______________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.
