When it comes to music, we’re lucky that we don’t have to actually limit ourselves to certain artists and their catalogs. We can have our own favorites, but there is plenty of time in the world to listen to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and scores of other great artists. But, I must admit, that I think of a person’s preference between Count Basie and Duke Ellington as being some sort of “Rosetta Stone” for figuring out the rest of a person’s preferences. I think the same about McCartney vs. Lennon and Jay-Z vs. Nas. I love all of the aforementioned artists, but my personality type is Basie-McCartney-Nas. On occasion of Count Basie’s birthday, I want to explain what I love so much about his music.
A Signature Sound and Focus. To me, Count Basie’s band is the gold standard for a hard-swinging band. I believe that, for the grand majority of his career, his band was aiming at the same bullseye. The rhythm section delivers an unassailable groove that prioritizes the feel over any rhythmic pyrotechnics; the woodwinds bring the harmonic density necessary to provide sophistication, and the brass section was a powder keg, waiting to take the intensity from a 10 to a 16 at the drop of a hi-hat.
Familiarity and Ambition. From the Count Basie ending to the way Basie would often establish all sections of a song with just his rhythm section before the full bombast of the big band would appear, Count Basie’s catalog rewards exploration because there are familiar elements across the discography that keep cropping up. BUT, there were innovations, alongside the familiar, throughout his career. I credit Basie’s penchant for keeping an engaged and happy band as the key to the band staying innovative decades into Basie’s leadership!
Vocal Support. One of the best things a great big band can do is properly support a singer, and I think Basie did it the best. In my estimation, Sinatra at the Sands is the gold standard for a big band with vocals, and I can’t see anyone doing it better than Basie and his band did it. If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy this album I don’t think you’ve heard the finest example of a singer-plus-big band recording.
Connection to the Blues Palette. Jazz is rooted in the blues, and my favorite jazz keeps that spirit at the forefront. At every moment in Count Basie’s playing, I hear the blues. And I don’t mean I hear a blues form, or a blue note. I hear the spirit, the soul, and the grit of the blues. When big band music veers far away from that palette it can often land in amazing places, but for my money, a big band deeply rooted in the blues will always win.
Longevity. The tenor and culture that Count Basie established with his orchestra during his lifetime has permitted the band to continue going strong long after his death in 1984. You can know you’ve created something special when that specialness continues on as a living organism after your own lifetime. I tip my hat to Scotty Barnhart and the other bandleaders who have kept the legacy of the Count Basie Orchestra alive. It is an unparalleled achievement in the world of jazz and we are all better for it. You can check out my colleague, Peter Solomon’s, conversation with Count Basie Orchestra leader Scotty Barnhart from earlier this year right here.
And you can check out mine from 2022 right here.
Long live Count Basie. And tune in to Jazz88 all day today for classic cuts from his vast catalog.
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