The
Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the
swing eraThe Swing era was the period of time when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though the music had been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Moten, Ella Fitzgerald,...
, founded by
Count BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
. The band survived the late '40s decline in big band popularity and went on to produce notable collaborations with singers such as
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and
Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
in the '50s and '60s. The group continues to perform and record even after Basie's death in 1984.
Early years
Count BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
arrived in
Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
,
MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1927, playing on the
Theater Owners Bookers AssociationTheater Owners Booking Association, or T.O.B.A., was the vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s and 1930s. The theaters all had white owners and collaborated in booking jazz, blues, comedians, and other performers for black audiences...
(TOBA) circuit. After playing with the Blue Devils, he joined rival band leader
Bennie MotenBennie Moten was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri.He led the Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the itinerant, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of...
's band. Upon Moten's death, Basie left the group to start his own band, taking many of his colleagues from the Moten band with him. This nine-piece group consisted of
Joe KeyesJoe Keyes was an American jazz trumpeter who played in several leading bands in the 1930s and 1940s, including those of Bennie Moten, Count Basie, and Oran "Hot Lips" Page.-Life and career:...
and
Oran 'Hot Lips' PageOran Thaddeus Page was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader born in Dallas, Texas, United States. He was better known as Hot Lips Page by the public, and Lips Page by his fellow musicians...
on trumpet,
Buster SmithHenry "Buster" Smith , also known as Professor Smith, was an American jazz alto saxophonist and mentor to Charlie Parker. Smith was instrumental in instituting the Texas Sax Sound with Count Basie and Lester Young in the 1930s...
and
Jack WashingtonRonald "Jack" Washington was an American jazz saxophonist, who was best known for his time in the Count Basie orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
on alto saxophone,
Lester YoungLester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
on tenor saxophone,
Dan MinorDan "Slamfoot" Minor was an American jazz trombonist who featured in the bands of Count Basie, Cab Calloway and many others from the 1920s to the 1940s.-Life and career:...
on trombone, and a
rhythm sectionA rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
made up of
Jo JonesJo Jones was an American jazz drummer.Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones...
on drums,
Walter PageWalter Sylvester Page , nicknamed "Hoss," was an African American jazz bassist and leader of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils jazz orchestra from 1925–1931...
on bass and Basie himself on piano. With this band, then named 'The Barons of Rhythm', Basie brought the sound of the infamous and highly competitive Kansas City '
jam sessionJam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
' to club audiences, coupling extended
improvised solosImprovisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
with
riffThe Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
-based accompaniments from the band. The group's first venue was the Reno Club in Kansas City, later moving to the Grand Terrace in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
When music critic and record producer
John HammondJohn Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
heard the band on a 1936 radio broadcast, he sought them out and offered Basie the chance to expand the group to the standard 13-piece
big bandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
line up. He also presented the opportunity to move the group to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in order to play at venues such as the
Roseland BallroomThe Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
. Basie agreed, hoping that with this new band he could retain the freedom and spirit inherent in the
Kansas City styleKansas City Jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s and marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop...
of his nine-piece.
The band, which now included
Buck ClaytonBuck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
on trumpet and famous blues 'shouter'
Jimmy RushingJames Andrew Rushing , known as Jimmy Rushing, was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.Rushing was known as "Mr...
, demonstrate this style in their first recordings with the Decca label in January 1937: in pieces such as 'Roseland Shuffle' we can hear that the soloists are at the foreground with the ensemble effects and riffs playing a strictly functional backing role. This was a fresh big band sound for New York, contrasting the complex jazz writing of
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and
Sy OliverMelvin "Sy" Oliver was a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader...
and highlighting the difference in styles that had emerged between the east and west coasts.
