• Track Listing

Here are the Decca beginnings of one of the mightiest big bands to ever walk the Earth! Actually, among these 63 (mostly big-band) tracks are some quartet performances with Fred Green, Walter Page and Joe Jones. You get Basie’s breakthrough hits "One O’Clock Jump," "Sent for You Yesterday and Here You Come Today," "Doggin’ Around," "Stop Beatin’ Round the Mulberry Bush" (two takes of that one), "Mama Don’t Want No Peas An’ Rice An’ Coconut Oil," "Jumpin’ at the Woodside," "Red Wagon," Basie’s spins on "Oh, Lady Be Good," "Cherokee," "Honeysuckle Rose" and more hard-swingin’ stuff featuring vocals by Jimmy Rushing and Helen Humes, musicians including Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison and more! Acrobat.