Remastered, this black and white footage culled from a 1977 appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival by pianist Count Basie and his orchestra features an opening narration by eminent jazz critic Nat Hentoff. And of course this concert resides as one of impresario, Norman Granz' fabled, Jazz in Montreux productions. Nonetheless, this 45 minute concert highlights classic Basie and the art of big band swing: Arguably, he wrote the book.

As most of us would surmise, The Count steers his orchestra thru classics such as the "Jumpin' at the Woodside", amid a rollicking and jaunty rendition of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia", among other favorites. Eloquent, jovial and focused, Basie abides by the old adage, that "less is more". He often accents and counterbalances these arrangements with trickles and nicely-placed harmonics, while providing the foundation for several medium-tempo swing vamps. Shaded with toe-tapping grooves, punchy brass arrangements and other signature components, the camera crew often zooms in on The Count, caressing the keys in workmanlike fashion. Burly, blues drenched solos by tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest signify one of the many highpoints, while trombonist Al Grey soothes the proceedings down a bit via his sanguine lines on "The More I See You". In addition, Basie parlays his stride-piano influences during the band?s power-packed execution of "One O'Clock Jump". Overall, this is a delightful video that provides fond memories of concert-hall based jazz, presented in its truest form by one of the genre's bona fide heroes.

- Glenn Astarita (for EJAZZNEWS.com)