In New York City
Following the first recording session the band's line up was reshuffled, with some of players being replaced on the request of Hammond as part of a 'strengthening' of the band. Trumpeters
Ed LewisEd Lewis was an American jazz trumpeter.Lewis played early in his career in Kansas City with Jerry Westbrook as a baritone hornist, then switched to trumpet in 1925...
and Bobby Moore replaced Keyes and Smith, and alto saxophonist Coughey Roberts was replaced by
Earl WarrenEarl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
. Significantly, March 1937 saw the arrival of guitarist
Freddie GreenFrederick William "Freddie" Green was an American swing jazz guitarist. He was especially noted for his sophisticated rhythm guitar in big band settings, particularly for the Count Basie orchestra, where he was part of the "All-American Rhythm Section" with Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and...
, who replaced
Claude WilliamsClaude Williams may refer to:*Claude Williams , American jazz musician*Claude Williams , Canadian politician*Claude Williams , Major League Baseball player known as Lefty Williams...
to complete one of the most respected
rhythm sectionA rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
s in big band history.
Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
also sang with the band during this period, although never recorded with them.
Hits such as "
One O'clock JumpOne O'Clock Jump is a 1957 album by Joe Williams, with the Count Basie Orchestra. Ella Fitzgerald is featured in duet with Williams on the first track....
" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (from 1937 and 1938 respectively) helped to gain the band, now known as the Count Basie Orchestra, national and international fame. These tunes were what was known as 'head-arrangements'; not scored in individual parts but made up of riffs memorised by the band's members. Although some of the band's players, such as trombonist
Eddie DurhamEddie Durham was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer and musical arranger of the swing music medium born in San Marcos, Texas, probably best known for his work with musicians like Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Andy Kirk, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, among others...
, did contribute their own written arrangements at this time, it was these 'head-arrangements' that captured the imagination of the audience in New York and communicated the spirit of the band's members.
In 1938,
Helen HumesHelen Humes was an American jazz and blues singer.Humes was successively a teenaged blues singer, band vocalist with Count Basie, saucy R&B diva and a mature interpreter of the classy popular song.-Career:...
joined the group, replacing Billie Holiday as the female singer. She sang mostly pop ballads, including "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Blame it on my Last Affair", acting as a gentle contrast to the
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
style of
Jimmy RushingJames Andrew Rushing , known as Jimmy Rushing, was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.Rushing was known as "Mr...
.
The 1940s
As time went on, the band became increasingly dependent on
arrangersThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
to provide its music. These varied from players within the band, such as
Eddie DurhamEddie Durham was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer and musical arranger of the swing music medium born in San Marcos, Texas, probably best known for his work with musicians like Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Andy Kirk, Glenn Miller, Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie, among others...
and
Buck ClaytonBuck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
, to professional arrangers from outside the group, who could bring their own character to band with each new piece. External arranger
Andy GibsonAlbert "Andy" Gibson was an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer....
brought the band's harmonic style closer to the forward looking music of
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, with arrangements from 1940 such as "I Never Knew" and "Louisiana" introducing increased
chromaticismChromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
to the band's music.
Tab SmithTalmadge "Tab" Smith , was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. He is best known for the tracks, "Because Of You" and "Pretend". He variously worked with Count Basie, the Mills Rhythm Boys and Lucky Millinder.-Biography:Smith was born in Kinston, North Carolina, United States...
also contributed important arrangements at this time such as "Harvard Blues", and others including
Buster HardingLavere "Buster" Harding was a Canadian-born American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Born to Benjamin "Ben" and Ada Harding in North Buxton, Ontario...
and veteran arranger
Jimmy MundyJimmy Mundy was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Earl Hines....
also expanded the group's repertoire at this time.
However, this influx of new arrangements led to a gradual change in the band's sound, distancing the group musically from its
West Coast rootsKansas City Jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s and marked the transition from the structured big band style to the musical improvisation style of Bebop...
. Rather than structuring the music around the soloists with memorised 'head arrangements' and riffs, the group's sound at this time became more focused on ensemble playing; closer to the traditional East Coast big band sound. This can be attributed to the increasing reliance on arrangers to assert their own character on to the band with their music; an indicator perhaps that Basie's ideal of a big band sized group with the flexibility and spirit of his original Kansas City 8-piece was not to last.
