Way back in the early years of my burgeoning infatuation with swing music, I began to notice that there seemed to be a lot of musicians with nicknames that bestowed nobility — even royalty. Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, King Oliver, Count Basie, and of course the King of Swing, just to mention a few. (If any readers have some to add, your comments are welcome. It might be fun to see how many we can list.)
I guess it’s a phenomenon that’s not limited to those early days though, because in the years since then we’ve had The King (who has definitely left the building), the King of Pop, Prince, and at least one female member of the nobility, Queen Latifah.
But at the time of my initiation into swing music, all the nicknames seemed kind of funny and confusing. Forexample, who ranked higher in the aristocracy of swing, the Count or the Duke? I’m kidding, but I did get them mixed up initially until I began to listen and learn about the men, their history, and of course their music.
The Duke came to prominence in the East as both a bandleader and a composer, and to the average fan today is probably the more famous of the two, but I’m going to focus on Basie for now. He appeared out of the booming Kansas City jazz scene back in the thirties, first as a pianist with various groups and then as the leader of a driving, talented swing band that included Lester Young on tenor sax and vocalist Jimmy Rushing. The band’s first big hit – “One O’Clock Jump” – also became its theme song.
Basie’s group enjoyed a lot of success for many years, then experienced the same kind of decline in popularity that hit many of the big bands in the post-war years. However, Basie eventually hit it bigger than ever in the fifties and sixties, with a revitalized band that included vocalist Joe Williams and enjoyed some new hits, among them “Every Day (I Have The Blues)” and “April In Paris”.
Until his death (at age 79) he continued to enjoy both critical and popular success, often teaming up with star vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Ella FItzgerald, and generating Grammy-winning music.
Count Basie’s position in the hierarchy of swing nobility seems secure, and I haven’t gotten him mixed up with Duke Ellington for a long time.
For samples, I’m posting two tunes from the album The Essential Count Basie, which features his band of the late thirties. Leading off is a stirring song called “Pound Cake“, which features lots of solos including three by Lester Young. That’s followed by “Taxi War Dance“, which spotlights the strong Basie rhythm section.
Geezer Music Club 