Count Basie Orchestra

The Count passed away back in 1984, yet his unparalleled swinging machine has kept humming along. On this set, the Basie band pays tribute to many of the greatest jazz artists of all time and is joined by luminaries of old (Quincy Jones, Frank Wess and others) and new (Nnenna Freelon and Jamie Cullum, among them). Jones penned "Jessica's Day" for his old boss, but Basie never got around to recording it. The rendition of it here -- along with many other tracks -- shows that the Basie band still has the Count looking down on them. The band remains the definition of swing and grace.