Basie << BAY see >>, Count (1904-1984), was a pianist and bandleader who rose to fame in the late 1930’s as a key figure in the “swing” era of jazz. Basie’s spare, fluent piano style and his loose, informal band arrangements earned him an important place in the history of jazz. For several years, Basie’s orchestra featured a famous rhythm section that consisted of Basie on the piano, Jo Jones on the drums, Walter Page on the bass, and Freddie Greene on the guitar. These musicians produced a light rhythm that greatly influenced the “bop” and “cool” styles of jazz that developed during the 1940’s. Basie composed or was co-composer of many of the band’s hits, some of which became jazz standards. They include “One O’Clock Jump,” the band’s theme song; and “Rock-A-Bye Basie,” “Dickie’s Dream,” “John’s Idea,” “Blue and Sentimental,” “Swingin’ the Blues,” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.”
William Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Aug. 21, 1904. He was given the nickname “Count” early in his career by a disc jockey. Basie joined Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra in 1929. Basie formed his own band in 1935. In 1935, jazz critic John Hammond heard a radio broadcast of the band’s performance. He arranged for Basie to enlarge the band and take it to New York City. By 1939, the Count Basie Orchestra was world famous. Many outstanding soloists performed with the band. They included saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, trumpet players Buck Clayton and Harry Edison, and trombonist Dickie Wells. His autobiography, Good Morning Blues, was published in 1985, after his death on April 26, 1984.
