Count Basie & Dizzy Gillespie - The Gifted Ones (Pablo)

The aging father of bop meets the aged father of swing in a shag-carpeted Vegas studio circa ’77. Despite what faction-minded spectators might imagine, it’s far from an oil and water mingling. Dizzy had deep roots in swing and here sounds perfectly willing to temper his battery of bop firepower to align with his elder’s less loquacious leanings. Basie’s predisposition toward pianistic pith leaves plenty of harmonic space to fill while still stabilizing the tunes’ hoary blues edifices. Bassist Ray Brown and drummer Mickey Roker settle into support roles that sublimely support both sides. No surprise in terms of songbook, but the rendering of the antiquated “St. James Infirmary” speaks to the strengths of all involved with a memorable canopy of melancholy. Basie’s economy is the epitome of easygoing confidence. Dizzy drawls long textured lines, often fixing a mute to his bell to advance a ventriloquist’s array of inflections and effects. The session photos further convey the casual feel with the heart patch stitched into Dizzy’s denim jeans echoing the soul patch hanging beneath his lower lip. The phrase “past their prime” might be applicable in a superficial sense, but this pair had an audible knack for sidestepping such shortsighted descriptions.