Count Basie – piano & bandleader (b. August 21, 1904, Red Bank, NJ – d. April 26, 1984, Hollywood, FL)

was born William James Basie. Over a career spanning roughly six decades, he developed from a young pianist accompanying silent films and vaudeville performers into the leader of one of the most enduring orchestras in jazz. His music became closely associated with Kansas City swing: economical piano playing, blues-based phrasing, strong rhythm, riff-driven arrangements, and a remarkable ability to give individual musicians room to improvise. Basie grew up in a musical family. His mother, Lillian, played piano and gave him his first lessons, while his father, Harvey Lee Basie, worked as a coachman and groundskeeper and had also played music. As a boy, Basie became fascinated by the musicians working in the pit orchestras of local theaters. He initially had an interest in drums, but piano gradually became his principal instrument. He developed a remarkable ear and was able to reproduce melodies he heard. His mother paid for his early piano lessons, while much of his practical education came from listening and playing. Basie did not follow a conventional academic route. He left school while still young and became increasingly involved in the entertainment business, initially... Read