The
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
years saw some of the key members of the band leave: drummer
Jo JonesJo Jones was an American jazz drummer.Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones...
and tenor saxophone player
Lester YoungLester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
were both conscripted in 1944, leading to the hiring of drummers such as
Buddy RichBernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
and extra tenor saxophonists including
Illinois JacquetJean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo....
, Paul Gonzalves and
Lucky ThompsonEli "Lucky" Thompson was a United States jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist...
. Some, such as musicologist
Gunther SchullerGunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, have claimed that when Jo Jones left he took some of the smooth and relaxed style of the band with him, due to his replacements, such as
Sonny PayneSonny Payne was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Count Basie and Harry James.His father was Wild Bill Davis's drummer Chris Columbus...
, drumming a lot louder and therefore raising the whole dynamic of the band to a 'harder, more clamorous brass sound'. The ban on instrumental recordings of 1942 to 44 had a financial impact on the Count Basie Orchestra, as it did on all big bands in America, and despite taking on new soloists such as
Wardell GrayWardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.-Early years:...
, Basie was forced to temporarily disband the group for a short period in 1948, before dispersing again for two years in 1950. For these two years Basie led a reduced band of between 6 and 9 people, featuring players such as
Buddy RichBernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
,
Serge ChaloffSerge Chaloff was an American jazz baritone saxophonist.The son of noted Boston piano teachers, Margaret and Julius Chaloff, he was among the few major jazz performers on his instrument. Until Chaloff the only prominent baritone player in jazz was Harry Carney of the Duke Ellington Orchestra...
and
Buddy DeFrancoBoniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco is an American jazz clarinet player.-Biography:DeFranco began his professional career just as swing music and big bands — many of which were led by clarinetists like Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman — were fading in popularity...
.
The 'Second Testament'
Basie reformed the jazz orchestra in 1952 for a series of tours, not only in America but also in Europe in 1954 and Japan in 1963. The band also released new recordings; some featuring guest singers such as
Joe WilliamsJoe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
,
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
,
Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
and Billy Eckstine (Michael G. Nastos said: "When the Count Basie Orchestra consented to team up with vocalist Billy Eckstine, choruses of angels must have shouted hallelujah. The combination of Basie's sweet jazz and Eckstine's low-down blues sensibilities meshed well on this one-shot deal, a program mostly of downtrodden songs perfectly suited for the band and the man.); and all reliant on music provided by arrangers, some of whom are now synonymous with the Basie band:
Neal HeftiNeal Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, tune writer, and arranger. He was perhaps best known for composing the theme music for the Batman television series of the 1960s, and for scoring the 1968 film The Odd Couple and the subsequent TV series of the same name.He began arranging...
,
Quincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and
Sammy NesticoSamuel "Sammy" Louis Nestico is a prolific and well known composer and arranger of big band music...
to name a few.
This new band became known as 'The Second Testament'., and achieved a new surge of popularity with albums such as 1958's
The Atomic Mr. Basie.
With this album and others of the late fifties, such as
April in Paris and
Basie Plays Hefti, we can hear the epitome of the new Count Basie Orchestra sound, thanks largely to the work of the aforementioned arrangers. The sound of the band was now that of a tight ensemble: heavier and full bodied, and a contrast to the riff based band of the late thirties and early forties. Whereas previously the emphasis had been on providing space for exemplary soloists such as
Lester YoungLester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
and
Buck ClaytonBuck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
, now the focus had shifted to the arrangements themselves, despite the presence of notable soloists such as trumpeter
Thad JonesThaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
and saxophonist
Frank FosterFrank Foster was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s.-Biography:...
