Basic Basie
In 1950, due to economic pressures, Count Basie disbanded his 16 piece orchestra in favor of a septet, and other smaller combos such as a quintet, quartet, and even a trio. He missed the big band sound and in 1952, as things improved, he reformed the orchestra we are more accustomed to hearing. Mark of Jazz featured the quartet on August 30, 2024 … this post is a kind of sequel to Basie’s ‘between the big bands’ era.
The septet consisted of Count Basie at the piano, Clark Terry playing trumpet, Buddy DeFranco on clarinet, Wardell Gray on tenor, Freddie Green playing guitar, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Gus Johnson at the drums. (Topmost) these future stellar artists join together on Basie’s own One O’Clock Jump. (Just below that) the dazzling Cleveland Eaton is featured on double bass, in a quintet setting, on Booty’s Blues. Finally, (below) is The Count Basie Trio at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, with Ray Brown on bass and Jimmy Smith on Drums.
