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One of the all-time Jazz greats, Count Basie enjoyed a flourishing career as a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. His big band, the prominent Count Basie Orchestra, was a dominant and important voice in Jazz for decades, adapting to the changing landscape of Jazz while championing big band music. From its inception, Basie’s band was well known for its outstanding rhythm section of Basie on piano, Freddie Green on guitar, Walter Page on bass, and "Papa" Jo Jones on drums. Known as the "All-American Rhythm Section", they became the gold standard for Swing Era. The groups fame didn't end their, as its long list of talented members included trumpeter Buck Clayton, trombonist Dicky Wells, and jazz tenor saxophonist Lester Young, one of the most important jazz musicians of his day. Basie also had a secret weapon in trombonist and arranger Eddie Durham, whose arrangements gave the Basie band a light, flexible, Bluesy sound that was instantly recognizable.
The Count Basie Orchestra became popular during the height of big band music, and its early sound was noted for its “jumping” beats and the contrapuntal accents of Basie’s piano. Basie developed a highly distinctive and minimalist style to his piano playing, often winnowing his playing down to only a few notes at a time. However, in the post war era, big band music gave way to smaller combos. Basie himself appeared in and led some of these groups, but eventually re-formed the Count Basie Orchestra in a group that would be referred to as “The New Testament”. While still a Basie-styled group, the new Count Basie Orchestra’s dynamic changed; the band had a tighter, heavier, and more full-bodied sound, as Basie largely hired newer, younger musicians and arrangers who brought in the influences of later styles of Jazz. Musicians like Thad Jones, Frank Foster, and Frank Wess were huge influences on the New Testament and led to the creation of legendary albums like April in Paris and The Atomic Mr Basie.
Although Basie passed away in 1984, his legacy continues. The Count Basie Orchestra is still active till these days under the director Scotty Barnhart. Check out our playlist featuring some of the best of The Count Basie Orchestra!
**Photo by William P. Gottlieb, courtesy of Library of Congress**
As of today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, public performances and screenings at Jazz at Lincoln Center and on the Lincoln Center campus are taking place as planned, however the Memorial celebrating of the life of Jimmy Heath scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2020 will now take place this Fall.Jazz at
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