Count Basie

United States
August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984

Website

William James "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. His mother taught him to play the piano and he started performing in his teens. Dropping out of school, he learned to operate lights for vaudeville and to improvise accompaniment for silent films at a local movie theater in his home town of Red Bank, New Jersey. By age 16, he increasingly played jazz piano at parties, resorts and other venues. In 1924, he went to Harlem, where his performing career expanded; he toured with groups to the major jazz cities of Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City. In 1929 he joined Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City, and played with them until Moten's death in 1935.

For the last 14 days:

535 tracks
301 stations
40 countries

Count Basie top songs

1	One O'Clock Jump
2	Basie
3	April in Paris
4	Jumpin' At The Woodside
5	Fly Me to the Moon
6	Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)
7	Li'l Darlin'
8	Basie's
9	Jive At Five
10	Corner Pocket
11	The Kid from Red Bank
12	Splanky
13	Basie Boogie
14	Lester Leaps In
15	One O'Clock Boogie
16	Honeysuckle Rose
17	Boogie Woogie
18	Oh! Lady Be Good
19	Moten Swing
20	Shorty George
21	Every Tub
22	Yesterday
23	Tea For Two
24	Taxi War Dance
25	Lullaby of birdland

Count Basie quotes

I, of course, wanted to play real jazz. When we played pop tunes, and naturally we had to, I wanted those pops to kick! Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.