Count Basie Orchestra at West Ranch High School November 28th, 2016

In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold out concerts all over the world, with members personally chosen by him, for more than 30 years after his passing. Pianist and bandleader William James “Count” Basie, born in 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey; was and still is an American institution that personifies the grandeur and excellence of Jazz. The Count Basie Orchestra has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world. Some of the greatest soloists, composers, arrangers, and vocalists in jazz history such as Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Frank Foster, Thad Jones, Sonny Payne, Freddie Green, Snooky Young, Frank Wess, and Joe WIlliams, became international stars once they began working with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. This great 18 member orchestra, today directed by trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, is committed to continuing the excellent history started by Basie of stomping and shouting the blues, as well as refining those musical particulars that allow for the deepest and most moving of swing.