Count Basie vs. Duke Ellington, which is greater?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Basie imHo. The music is bluesy and often macho. Very straight-ahead. No snake oil. The music swings and penetrates. The quasi-intellectualism of Ellington is not very appealing to me. Just my personal preference and my humble opinion.

[Brian]

Oooh, this is a very difficult question for me and not one to be answered quickly or easily. But I just want to say at first, I love how much Basie could do as a piano player with only a small number of notes. At times seemingly only one finger. A lot of his solos are the very model of simplicity and perfection. Basie playing single notes with one finger on the piano reminds me of the Japanese Zen visual art of drawing a picture using the fewest brush strokes possible.

[Mirror Image]

Duke Ellington for me. No contest. Now for me to answer why: Ellington, in my mind, has had more interesting recordings, especially the albums from the late 50s until his death. The album was treated with more care and the creativity of some of these albums like the New Orleans Suite remain some of my favorite recordings of all-time. Also, Ellington's partnership with Billy Strayhorn added even more to the sophistication and sheer eloquence of his music. I'll also just go ahead and say it, no one arranged big band music like the Duke.

Some important Ellington albums for me:

[Roasted Swan]

Basie is brilliant at what he does.  Ellington pushes the envelope more - with great success and on occasion clunking failures.... but I like that he tries.  So its Ellington for me

[Mirror Image]

Basie is brilliant at what he does.  Ellington pushes the envelope more - with great success and on occasion clunking failures.... but I like that he tries.  So its Ellington for me

I'll also add to my previous comments that the harmonic ingenuity of Ellington is what puts him ahead of Count Basie for me.

[Brian]

Although they were "rival" bandleaders and did the same job, I don't really think of them in the same way at all, because Basie was a fun creator of musical jams while Ellington was one of America's great composers. It's like comparing the best sandwich shop to the best five-star restaurant.

There's only one correct answer:

[Mirror Image]

Although they were "rival" bandleaders and did the same job, I don't really think of them in the same way at all, because Basie was a fun creator of musical jams while Ellington was one of America's great composers. It's like comparing the best sandwich shop to the best five-star restaurant.

There's only one correct answer:

I don't buy into the whole "greater" aspect of Manubu's topic. I'm simply choosing my own preference, which is really what everyone is doing here essentially, because as you wrote, Basie and Ellington couldn't be any more different from the other.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Sounds like I asked which is greater Salmon sushi or NY Yankees. 

My fav Basie albums are below. Blues, blues, and blues.

[vers la flamme]

Manabu, I've got you to thank for sparking my interest in Basie by creating this thread, which I stumbled upon about a month ago. I ended up ordering this:



... and have been listening to it nonstop. All four are solid records, but my favorite I think is April in Paris. Basie's recording of that particular standard is just killer.

As for the Duke, I have just one album of his, Ellington Uptown. It's awesome, and I'd love to hear more. If anyone else would care to recommend a one- or two-disc compilation of his earlier recordings, I'm up for it. Failing that I see there's already some other recommendations here for me to work through, though it looks like it's mostly later work.

[KevinP]

Ellington in the 40s is some of the best American music ever. Alas, sound quality has been a major culprit on CD releases.

With Basie, you're mainly talking about two different bands: the Old Testament Band and the New Testament one. The former was disbanded, and when Basie reformed the orchestra, it was a very different band in a very different era. What you're listening to above is New. Despite the differences, either band at their best was simply amazing.

For Old, seek out America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years (out of print now, but cheaply acquired used) and/or The Complete Decca Recordings 1937-1939 (still in print, but inexpensive used copies are easily found).

[vers la flamme]

Ellington in the 40s is some of the best American music ever. Alas, sound quality has been a major culprit on CD releases.

With Basie, you're mainly talking about two different bands: the Old Testament Band and the New Testament one. The former was disbanded, and when Basie reformed the orchestra, it was a very different band in a very different era. What you're listening to above is New. Despite the differences, either band at their best was simply amazing.

For Old, seek out America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years (out of print now, but cheaply acquired used) and/or The Complete Decca Recordings 1937-1939 (still in print, but inexpensive used copies are easily found).

I shall look out for those earlier Basie comps. Thanks!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ellington in the 40s is some of the best American music ever. Alas, sound quality has been a major culprit on CD releases.

With Basie, you're mainly talking about two different bands: the Old Testament Band and the New Testament one. The former was disbanded, and when Basie reformed the orchestra, it was a very different band in a very different era. What you're listening to above is New. Despite the differences, either band at their best was simply amazing.

For Old, seek out America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years (out of print now, but cheaply acquired used) and/or The Complete Decca Recordings 1937-1939 (still in print, but inexpensive used copies are easily found).

Posthumous Basie band is great as well, and I love their recordings!

[KevinP]

I agree. They defied the odds and continued to evolve.