April in Paris (album) April in Paris (album) April in Paris is an album by pianist/bandleader Count Basie and His Orchestra, his first released on the Verve label, recorded in 1955 and 1956. AllMusic awarded the album 5 stars calling it "one of those rare albums that makes its mark as an almost instant classic in the jazz pantheon" and noting ""April in Paris" proved Count Basie's ability to grow through modern jazz changes while keeping the traditional jazz orchestra vital and alive". The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said it was "a commercial high point for this outfit". The Penguin Guide to Jazz
April in Paris Ball Ball was the brainchild of Claude Philippe, the banquet manager of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria, with the chief goal being to improve Franco-American relations, to share cultures, and to help provide assistance to US and French charities, aside from commemorating the 2000th anniversary of the founding of Paris. The first ball was called the Paris Birthday Ball and was held on May 7, 1951. When the ball became an annual event, its name became the April in Paris Ball. While the hotel's management handled invitations and publicity, other details were coordinated by socialites. Elsa Maxwell was given the primary responsibility