Count Basie & his Friends

Sorry for not contacting all of those who have been sending me legitimate messages. I haven't bothered checking this page in ages and am surprised of the messages I have in my inbox! I am merely just a Count Basie fan. This Count Basie page is just a page I set up several years ago to show people some of the original music of the Count Basie Orchestra. Back in the days when Myspace started to become poplar it became increasingly more difficult to post music on the page without getting in trouble with copyrights. In fact the two I have up now is the best I can do now. Two others that I have posted previously have already been blocked for their copyrights.

Once again, I am obviously not Count Basie nor am I affiliated with the Count Basie Orchestra in any way. If you'd like to find out more about the Count Basie Orchestra that still lives on today I suggest you check out and contact them through their webpage http://www.countbasie.com/

Please continue to read and listen to what I have up on the page for now. And keep on listening and tapping your feet!



Thank You and Best Regards!



A FAN BASED MYSPACE PAGE.



William "Count" Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 21st 1904. Count Basie's mother, Lillian Basie, was his first piano teacher when he was a child. Later he was taught informally by Fats Waller. He toured the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuit, starting in 1924, as a soloist and accompanist to blues singers. His touring took him to Kansas City, Missouri, where he met many jazz musicians in the area. In 1928 he joined Walter Page's Blue Devils, and the following year became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City. It was at this time that he started calling himself "Count" Basie.



He started his own band in 1934, but eventually returned to Moten's band. After Moten died in 1935, the band unsuccessfully attempted to stay together. Basie formed a new band, which included many Moten alumni.



Basie’s music was characterized by his trademark "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. Basie also showcased some of the best blues singers of the era: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. More importantly, Count Basie was a highly successful band-leader who was able to hold onto some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 1930s and early 1940s: Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, Lester Young, and the band's brilliant rhythm section, Walter Page, Freddie Green, and Jo Jones. He was also able to hire great arrangers that knew how to use the band's abilities, like Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.



The big band era appeared to be at an end, but Basie reformed his 16-piece orchestra in 1952 and led it until his death, in 1984. Basie remained faithful to the Kansas City Jazz style and helped keep jazz alive with his distinctive piano playing.The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey was named after him in his honor.



This is a video of Count Basie playing a duet with bassist Clevand Eaton at Carnegie Hall in 1981. The trombone solo is performed by Booty Wood.