. This orchestral style was to remain the typical sound of the band, even up to the present day; a fact that has attracted criticism from some musicologists, notably
Gunther SchullerGunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
who, in his book 'The Swing Era', described the group as 'perfected neo-classicism...a most glorious dead end'.
The continuing band
After Basie's death in 1984, the band has continued to play under the direction of some of the players he had hired, including
Eric DixonEric Dixon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, and arranger.Dixon's professional career extended from 1950 until his death in 1989, during which time he was credited on perhaps as many as 200 recordings...
,
Thad JonesThaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
,
Frank FosterFrank Foster was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s.-Biography:...
,
Grover MitchellGrover Curry Mitchell was a jazz trombonist and bandleader. He was born in Alabama, but his parents moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was eight...
,
Bill HughesWilliam Henry "Bill" Hughes is an American jazz trombonist and bandleader. He has spent most of his career with the Count Basie Orchestra and was the director of that ensemble until September 2010.- Early life and career :...
, and now drummer and arranger
Dennis MackrelDennis Mackrel is an American jazz drummer, composer, and arranger. He is also known for his work as a bandleader and music educator...
. It continues to release new recordings, for example
Basie is Back from 2006 which features new recordings of classic tunes from the Basie Orchestra's back catalogue, including "April in Paris" and even the band's early hit "
One O'clock JumpOne O'Clock Jump is a 1957 album by Joe Williams, with the Count Basie Orchestra. Ella Fitzgerald is featured in duet with Williams on the first track....
". The group also continues to produce notable collaborations, such as with singer
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
in
Ray Sings, Basie SwingsRay Sings, Basie Swings is a posthumously created album that mixes previously unreleased Ray Charles vocal performances, recorded at live concerts in the mid-1970's, together with newly recorded instrumental tracks by the contemporary Count Basie Orchestra....
of 2006, and with arranger
Allyn FergusonAllyn Malcolm Ferguson Jr. was an American composer, best known for the themes for 1970s television programs Barney Miller and Charlie's Angels, which he co-wrote with Jack Elliott...
on the 1999 album
Swing Shift.
Awards
- Awarded the Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
17 times, including in 1999 for the album Count Plays Duke and in 1997 for the album Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
- Included in the Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
Reader's Poll in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997 (the last time as 'Best Big Band')
- Included in the Down Beat Critic's Poll 1984, 1986, 1991, 1993 and 1994
- Included in the Jazz Times Critic's and Reader's Poll in 1994 and 1995
Discography
For recordings by Count Basie without his big band, see Count Basie discography.
1939–50, Columbia and RCA
- Super Chief (1936–42, Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
)
- Count Basie and His Great Vocalists (1939–45, Columbia)
- America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years (1936-64, Columbia)
- Complete Original American Victor Recordings (1941–50, RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
sessions, reissued on Definitive)
- Kansas City Powerhouse (ca. 1947-50, RCA)
The 1950s
- The Count (1952, Clef Records
Clef Records was an American Jazz record label founded by Norman Granz in 1946. It was later absorbed into Verve Records....
)
- Basie Rides Again! (1952, Clef)
- Dance Session (1952–54, Clef)
- King of Swing (1953-54, Clef)
- The Band of Distinction (1954, Clef)
- Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings
Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings is a 1956 album by the American jazz and blues singer Joe Williams, with the Count Basie Orchestra.-Track listing:# "Every Day I Have the Blues" – 5:29# "The Come Back" – 5:28...
(with Joe WilliamsJoe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
) (1955, Clef)
- April in Paris
April in Paris is a 1957 jazz album by Count Basie. Released on the Verve label, it was recorded in 1955 and 1956. The album is one of the first to include an arrangement by Neal Hefti, who would go on to write many of the Basie band's most acclaimed songs, including many on the famous album Atomic...
(1955–56, Verve RecordsVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
)
- Holl of Fame (1956, Verve)
- The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards
The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards is a 1956 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, and Joe Williams. -Track listing:#"Thou Swell" – 2:19...
