From his earliest days in territory bands in the Southwest, Count Basie had a secret: How to make a collection of instrumentalists generate rhythmic thrust so irresistible that no listener’s foot could remain motionless.

Basie’s swing was the opposite of tense. Relaxed is what it was, and powerful. Through five and a half decades, Basie never lost the ability to infect a band with his swing magic. This edition of his swing machine, recorded just a couple of years before his death, is evidence of the continuing force of that magic.

Cut from metal parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket.