Count Basie  

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William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years. Many notable musicians came to prominence under his direction, including tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison and singers Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams. Basie's theme songs were "One O'Clock Jump" and "April In Paris".

Discography

The majority of Basie's recordings were made with his big band, see Count Basie Orchestra Discography.

From 1929-1932 Basie was part of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra:

• Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (1929-1932): Basie Beginnings (1929-1932, RCA/Bluebird Records)

Basie also made several small group recordings without his band:

• Count Basie Sextet (1954, Clef)
• Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (1962, Impulse!)
• Basie Swingin' Voices Singin' (1966, EMI)
• Loose Walk (with Roy Eldridge) (1972, Pablo)
• Basie Jam (1973, Pablo)
• The Bosses (with Big Joe Turner) (1973)
• For the First Time (1974, Pablo)
• Satch and Josh (with Oscar Peterson)
• Basie & Zoot (with Zoot Sims) (1975, Pablo)
• For the Second Time (1975, Pablo)
• Basie Jam 2 (1976, Pablo)
• Basie Jam 3 (1976, Pablo)
• Kansas City 5 (1977, Pablo)
• The Gifted Ones (with Dizzy Gillespie) (1977, Pablo)
• Basie Jam: Montreux '77 (live) (1977, Pablo)
• Satch and Josh...Again (with Oscar Peterson) (1977, Pablo)
• Night Rider (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
• Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
• Yessir, That's My Baby (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
• Kansas City 8: Get Together (1979, Pablo)
• Kansas City 7 (1980, Pablo)
• Kansas City 6 (1981, Pablo)
• Mostly Blues...and Some Others (1983, Pablo)

Discography

For recordings by Count Basie without his big band, see Count Basie discography.

1937–1939, Brunswick

• The Complete Decca Recordings (1937–1939, Decca Records)

1939–1950, Columbia and RCA

• Super Chief (1936–1942, Columbia Records)
• Count Basie and His Great Vocalists (1939–1945, Columbia)
• America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years (1936–1964, Columbia)
• Complete Original American Victor Recordings (1941–1950, RCA Records sessions, reissued on Definitive)
• Kansas City Powerhouse (1929-1932, 1947-1949, RCA/Bluebird Records)
• Planet Jazz (ca. 1929-1932, 1947-1949, RCA/BMG International Records)

The 1950s

• The Count (1952, Clef Records)
• Basie Rides Again! (1952, Clef)
• Dance Session (1952–1954, Clef)
• King of Swing (1953–1954, Clef)
• The Band of Distinction (1954, Clef)
• Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (with Joe Williams) (1955, Clef)
• April in Paris (1955–1956, Verve Records)
• Holl of Fame (1956, Verve)
• The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (with Joe Williams) (1956, Verve)
• Basie in London (live) (1956, Verve)
• One O'Clock Jump (with Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald) (1957, Verve)
• Count Basie at Newport (live) (1957, Verve)
• The Atomic Mr. Basie (1958, Roulette Records)
• Basie Plays Hefti (1958, Roulette)
• No Count Sarah (with Sarah Vaughan) (1958, EmArcy)
• Chairman of the Board (1958, Roulette)
• Sing Along With Basie (with Joe Williams &Lambert,Hendricks & Ross) (1958, Roulette)
• Breakfast Dance and Barbeque (1958, Roulette)
• Welcome to the Club (Nat King Cole) (1959, Capitol)
• One More Time (1959, Roulette)
• Basie and Eckstine, Inc. (with Billy Eckstine) (1959, Roulette)
• Strike Up the Band (with Tony Bennett) (1959, Roulette)
• In Person! (with Tony Bennett) (1959, Columbia)
• Everyday I Have the Blues (with Joe Williams) (1959, Roulette)
• Dance Along with Basie (1959, Roulette)

The 1960s-pre Pablo

• I Gotta Right to Swing (with Sammy Davis, Jr.) (1960, Decca Records)
• Just the Blues (with Joe Williams) (1960, Roulette)
• The Count Basie Story (1960, Roulette)
• Not Now,I'll Tell You When (1960, Roulette)
• First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (with Duke Ellington) (1961, Columbia)
• The Legend (1961, Roulette)
• Kansas City Suite - The Music of Benny Carter (1961, Roulette)
• Basie at Birdland (live) (1961, Roulette)
• Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan (with Sarah Vaughan) (1961, Roulette)
• Back with Basie (1962, Roulette)
• Easi'n it (1962, Roulette)
• Basie in Sweden (1962, Roulette)
• Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First (with Frank Sinatra) (1962, Reprise)
• On My Way and Shoutin' Again! (1963, Verve)
• More Hits of 1950s and 1960s (1963, Verve)
• Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! (1963, Verve)
• This Time by Basie: Hits of the 1950s and 1960s (1963, Verve)
• Ella and Basie! (with Ella Fitzgerald) (1963, Verve)
• Basie Land (1964, Verve)
• Pop Goes the Basie (1964, Reprise)
• It Might as Well Be Swing (with Frank Sinatra) (1964, Reprise)
• Basie Picks the Winners (1965, Verve)
• Our Shining Hour (with Sammy Davis, Jr.) (1965, Verve)
• Arthur Prysock and Count Basie (with Arthur Prysock) (1965, Verve)
• Basie's Beatle Bag (1965, Verve)
• Basie Meets Bond (1966, Capitol)
• Sinatra at the Sands (live, with Frank Sinatra) (1966, Reprise)
• Basie's Beat (1967, Verve)
• Broadway Basie's...Way (1967, Command)
• Hollywood...Basie's Way (1967, Command)
• Basie's in the Bag (1967, Brunswick)
• The Happiest Millionaire (1967, )
• Half a Sixpence (1967, Dot)
• Manufacturers of Soul (with Jackie Wilson) (1968, Brunswick)
• The Board of Directors (with The Mills Brothers) (1968, Dot)
• The Board of Directors Annual Report (with The Mills Brothers) (1968, Dot)
• Evergreens (1969, Groove Merchant)
• Basic Basie (1969, MPS)
• Basie Straight Ahead (1969, Dot)
• Standing Ovation (1969, Dot)
• High Voltage (1970, MPS)
• How About This (with Kay Starr) (1970, MCA)
• Basie on the Beatles (1970, Happy Tiger)
• Afrique (1970, RCA Victor)
• Have a Nice Day (1971, Daybreak)
• Bing 'n' Basie (with Bing Crosby) (Daybreak, 1972)

The Pablo Years

• Flip,Flop & Fly (live,with Joe Turner) (1972)
• Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 (live) (1972)
• The Songs of Bessie Smith (with Tersa Brewer) (1973, Doctor Jazz)
• Basie Big Band (1975)
• Fun Time (1975)
• I Told You So (1976)
• Prime Time (1977)
• Montreux '77 (live) (1977)
• Milt Jackson + Count Basie + The Big Band Vol.1 (live) (1978)
• Milt Jackson + Count Basie + The Big Band Vol.2 (live) (1978)
• Live in Japan '78 (live) (1978)
• On the Road (1979)
• Digital III at Montreux (live) (1979)
• A Classy Pair (with Ella Fitzgerald) (1979)
• A Perfect Match (live, with Ella Fitzgerald) (1979)
• Kansas City Shout (1980)
• Warm Breeze (1981)
• Send in the Clowns (with Sarah Vaughan) (1981)
• Farmer's Market Barbecue (1982)
• 88 Basie Street (1983)
• Me and You (1983)
• Fancy Pants (final album with Count Basie) (1983)

Post Count Basie albums

• Long Live the Chief (1987, Denon)
• Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra (live, with Diane Schuur) (1987, GRP)
• The Legend, the Legacy (1990, Denon)
• Big Boss Band (with George Benson) (1990, Warner Bros.)
• Freddie Freeloader (with Jon Hendricks) (1990, Denon)
• The Count Basie Orchestra Live at El Morocco (live) (1992, Telarc)
• Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra (with Joe Williams) (1993, Telarc)
• Basie's Bag (live) (1994, Telarc)
• Jazzin' (ith Tito Puente & India) (1996, RMM)
• Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild: The Count Basie Orchestra (live) (1997, Blue Jackel)
• At Long Last (with Rosemary Clooney) (1998, Concord)
• Count Plays Duke (1998, MAMA)
• Swing Shift (1999, MAMA)
• Ray Sings, Basie Swings (with Ray Charles) (2006, Concord)
• Basie is Back (2007, Village Music)
• A Swingin' Christmas (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band) (with Tony Bennett) (2008, Columbia)