These recordings represent the full flowering of the Kansas City jazz sound in the mid- to late ‘30s. The “Old Testament” Basie band, distinct from the postwar incarnation, could barrel through like a freight train or caress a slow tempo like no one ever had. The power and nuance of bassist Walter Page and drummer “Papa” Jo Jones, the jaw-dropping melodic invention of tenor saxophonist Lester Young (one of the most influential soloists in jazz history): These are just some of the elements that made the band so revolutionary.