A summit meeting of two brilliant musicians who loved the blues: “The Bosses” is an album by American blues shouter “Big Joe” Turner, produced by Count Basie. Recorded in 1973 under the direction of legendary producer Norman Granz, “The Bosses” was released later that year on his renowned Pablo label. A review by Scott Yanow on AllMusic gave the album four stars, calling it one of the best albums of Turner’s later career.
The stellar lineup—including Irving Ashby on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Louie Bellson on drums, Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet, J. J. Johnson on trombone, and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone—ensures that the essence of Kansas City permeates the album’s tracks. The essence, of course, is the blues, and every man in the band is a master: their backgrounds span every jazz milieu, from the 12th Street clubs where Southwest Swing matured to the breeding grounds of bebop in Harlem. The shared language of the blues and Count Basie’s catalytic keyboard playing bind them together, supporting Big Joe Turner, who, like no other vocalist, was able to express the power, tenderness, despair, and joy of the blues.
As part of the “Pablo Reissue Series,” Analogue Productions honors this masterful album with a sonically superior reissue, lovingly mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. The LP, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at industry leader Quality Record Pressings (QRP) and cut at 33 rpm, comes in a tip-on sleeve from Stoughton Printing.
