July 19, 2025
Basie Rocks!
Count Basie Orchestra with Deborah Silver
(Green Hill)
by Scott Yanow
Combine the powerful vocalist Deborah Silver (who
can sing swinging jazz), the Count Basie Orchestra,
top-shelf arrangements (by John Clayton, Andy
Farber, Kris Johnson and bandleader Scotty Barnhart)
and guest spots from Arturo Sandoval, Kurt Elling,
Trombone Shorty, Bill Frisell, George Coleman and
Wycliffe Gordon—and what does one get? The answer,
which doesn’t immediately come to mind is: eleven
pop/rock songs including the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It
Black”, Elton John’s “Bennie and The Jets”, The Beatles’
“A Hard Day’s Night” and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock
& Roll”.
After Count Basie’s association with Roulette
ended in 1962, his orchestra’s studio recordings
(as opposed to their consistently exciting live
performances) were often erratic as record producers
tried for hits, releasing albums such as This Time By
Basie/Hits Of the 50s and 60s, More Hits Of the 50s and
60s, Pop Goes Basie, Basie’s Beatle Bag, Basie’s In The Bag,
Basie On The Beatles, Basie Meets Bond, and projects in
which the orchestra accompanied Sammy Davis Jr., the
Mills Brothers and Jackie Wilson. Basie Rocks! seems
like a 21st century extension of those albums. While the
Count Basie Orchestra remains one of the world’s few
full-time big bands, still retaining its trademark sound,
its recordings have been relatively few during the past
decade, and often overwhelmed by guest artists. On
this new project, other than a few short solos for tenor-
saxophonist Doug lawrence and a handful of brief
spots, the orchestra is essentially utilized as a backup
band for Deborah Silver, a passionate singer who can
be quite impressive.
Silver tries her best to make listeners forget
the original versions of the eleven pop songs and
occasionally succeeds, but she belts out nearly every
chorus at the same level of intensity and with little
feeling for the lyrics. The few instrumental solos from
guests are just brief bits of seasoning, whether it’s
trumpeter Sandoval hitting some high notes on “Paint
It Black”, Peter Frampton remaking “Baby, I love your
Way”, guitarist Frisell on a relatively straight ahead
“Fly like an Eagle”, or saxophonist Coleman taking a
half-chorus on “Every Breath you Take”. Gordon on
“Old Time Rock & Roll” and Trombone Shorty during
“Joy to the World” sing much more than they are heard
on trombone. It is only on the album closer, Joe Walsh’s
“life’s Been Good”, that a few of the orchestra’s players
have slightly extended solos. Hopefully the next time
around, Scotty Barnhart will actually showcase the
mighty Basie band.
For more info visit greenhillmusic.com.