Count Basie’s impact on jazz, as bandleader and pianist, is indelible—and his influence as widespread as his smile.
UPI/Corbis-Bettmann
The pianist and bandleader Count Basie had a major impact on the world of jazz for almost 50 years. As a pianist, his unique, sparse style of “comping” and “filling” behind soloists or ensembles in the big band era became the model from which many other pianists developed their own styles in the revolutionary age of bebop. The definition of roles in Basie’s rhythm section, and its clean, unhurried sound, also provided a model for subsequent innovations.
William Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey. His mother gave him piano lessons, and in his teens, he toured as an accompanist with vaudeville shows. In 1927, he found himself stranded in Kansas City, and after a stint as an accompanist for silent films, he began performing in the bands of Walter Page and Bennie Moten.
In 1935, Basie founded the Barons of Rhythm, a nine-piece ensemble, and began attracting former members of the Moten band. In 1936, the Barons of Rhythm expanded and became known as the Count Basie Orchestra. The band achieved nationwide success in the U.S., due mainly to recordings of “One O’clock Jump” (1937) and “Taxi War Dance” (1939).
In the expanded Basie Orchestra, the rhythm section of Basie and bassist Walter Page was joined by Jo Jones on drums and Freddie Green on guitar, and these four created a style of playing that involved a steady walking bass pattern, swing rhythm in the ride cymbal and high-hat, sparse piano comping, and a consistent quarter-note chord strum on acoustic guitar. The band of the 1930s had an internal rhythmic drive. In tenor sax player Lester YOUNG it had one of the most influential jazz soloists of the day, while trumpeter Buck Clayton was a master of playing with a mute.
After World War II, the “Basie sound” was used and developed in a series of outstanding arrangements by musicians such as Neil Hefti, Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones, and Quincy JONES. During this period, Basie with his orchestra and on his own recorded with some of the prominent vocalists of the day, such as Ella FITZGERALD, Sarah VAUGHAN, and Tony BENNETT.
Count Basie’s impact on jazz, as bandleader and pianist, is indelible—and his influence as widespread as his smile.
UPI/Corbis-Bettmann
In January 1950, Basie was forced to disband the orchestra and began touring with a reduced combo. Some of Basie’s combo recordings on piano and organ, most notably those with Lester Young and Oscar Peterson, highlight his improvisational skills in a more comprehensive way. However, in 1952, the orchestra returned and resumed touring. Count Basie died on April 26, 1984, yet his sound continues in the guise of myriad imitators, from youth bands to professionals.
Todd Ridder
SEE ALSO:
BEBOP; BIG BAND JAZZ; BOOGIE-WOOGIE; JAZZ; SWING.
FURTHER READING
Basie, Count, with Albert Murray. Good Morning Blues (London: Paladin, 1987);
Sheridan, Chris. Count Basie: A Bio-Discography (Westport, CT: Negro Universities Press, 1986).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
April in Paris; Basie Swings, Tony Bennett Sings; The Best of Count Basie; Count Basie: The Complete Decca Recordings 193 7–39; On the Road.