Count Basie and the Piano That Swings the Band

Author(s): Mark Tucker

Source: Popular Music, Vol. 5, Continuity and Change (1985), pp. 45-79
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/853283
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@ z (' - !

CountBasieand the piano that swings the band

by MARK TUCKER

In late 1932, after a run of hard luck on tour- jobs that evaporated,
buses that broke down, and money that ran out- the Kansas City
orchestraof Bennie Moten headed for Camden, New Jerseyto record
for Victor. The session produced ten sides, among them a piece
bearing the leader's name: 'Moten Swing'. Guitaristand trombonist
Eddie Durhamhad come up with the arrangementin Philadelphianot
long before, constructinga series of brass and reed riffsover the chord
changes of WalterDonaldson's hit song of 1930, 'You'reDriving Me
Crazy'. The opening of 'Moten Swing' featured the band's pianist,
William 'Bill' Basie. After an eight-barintroductionBasie played the
following passage, accompaniedonly by the rhythm section of bass,
guitar and drums (for the symbols used in the transcriptions,see the
Appendix):
Example 1. 'Moten Swing' (1932), chorus 1 (bars 14)

( ,f EW * Ft° B;71F

*shouldbe Eb 8 ; ; "| | | F ; D

i
F7
v: x **
7 $ " r 3f r
BS71F
}Eb ^: :[modulatzon]

**shouldbe Eb

The next time Basie recorded 'Moten Swing' it was 1940. Much had
happened in the interim.Moten had died in 1935.Basiehad takenover
the remnants of his band and for a while led a stripped-down, nine-
piece version at Kansas City's Reno Club. Then came increased
45
 d F a H- :#<f rr* -
46 MarkTucker
exposure through radio broadcasts, important engagements in Chi-
cago and New York, expansion in the band's ranks, and a three-year
recording contract with Decca. Pianist Bill Basie had become the
famous bandleader 'Count' Basie, and his playing sounded different
too:
Example2. 'MotenSwing' (1940),chorus 1 (bars14)

8 b b (, 7; t s - 7 < r r f S t -
te EN Bb71F
m,

9A, 1- j
E >
z
- t}
- -

l F Bb7/F Eb BW7

{9 s >" t)
; - ( ss) _ 7

The contrasts between the two versions are readily apparent on

paper and striking to the ear. Partly the difference comes from the
rhythm section; where earlierit had chugged, now it glides like a tap-
dancer on sand. But mainly it comes from Basie, who has given his
hands entirely different assignments. Instead of striding along
purposefully his left hand holds onto whole notes or drops out
altogether. Instead of punching out octaves and tremolos his right
hand keeps heading for the upper trebleregisterwith littlephrases that
break off in light staccato accents. Yet through some strange quirk of
musicallogic, the second version is more forcefulthan the first. Basie's
elliptical lines push ahead to the end of the eight-bar period. The
pruned chords and more relaxed pacing let in air so the notes can
breathe. The accents are fewer but more incisive. Here are the hall-
marks of the classic Basie style: wit, economy, suspense, and most of
all, swing.
Manywritershave noted Basie'sprogressionfroma youthful period,
in which he shows the influence of pianists FatsWallerand EarlHines
(Hodeir 1962,pp. 99-100;Schuller1968,p. 304;Williams1970,p. 126),
to a maturephase, when the sources had been distilledinto a new style
unmistakablyBasie'sown. Iteventuallybecameso distinctivethatmost
listeners could identify the pianist by only three chords:
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband
47
Example3. 'Ain't Misbehavin'', coda, recorded 1916 July 1963 (from Ellaand Basie!
Verve VX061)
. . _

e Ss 1<rs 1
Basie's piano-playing, like his trademarkcadence, always bore the
stamp of a strong musical personality. Workingin a traditionthat has
placed a high value on the individual, Basie clearly succeeded in
finding a unique style. Some might view the style he discoveredas the
outcome of a searchfor identity, as when GaryGiddins calls Basie 'the
only majorfigurein jazz to realizehis individualityby paringdown his
technique' (1984,p. 71).
But what made Basie change? Why did he trade in a ratherimpres-
sive mastery of two-handed, eastern stride for a style where he might
noodle around with only two or three notes way up in the high treble
register?The recordingsBasiemade over a period of roughly ten years,
from 1929 to 1939, provide some clues. From his first session with
Bennie Moten to those with his own band in the late 1930s,Basiecanbe
heard in various settings responding to musical challenges as a com-
mitted ensemble player, making choices that might serve others as
well as himself.

