Bill Basie studied music with his mother as a child and played piano in early childhood. He picked up the basics of early ragtime from some of the great Harlem pianists and studied organ informally ...

From 1935 to his death in 1984, pianist and bandleader Count Basie led one of the most important jazz institutions of the 20th century, in the process forging a distinctive sound that changed the jazz ...

No, the Count isn't literally back... in fact, he's never really been away, as the Count Basie Orchestra has kept rolling along under a series of leaders since Basie's death in April 1984. This latest ...

Florida State jazz professor and trumpet player Scotty Barnhart is one of the world’s leading experts when it comes to legendary pianist-songwriter-bandleader Count Basie (1904-1984). There’s a good ...

MURRAY HORWITZ, American Film Institute: The worst part of doing the NPR Basic Jazz Record Library is having to fade out music like that. Hi, I'm Murray Horwitz, and that's one of the greatest ...

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to clue us in on who is the Queen of Jazz. It’s Ella Fitzgerald, my dear Watson, Lady Ella. William Basie began to boogie-woogie piano keys at a Harlem club catering to ...