PRINTIt's a swing thing
Basie's orchestra plays his hits
courtesy of countbasie.com
Bandleader and jazz pianist William “Count” Basie’s legend carries on nearly 23 years after his death.
February 21, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune,” William “Count” Basie once said. Even after his death in 1984, the Count Basie Orchestra continues to keep feet in motion. Considered one of the most famous bands in jazz history, the Count Basie Orchestra performs at Jesse Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 26 as part of the Univeristy Concert Series.
Basie’s orchestra plays without its famous leader but has not let that alter performances. “The heart of the band, the drive of the band and the spirit of the band is very much the same,” says Dennis Wilson, a professor at the University of Michigan and a musician who played with the Count Basie Orchestra for 10 years.
According to Professor Larry Dwyer, director of jazz studies at the University of Notre Dame, Count Basie’s Orchestra consists of particular distinguishing elements including a swinging rhythm section, hard-hitting ensemble passages and space for individual soloists. “Basie’s band played in swing,” says Dwyer. “But he gave freedom to the soloists to play in their own styles.”
The orchestra’s appeal can be credited to the dedication of the musicians. “Basie would have guys in his band that stayed with him longer than they stayed with their wives,” Wilson says. “Basie is outsurviving a marriage of some people.”
The Count Basie Orchestra plays with 19 performers, some of whom were hand-picked by Basie. They make it their job to recreate his sound while adding a modern flair. “The guys in the band try to play as best in the same style as he had when he was alive,” Dywer says. “They are recreating sounds that Basie originated.”
The heart of Basie’s orchestra delves deeper than good swing music, Wilson says. They also know how to put on a good show. “When the Basie band comes in, they hit hard, they hit fast,” he says. “The audience will hear great contemporary kinds of songs but still stay in that Basie format. It’s apples and oranges. And sometimes an apple is great, but there’s nothing like a good orange.”