Texas bassist Gene Ramey once observed, 'There are two kinds of
piano players: one is a soloist, a single, and the other plays with the
band' (Dance 1980, p. 270). When BillBasie was growing up near and
in New York City, many of the pianists he met excelled as soloists.
Bornin Red Bank,New Jerseyin 1904,Basiewas playing piano in New
York by the early 1920s. There he came in contact with a group of
pianists who had perfected a self-sufficient solo style (later called
'stride'or 'Harlemstride')in which the right hand played embellished
melodies and busy figurationwhile the left alternatedlow bass notes,
octaves and tenths with middle registerchords. Duke Ellington,who
settled in New Yorkin 1923,rememberedJamesP. Johnsonas 'king'of
'the dozen great piano players who entertainedat "parlorsocials"', a
group that also included Thomas'Fats'Waller,Willie'TheLion'Smith,
Earl Frazier, 'Seminole' and Basie. Ellington apparentlyheard Basie
playing in Harlemat Edmond'sCellar(5thAvenue between 134thand
135th) and Leroy's Cabaret (101 West 135th Street) (Ellington 1940,
p. 32). The presiding genius at the latterclub around 1920was Willie
'The Lion', whom Basie surely knew.
Basie's closest relationship seems to have been with Waller, born
exactlythree months earlierthan 'TheKidfromRed Bank'.Wallerheld
48 Mark Tucker

forth on the organ at the LincolnTheatre, and it was there that Basie
first encountered him. In no time Basie became 'a daily customer,
hanging onto his every note, sittingbehind him all the time, fascinated
by the ease with which his hands pounded the keys and feet
manipulated the pedals' (Shapiro and Hentoff 1955, p. 254). After
Basie expressed interest in learning the organ, Walleragreed to give
him informallessons. Waller'sinfluence on Basie also carriedover to
the piano. As Nat Piercerecalledin 1979:'One night [Basie]came over
and played "Handfulof Keys"in a directcopy of FatsWaller'sversion.
Fats was his man, and later he watered Fats' style down to where it
became the Count Basie style' (Dance 1980, p. 240). Andre Hodeir
(1962, p. 100) traces the double thirds Basie plays in several solos
('Doggin' Around' (1938),'I Never Knew' (1940),and 'FarewellBlues'
(1942)) back to Waller, but such a device was commonly used by
pianistsboth east and west (see JamesP. Johnson's'Riffs'(1929)or Pete
Johnson's 'Roll'Em Pete' (1938)).
The New Yorkpianists Basie heard as a young man were excellent
musicians and inspiringrole models. But they had not yet found good
solutions for adapting their solo style to the demands of ensemble
work. Most ended up alternatingbetween two main functions in jazz
bands, soloing and accompanying. The two required different tech-
niques. When accompanying,a pianistoften outlined the bass with the
left hand in single notes or octaves and with the right he plunked
chords. This approach- which I call 'standardaccompaniment'- was
summed up once by Tom Whaley, Duke Ellington'slongtime copyist:
'When I first startedplaying piano in a band, the leader told me, "All I
want you to do is oom-pahand hold that tempo."' (Dance 1970, p. 44)
Many pianists can be heard to oom-pah on records of the 1920s,
including FletcherHenderson:
Example4. Standardaccompaniment.'Clap Hands! Here Comes Charley!'The Dixie
Stompers(FletcherHenderson, piano), chorus4, bars5 8, recorded23 November1925,
New York(Harmony141302-3)
Piano C D G7 C

ldg$tRAf ;EAis -Fs$ i; $ X $ L

(-S(@tada-f is-: 7L; R H_fs SR

Pianistscould also accompanyfromstock arrangementsin which their
parts contained the same materialas the lead instruments. This was
fine if the pianist was filling in for missing musicians but could be
redundant when he or she merely doubled brass and reeds.
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 49
'Henderson Stomp', recorded in 1926 by Fletcher Henderson's
orchestra,offers a good example of what usually happened in a band
when it was time for a piano solo: the reeds and brass dropped out to
let the pianist continue in a fuller, two-handed style accompaniedby
the rhythm section (or simply drums). At the beginning of his solo
chorus FatsWaller- the substitutepianiston this date - plays the main
theme from the piece's A section:
Example5. 'HendersonStomp', piano solo (bars14) 8va
_ .

