Count Basie – The Complete Decca Recordings GRP GRD-3-611 (1992)
Good stuff, of course, though I could do without some of the tracks, mostly cuts with vocalists that bore me. For a more potent distillation of what you find here, I heartily recommend The Best of Early Basie. If you want a full overview of the kings of the swing era big bands, try Fletcher Henderson‘s Wrappin’ It Up, Ellington‘s The Blanton-Webster Band (reissued as Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band) and the aforementioned The Best of Early Basie. From there, you can check out Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, Jimmie Lunceford, Jay McShann, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, you name it.