(with Joe Williams) (1956, Verve)
- Basie in London
Basie in London is a 1956 live album by Count Basie and his orchestra, recorded in Sweden. - Track listing :# "Jumpin' at the Woodside" – 3:38# "Shiny Stockings" – 5:19...
(live) (1956, Verve)
- One O'Clock Jump (with Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
) (1957, Verve)
- Count Basie at Newport (live) (1957, Verve)
- The Atomic Mr. Basie (1958, Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
)
- Basie Plays Hefti (1958, Roulette)
- No Count Sarah
No Count Sarah is a 1958 studio album by the American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan.The title refers to the fact that Vaughan was accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, but without Count Basie.- Track listing :...
(with Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
) (1958, EmArcy)
- Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a 1959 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. - Track listing :# "Blues in Hoss' Flat" – 3:13# "H.R.H...
(1958, Roulette)
- Sing Along With Basie (with Joe Williams
Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
&Lambert,Hendricks & Ross) (1958, Roulette)
- Breakfast Dance and Barbeque (1958, Roulette)
- Welcome to the Club
Welcome to the Club is a 1959 album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Dave Cavanaugh. Cole is accompanied by an uncredited Count Basie Orchestra, without Count Basie himself...
(Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
) (1959, Capitol)
- One More Time (1959, Roulette)
- Basie and Eckstine, Inc.
Basie/Eckstine Incorporated is a 1959 album featuring Billy Eckstine and the Count Basie Orchestra. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capital Records.- Track listing :# "Stormy Monday Blues" - 3:11...
(with Billy EckstineWilliam Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
) (1959, Roulette)
- Strike Up the Band (with Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
) (1959, Roulette)
- In Person!
In Person! is a 1959 live album by Tony Bennett, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra.Basie and Bennett recorded two albums together in 1959; In Person! was released by Bennett's record label, Columbia, and Strike Up the Band was released by Basie's label, Roulette.-Track listing:Side one#"Just...
(with Tony Bennett) (1959, Columbia)
- Everyday I Have the Blues (with Joe Williams) (1959, Roulette)
- Dance Along with Basie (1959, Roulette)
The 1960s-pre Pablo
- I Gotta Right to Swing
The Allmusic review by Nick Dedina awarded the album four stars and said that the album "is an invigorating mix of up-tempo swing and hard-hitting rhythm & blues...a must-have for fans of classic pop and vocal jazz".-Track listing:...
(with Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
) (1960, Decca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
)
- Just the Blues (with Joe Williams) (1960, Roulette)
- The Count Basie Story (1960, Roulette)
- Not Now,I'll Tell You When (1960, Roulette)
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
First Time! The Count Meets the Duke is an album by American pianists, composers and bandleaders Duke Ellington and Count Basie with their combined Orchestras recorded and released on the Columbia label in 1961.-Reception:...
(with Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
) (1961, Columbia)
- The Legend (1961, Roulette)
- Kansas City Suite - The Music of Benny Carter (1961, Roulette)
- Basie at Birdland
Basie at Birdland is a 1961 live album by Count Basie and his orchestra, recorded at Birdland in New York City. - Track listing :# "Little Pony" – 2:22# "Basie" – 3:23# "Blues Backstage" – 4:58...
(live) (1961, Roulette)
- Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan
Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan is a 1961 album by American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, with arrangements by Frank Foster, Thad Jones and Ernie Wilkins. According to James Gavin's liner notes to the 1996 CD release, Basie himself does not perform on any of the...
(with Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
) (1961, Roulette)
- Back with Basie (1962, Roulette)
- Easi'n it
Easin' It is a studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra recorded between 1960 and 1962. The album contains a collaboration by Frank Foster, a well known member from Basie's big band. All tracks were composed, arranged and conducted by Foster and is a mixture of jazz and blues.The tune Easin'...
