Count Basie: Improv Blues

Here is a cool video of Count Basie and his four piece band doing an improv blues to end a TV show film in 1968. What I love about Count Basie is that it is rare to see him solo. He made his players look good, and was a comping machine. (in other words, he could play chords, and support his players so they would sound good) In this clip we get to see that not only could Count play the blues, but he could also play stride piano! very nice clip!

Count Basie Quartet - Blues
Uploaded by trombone-usa

Big Joe Williams, And Count Basie: Going To Chicago

Big Joe is one of those under-rated blues singers. I am not sure how the jazz folks feel about him, but Joe and a lot of the Kansas City style bluesmen, and women, seemed to be less noticed among the blues fans than the more recognized Chicago,Delta, and Memphis blues artists. Big Joe Williams had a smooth voice, and easily moved from jazz to blues. This video is of him and Count Basie performing a song made popular by Count's first vocalist Jimmy "5x5" Rushing, called Going To Chicago.

Going to Chicago
Uploaded by icedrum

Artist Of The Week: Count Basie

Artist of the week is Count Basie. I thought I would go old school, and bring on some swing! Legend has it that Benny Goodman was traveling through the Midwest when he heard Count Basie on the radio. He told John Hammond who contacted Basie, and arranged for him to play in Chicago. When Basie and the band arrived the producer of the show wanted to know where his music and arrangements were, when Basie informed the producer that they didn't have any, and that the arrangements were in their head! I am sure the producer was a bit shocked when he heard how good these guys were without music!:-) As always the videos are located on the left side of the blog. Also notice that I have another box of videos below that. You can watch those blues videos without leaving the site. It is pretty cool, and has some different videos. I have noticed that it slowly changes videos perhaps a couple a week.

Billie Holiday and Count Basie: God Bless The Child, and Now Baby

Billie Holiday sings perhaps one of her best known tunes, God Bless The Child, with the
Count Basie orchestra.

Count Basie and Big Joe Williams: Well Alright, Okay, You Win

Big Joe Williams, not the delta bluesman, but the KC jump blues shouter. I wish there were more video of him around. I know that he played on the Johnny Carson show almost monthly in the late 70s, but I haven't found many videos of him. He had a great mellow voice, and could really swing. He is more associated with jazz, but anyone who played with the Count as much as he did could be considered a bluesman.

Oscar Peterson and Count Basie: Slow Blues

Two great jazz pianists playing the blues. Oscar Peterson and Count Basie.

Oscar Peterson & Count Basie Slow Blues
Uploaded by madafonka2

Count Basie, and Jimmy Rushing

Jimmy Rushing also know as Mr. 5x5. Nice KC swing blues with the full Basie Band.
Count Basie-Take Me Back Baby
Uploaded by redhotjazz

Artist of the Week Jimmy Rushing

Artist of the Week is Jimmy Rushing. Jimmy's fame came from singing with the legendary Count Basie. Of the videos below it looks like the second one is from the Newport jazz festival. I have been trying to post it for three weeks. You need to watch the first few minutes before Jimmy comes up to sing Going to Chicago, which is a song the our own Jimmy Pryor used to love to sing. Of course the first few minutes of the Newport footage is that of the mellow blues singer Big Joe Williams. (not to be confused with the guitar player Big Joe Williams) I have also noticed that Google is slowly taking over the video duties from Youtube, so the small videos from the sidebar may come from either Google, or youtube.