Count Basie Quartet – “I don’t Know” – May 1968

Count Basie (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Norman Keenan (bass), Sonny Payne (drums)

The Montreux Jazz Festival final song with Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie orchestra in 1979

The tune, “This Could Be The Start Of Something”, is from the 1954 TV musical production “The Bachelor”. Song and lyrics by comedian/writer Steve Allen. It was his most popular tune (he wrote lots of tunes) and he used it as a theme song for many years. He always said he got the ideas for this tune in his sleep.

“I dreamed the first main theme, up to the bridge, and dreamed the first seven or eight lines of the lyric, and thank goodness remembered them when I woke up and wrote them down.”

This clip was taken from Count Basie & His Orchestra who featured at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1962.
Joe Williams sings along with `Big` Jimmy Rushing.(Many thanks for identifying him).
Sadly, all are no longer with us, but hopefully they still give sell-out performances on the other side.
The world is a sadder place without them.

“Everyday I Have The Blues” featuring Joe Williams on vocals, Lin Biviano on lead trumpet, Butch Miles on drums

Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie Orchestra
Jazz in Montreux 1979

From a 1968 Berlin concert. Great drumming by Harold Jones and lead trumpet of Gene Goe

musical prodigy

Happy 91st Birthday Clark Terry

http://www.jazzvideoguy.tv presents Count Basie, from the film, “Rhythm and Blues Review,” October 1950. The film is now in public domain and can be downloaded from http://www.archive.org

In between big bands, led this all-star group, which includes: Count Basie, piano; Wardell Gray, tenor sax; Buddy DeFranco, clarinet; Clark Terry, trumpet; Freddie Green, guitar; Jimmy Lewis, bass; Gus Johnson, drums.

COUNT BASIE Excerpts from the oddly titled “Dance of the Gremlins” (thanks to mfb25890 & mbdavis10025 for the song I.D.), and “Swingin’ the Blues”, c. 1941.

This is some of the HOTTEST big band swing of the 40s!

Don Byas on tenor, Harry “Sweets” Edison & then later Buck Clayton, trumpet, Jo Jones drums…
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