(1962, Roulette)
- Basie in Sweden (1962, Roulette)
- Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First
Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First is a 1962 studio album by Frank Sinatra, arranged by Neal Hefti.As the title indicates, this was the first recording that Sinatra made with the Count Basie Orchestra...
(with Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
) (1962, Reprise)
- On My Way and Shoutin' Again!
On My Way and Shoutin' Again! is a 1963 album by Count Basie and his orchestra. -Track listing:# "I'm Shoutin' Again" – 3:50# "Ducky Bumps" – 3:35# "The Long Night" – 3:42# "Jump for Johnny" – 3:16# "Ain't That Right" – 2:50...
(1963, Verve)
- More Hits of '50's and '60's (1963, Verve)
- Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie!
Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! is a 1963 album by Count Basie, composed and arranged by Quincy Jones.-Track listing:# "Li'l Ol' Groovemaker" – 2:48# "Pleasingly Plump" – 4:03# "Boody Rumble" – 3:36# "Belly Roll" – 2:29# "Count 'Em" – 5:21...
(1963, Verve)
- This Time by Basie: Hits of the '50s and '60s (1963, Verve)
- Ella and Basie!
Ella and Basie! is a 1963 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, with arrangements by Quincy Jones...
(with Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
) (1963, Verve)
- Basie Land
Basie Land is a 1964 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, of music composed and arranged by Billy Byers. - Track listing :# "Basie Land" – 2:16# "Big Brother" – 3:43# "Count Me In" – 4:32# "Wanderlust" – 2:38# "Instant Blues" – 4:54...
(1964, Verve)
- Pop Goes the Basie (1964, Reprise)
- It Might as Well Be Swing
It Might as Well Be Swing is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording with Quincy Jones.This was Sinatra and Basie's second collaboration after 1963's Sinatra-Basie....
(with Frank Sinatra) (1964, Reprise)
- Basie Picks the Winners
Basie Picks the Winners is a 1965 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. - Track listing :# "Watermelon Man" – 3:11# "That's All" – 3:20# "I Won't Cry Anymore" – 2:22...
(1965, Verve)
- Our Shining Hour
Our Shining Hour is a 1965 studio album by Sammy Davis, Jr., accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, arranged by Quincy Jones.In 1973 Davis re-recorded his vocal lines from Our Shning Hour, it was released by MGM Records as Sammy Davis Jr...
(with Sammy Davis, Jr.) (1965, Verve)
- Arthur Prysock and Count Basie
Arthur Prysock and Count Basie is a 1965 studio album by Arthur Prysock and Count Basie and his orchestra.- Track listing :# "I Could Have Told You" – 3:44# "Ain't No Use" – 2:45...
(with Arthur PrysockArthur Prysock was an American jazz singer best known for his live shows and his baritone influenced by Billy Eckstine....
) (1965, Verve)
- Basie's Beatle Bag
Basie's Beatle Bag is a 1966 album by Count Basie and his orchestra. He released a second album of Beatles songs, Basie on the Beatles, in 1969.- Track listing :# "Help!" – 2:15# "Can't Buy Me Love" – 3:21# "Michelle" – 2:43...
(1965, Verve)
- Basie Meets Bond (1966, Capitol)
- Sinatra at the Sands
Sinatra at the Sands is a 1966 live album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live at the Copa Room of the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas....
(live, with Frank Sinatra) (1966, Reprise)
- Basie's Beat (1967, Verve)
- Broadway Basie's...Way (1967, Command)
- Hollywood...Basie's Way (1967, Command)
- Basie's in the Bag (1967, Brunswick)
- The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
- Half a Sixpence (1967, Dot)
- Manufacturers of Soul (with Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
) (1968, Brunswick)
- The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is a LP album recorded at the A & R Recording Studios in New York on November 20-21 1967 and released in 1968, featuring the Mills Brothers with Count Basie and orchestra...
