Murray Mencher, Billy Moll) – 4:16
4. "Shoe Shine Boy" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin) – 4:07
5. "Count's Place" (Count Basie) – 5:28
6. "Senator Whitehead" (Wess) – 4:12
7. "Tally-Ho, Mr. Basie!" (Basie) – 4:28  
8. "What'cha Talkin'?" (Thad Jones) – 4:59 

• Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 21, 1962 (tracks 2, 6 & 8), and March 22, 1962 (tracks 1, 3-5 & 7)

Personnel 

• Count Basie – piano, organ
• Thad Jones – trumpet
• Frank Wess – flute, alto flute (tracks 2, 6 & 8)
• Frank Foster – tenor saxophone, clarinet (tracks 1, 3-5 & 7)
• Eric Dixon – tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
• Freddie Green – guitar
• Eddie Jones – bass
• Sonny Payne – drums

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