Count Basie By Numbers

Legendary Jazz Orchestra have two New Brunswick shows coming up.

With the exception of Jerry Garcia, Count Basie may be the only musician whose namesake band continues to play sold out shows long after his passing.

To put the group’s longevity into rock and roll terms, it would be similar to Queen continuing to play Mercury-free until 2050 or Alice in Chains pushing that Seattle Sound all the way to 2067 (heaven forbid!).

What was once the bread and butter for Basie and his bandmates has become an international institution, continuing to receive honours and awards for performance and stewardship of the legendary jazz musician’s arrangements and overall musical vision.

It’s been thirty-two years since Basie passed away at the age of 79. This year his band, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, is celebrating its 80^th anniversary. The band has been playing longer that Basie himself was on this earth. That’s surely something no other musician has achieved.