(with The Mills Brothers) (1968, Dot)
- The Board of Directors Annual Report (with The Mills Brothers) (1968, Dot)
- Evergreens (1969, Groove Merchant)
- Basic Basie (1969, MPS)
- Basie Straight Ahead (1969, Dot)
- Standing Ovation (1969, Dot)
- High Voltage (1970, MPS)
- How About This (with Kay Starr
Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....
) (1970, MCA)
- Basie on the Beatles (1970, Happy Tiger)
- Afrique
Afrique is a 1971 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, with conductor/arranger Oliver Nelson.- Track listing :# "Step Right Up" – 4:15# "Hobo Flats" – 6:13# "Gypsy Queen" – 4:00 # "Love Flower" – 2:53...
(1970, RCA Victor)
- Have a Nice Day
Have a Nice Day is a 1971 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, with all music composed and arranged by Sammy Nestico. This was Basie's debut recording for Daybreak....
(1971, Daybreak)
- Bing 'n' Basie
Bing 'n' Basie is a 1972 album by Bing Crosby, accompanied by Count Basie. - Track listing :# "Gentle On My Mind" # "Everything Is Beautiful"# "Gonna Build a Mountain"# "Sunrise, Sunset"# "Hangin' Loose"...
(with Bing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
) (Daybreak, 1972)
The Pablo Years
- Flip,Flop & Fly (live,with Joe Turner
Joe Turner is the name of:* Big Joe Turner , blues singer* Joe Turner , jazz/stride pianist* Joe Lynn Turner , rock musician* Joe Turner , English footballer...
) (1972)
- Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72
Jazz at Santa Monica '72 is a 1972 live album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by a jazz trio led by the pianist Tommy Flanagan, and the Count Basie Orchestra....
(live) (1972)
- The Songs of Bessie Smith (with Tersa Brewer) (1973, Doctor Jazz)
- Basie Big Band (1975)
- Fun Time
Fun Time is a 1975 live album by Count Basie and his orchestra, recorded at the 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival. -Track listing:#"Fun Time" – 3:28#"Why Not?" – 3:29#"Lil' Darlin" – 5:32...
(1975)
- I Told You So
I Told You So is a 1976 album recorded at RCA studios, New York City on January 12, 13 and 14 1976 and released in 1976, featuring Count Basie and his orchestra. All the titles were arranged by Bill Holman. Sound engineer was Bob Simpson and the tape editor was Ben Jordan...
(1976)
- Prime Time
Prime Time is a 1977 studio album by Count Basie. At the 20th Grammy Awards, Count Basie won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band for Prime Time.-Track listing:#"Prime Time" – 7:33#"Bundle O'Funk" – 5:16...
(1977)
- Montreux '77
Montreux '77 is a 1977 live album by Count Basie and his orchestra, recorded at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival. - Track listing :# "The Heat's On" – 3:39# "Freckle Face" – 6:04# "Splanky" – 4:34...
(live) (1977)
- Milt Jackson + Count Basie + The Big Band Vol.1 (live) (1978)
- Milt Jackson + Count Basie + The Big Band Vol.2 (live) (1978)
- Live in Japan '78
Live in Japan '78 is a 1978 live album by Count Basie and his orchestra.-Track listing:#"The Heat's On" – 3:13#"Freckle Face" – 5:39#"Ja-Da" – 5:28...
(live) (1978)
- On the Road
On the Road is a 1979 studio album by Count Basie. At the 23rd Grammy Awards, Count Basie won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band for On the Road.-Track listing:#"Wind Machine" – 3:16...
(1979)
- Digital III at Montreux
Digital III at Montreux is a 1979 live album featuring a compilation of performances by Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Joe Pass, and Ray Brown, recorded at the 1979 Montreux Jazz Festival...
(live) (1979)
- A Classy Pair
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album three stars and said that "Basie's sidemen are unfortunately restricted in the Benny Carter arrangements to backup work but Basie has a few piano solos and Fitzgerald is in good voice and in typically swinging form" -Track listing:-Personnel:*...
(with Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
) (1979)
- A Perfect Match (live, with Ella Fitzgerald) (1979)
- Kansas City Shout
Kansas City Shout is a 1980 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra with singer Big Joe Turner and saxophonist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson.-Track listing:#"Just a Dream " – 3:44...
(1980)
- Warm Breeze
Warm Breeze is a 1980 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. At the 25th Grammy Awards, Count Basie won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band for Warm Breeze.-Track listing:#"C.B...
(1981)
- Send in the Clowns
Send in the Clowns is a 1981 studio album by Sarah Vaughan, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra. This was Vaughan's third album with the Count Basie Orchestra, her previous two were No Count Sarah and Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan .-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album...
(with Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
) (1981)
- Farmer's Market Barbecue
Farmer's Market Barbecue is a 1982 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. -Track listing:#"Way Out Basie" – 4:24#"St. Louis Blues" Farmer's Market Barbecue is a 1982 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. -Track listing:#"Way Out Basie" (Ernie Wilkins) – 4:24#"St. Louis Blues"...
(1982)
- 88 Basie Street
-Personnel:* Count Basie – piano* Sonny Cohn - trumpet* Dale Carley* Jim Crawford* Bob Summers* Frank Szabo* Bill Hughes - trombone* Grover Mitchell* Dennis Wilson* Mitchell "Booty" Wood* Danny Turner - alt saxophne* Chris Woods...
(1983)
- Me and You
Me and You is a 1983 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. - Track listing :# "Mr. Softie" – 5:39# "Moten Swing" – 5:29# "She's Funny That Way" Me and You is a 1983 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. - Track listing :# "Mr. Softie" (Nat Pierce) – 5:39# "Moten Swing" (Benny...
(1983)
- Fancy Pants
For other uses, see Fancy Pants Fancy Pants is a 1983 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra. This is the last recording that Basie made with his big band...
(final album with Count Basie) (1983)
Post Count Basie albums
- Long Live the Chief (1987, Denon)
- Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra
Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra is a 1987 live album by Diane Schuur, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, arranged by Frank Foster....
(live, with Diane SchuurDiane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Deedles", she has won two Grammy Awards, headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall and The White House and has toured the world performing with such greats as Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, B. B...
) (1987, GRP)
- The Legend, the Legacy (1990, Denon)
- Big Boss Band (with George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
) (1990, Warner Bros.)
- Freddie Freeloader
Freddie Freeloader is a 1990 studio album by Jon Hendricks. -Track listing:#"Jumpin' at the Woodside" – 3:31#"In Summer" – 5:48#"Freddie Freeloader" – 9:09...
(with Jon HendricksJon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
) (1990, Denon)
- The Count Basie Orchestra Live at El Morocco (live) (1992, Telarc)
- Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra (with Joe Williams
Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
) (1993, Telarc)
- Basie's Bag (live) (1994, Telarc)
- Jazzin' (ith Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
& India) (1996, RMM)
- Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild: The Count Basie Orchestra (live) (1997, Blue Jackel)
- At Long Last
At Long Last is a 1998 studio album by Rosemary Clooney, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra.This was Clooney's first recording with the Basie band...
(with Rosemary ClooneyRosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
) (1998, Concord)
- Count Plays Duke (1998, MAMA)
- Swing Shift (1999, MAMA)
- Ray Sings, Basie Swings
Ray Sings, Basie Swings is a posthumously created album that mixes previously unreleased Ray Charles vocal performances, recorded at live concerts in the mid-1970's, together with newly recorded instrumental tracks by the contemporary Count Basie Orchestra....
(with Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
) (2006, Concord)
- Basie is Back (2007, Village Music)
- A Swingin' Christmas (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band)
A Swingin' Christmas is a Christmas album by Tony Bennett, released in 2008, that features The Count Basie Big Band. Bennett's daughter Antonia Bennett also duets with him on one track....
(with Tony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
) (2008, Columbia)
External links