"If you play a tune and a person don't tap their feet, don't play the tune." Count Basie

On this date in 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey, William Basie was born. He learned much of what he knew about playing jazz piano from the virtuoso Fats Waller, but his skills at the keyboard weren't his legacy. When the vaudeville troupe Bill Basie was touring with broke up and left him stranded in Kansas City, he joined one of the legendary big bands of the day led by Bennie Moten. When Moten died, he took over the band, made it his own and adopted the moniker "Count." He would lead a big band pretty much constantly for the next half-century, like another royally named band-leader, but his gifts weren't for composition as Duke Ellington's were. Basie's gift was something else.

Swing.

For fifty years, you would have been hard pressed to have found a band that swung harder than Count Basie's. His classic rhythm section of bassist Walter Page, drummer Jo Jones, and guitarist Freddie Green redefined the nature of swing in jazz music from the 2/4 feel that characterized artists like Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong to the the 4/4 feel that is largely the standard even today. Basie's was a band that made you dance and tap your toes.

But the Basie Band was also home to some of the great virtuosos in the music. But for his untimely death, tenor saxophonist Herschel Evans would be remembered alongside Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. His fellow band member Lester Young is. Trumpet players Buck Clayton and Harry Edison came to fame with Basie as did Thad Jones who is known for his gifts as a composer and arranger as well. Basie's groups were home to the great shouter Jimmy Rushing and the smooth as silk Joe Williams.

I only saw Count Basie once, and late in his life. His health was not good and he tired easily. His band still swung hard, though, and his own underrated gifts at the piano were hardly diminished. The mastery of space and finding just the right note at just the right time that Miles Davis admired so much was still intact and an education for a young musician in and of itself.

I'm a bit sad that celebration of Basie's life is not more widespread on NPR and PBS, if nowhere else, but that's the unfortunate state of the music today. For my part, my CD player belongs to Basie today, not that he's ever far from my ears, thoughts, or heart.

Now Playing: The feature on Count Basie's life on NPR's Weekend Edition

I love the scene in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" when Sheriff Bart rides past The Count Basie Orchestra, and The Count does a cool solo, but then I'm one of those crazies who have seen "Stage Door Canteen" more than once, and if you really want to see/hear the "Count" swing, there's your chance!(TCM/AMC.)

I guess I missed this thread before. Count Basie was really great. Just recently finally picked up his album with Duke Ellington. I like it quite a bit, although the earlier recordings are still my favorites. If anything good came out of the 90s swing revival for me, it was finding out about all the original big bands, and Count Basie was definately near the top for me.

Thanks for the reply, klt.

Have you ever checked out any Fletcher Henderson? While we're spending your money on boxes and boxes of Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong, I'd like to put in a plug for Columbia's excellent box A Study in Frustration.

Henderson led what was arguably the first great big band. Louis Armstrong was a member. Coleman Hawkins was a member. The band really had no equal until Duke Ellington came along.

Unfortunately, for all his genius Henderson was a terrible businessman, which prevented his band from acheiving the success it deserved in its own time and has left him a lesser-known figure in the music even today.

Based on your listening lately, you might want to keep any eye out for it.

Now Playing: "Run to Her" The Five O'Clock Headgames

Man, this has to stop. I'm gonna be completely broke pretty soon, and I'm supposed to be putting all my spare money into a wedding fund. I'll keep an eye out for the Henderson set though, he sounds pretty cool, and I've really been going back to the big band and traditional jazz recently.