The World Famous Count Basie Orchestra (at Blue Note)

Jazz is an American invention of the 20th century. Its sound is the “modern art” of music. In his 80 year life span, William “Count” Basie so expanded and elevated the art form that his legacy is regarded as “an American Institution” by modern music’s connoisseurs worldwide.

Yet the affable “Count” was a very modest gentleman. His motions and musical “conversations” at the piano closely paralleled his approach to life itself. So one might predict he’d be elated to know that the orchestral institution he founded in 1936 is still thriving today.

The Count Basie Orchestra of today is nineteen performers committed to upholding and advancing this “American Institution.” Some members are new, yet the majority of the sound still swings from musicians hand-picked by Count Basie himself. They are in demand for television and films, have won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, and continue to accumulate awards and special recognitions.