Basie

Count Basie's career saw a new phase with the release of his album on Roulette Records late in 1957. Morris Levy, a NYC recording mogul, club owner, and jukebox operator, owned the record label. His bold, forward-thinking approach surprised core fans and newcomers alike. The two-day sessions featured Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Neal Hefti's arrangements, with Davis's solo on the rewrite of "Give Me the Simple Life," standing out. Joe Newman and Thad Jones's muted trumpets featured on "Duet," while Basie played the fewest notes possible to surprise and impress on "The Kid From Red Bank." The Basie band's reply to Ellington's "Mood Indigo" was "Li'l Darlin'."