9(2 # (B},[S < 5 i * 7

t!)""(-fo b >> >d a"F

should be D only
_ _ _(8rfz) ___

9$#t2151 2Glt75at

p D/A (G"°) A7 D (G#°) A7

/NF #F< j#F5; uv

When the rest of the band joins in after the solo, Waller'saccompani-
ment fades to a barelyaudiblelevel. The same 'drop-out'effect can be
heard on many other recordingsof the 1920s(see Kington1965,p. 28).
One attempt to get around this is made in 'You'veGot To Be Modern-
istic' (1929),recordedby Jimmy[JamesP.] Johnson and his orchestra.
Here the arrangerhas the band fill in between piano phrases (played
jointlyby Johnsonand Waller),but the effectis rhythmicallyawkward,
more novel than effective.
In the 1920s the person most successful in making the piano an
integral part of the ensemble, thus breaking away from the dual
accompaniment-soloist role, was Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton.*
Mortonwas well-qualifiedfor the job, being not just a brilliantsoloist
but a gifted composer. BothGuntherSchuller(1968,p. 148)and Martin
Williams(1970,p. 42) have describedMorton's'orchestral'piano style,
as he performed parts on the keyboard in imitation of different
instruments - trumpet, trombone, even drums. When Morton used

* Here, as elsewhere, I am basing my judgement on the evidence presented by

commercialrecordingsof the time.
@(s
+(
i{ - t ;:!
- *+ !;
7 5-1 ; X ,;>n
4 77
7It51- . S
6tE

50 MarkTucker
this orchestral approach within carefully arranged ensembles the
result could be a polyphonic texturein which the piano added its own
melodies and interjections,as well as takingsolo choruses and provid-
ing fundamental rhythm section support. In the middle three solo
choruses of 'Muddy WaterBlues' (1923),for example, Mortonweaves
counter-melodiesin the treble against the alto saxophone and clarinet
and throws in left-hand trombonelines and repeatedfillips in the high
registerbehind the cornet. And in 'Grandpa'sSpells' (1928),from the
more tightly-arrangedRed Hot Pepper sides for Victor, Morton com-
ments during the guitar and trumpet solos:
Example6. 'Grandpa'sSpells'
A: Chorus1 (barsW12)
Piano C w 5 ' 97

Guitar(solo)

i9,$nAJ J j rt r J >
B:Chorus2 (bars1 4)
Cornet(solo) C D7

Piano

Mortonfashioned a more flexiblerole for the piano in an ensemble, one

in which accompanyingand soloing were not so mutuallyexclusive. In
this way he anticipatedBasie'sdevelopment in the 1930s,even though
his manner and methods were quite different.
Morton brought his brand of New Orleans ensemble jazz to New
York in 1926, but by that time Basie had already hit the road,
accompanyingsingers and varietyacts on the TOBA(TheatreOwners
and BookersAssociation)circuit.On tourwith GonzelleWhitein 1927,
Basie got stranded in Kansas City, Missouri. As saxophonist Eddie
Barefield explains, 'Being stranded meant that you were in a town
without work or money. You had to eat and sleep, but you couldn't get
out' (Dance 1980, p. 320). Fora while Basie found work playing organ
in movie-houses; Waller'slessons were paying off. Then in 1928 he
joined one of the Southwest's most fabled bands, WalterPage's Blue
Devils.*
* In historicalwritingaboutjazz the 'Southwest'is a roughlydefined geographicalarea
centred on the states of Kansas,Missouri,Arkansasand Oklahomabut extending to
Nebraska, Texas and points west. Some importantcities in the Southwest for jazz
activitywere KansasCity, