Corner Pocket appeared on Count Basie's April in Paris album in 1956. The track was composed by Basie guitarist Freddie Green and arranged by Ernie Wilkins. The song and arrangement are perfect in every way. The melody is catchy and the arrangement builds, resolves and builds again. I don't know what it is about Corner Pocket, but each time I hear it I'm suddenly in a great mood.
Here's a fun fact: Corner Pocket was first recorded in February 1955 on All I Wanna Do Is Swing, by the Joe Newman Octet. It was arranged for eight players by Wilkins. Basie obviously heard the song, liked it and asked Wilkins to widen the arrangement for his band.
Here's Corner Pocket from Count Basie's album April in Paris, featuring Wendell Culley, Reunald Jones, Joe Newman and Thad Jones (tp); Henry Coker, Bill Hughes and Benny Powell (tb); Marshal Royal and Bill Graham (as); Frank Wess and Frank Foster (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bar); Count Basie (p); Freddie Green (g); Eddie Jones (b) and Sonny Payne (d)...
Here's Count Basie's band performing the song in Stockholm in 1962, with solos by trumpeters Thad Jones and Al Aarons, and tenor saxophonist Frank Wess. Pay particular attention to drummer Sonny Payne. At 4:25, he had the daring to do a left-handed stick twirl. Don't blink or you'll miss it...
And here's the Joe Newman Octet recording the first version of Corner Pocket, featuring Joe Newman (tp), Frank Rehak (tb), Ernie Wilkins (as,arr), Al Cohn (ts) Nat Pierce (p), Freddie Green (g), Milt Hinton (b) and Shadow Wilson (d)...
