News & Updates — Count Basie

Happy birthday to the great and influential tenor saxophonist Lester Young, the President. The original jazz hipster, he was a key link between the swing and bop eras and was a modernist with an emotionally-driven and harmonically-gifted style. He grew up in New Orleans and played in the Young Family Band, touring the carnival circuit. In the '30s he went to Kansas City, becoming a major feature of Count Basie's band. During that decade he also played with Fletcher Henderson, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, King Oliver, Benny Moten and Andy Kirk and in the '40s cut some sessions with Nat...

Happy birthday to that great big-band leader Count Basie. His preserve in the history of jazz is well-documented and much loved. From New Jersey, William James Basie got his start playing in the '20s in Harlem and the Jersey Shore before touring the Vaudeville circuit. He moved to Kansas City in '29 to play with Benny Moten, eventually taking over the band. The group was a hit with the swinging Kansas City scene for many years. After a brief stay in Chicago the band moved to NYC in '37, joining the competitive big band action the city's scene was entertaining...