Count Basie

Give Me The Simple Life

Count Basie recorded this chart in 1959 on the Roulette label, featuring Frank Wess on Flute. The song itself formed the basis of Hefti's 'Flight Of The Foo Birds', though the changes are not identical. On the original Basie version Alto 1 doubles Flute, with all other saxes doubling Clarinet. We recognize that not all bands have this doubling capability, so we have scored the reverse of the reed parts as a regular (AATTB) sax section. The only double then required is a short 4 measure passage for Alto 1 on Clarinet in the intro. This chart is a great swinger, and the brass ranges are quite moderate. The Flute (Alto) solo is improvised from the chords provided.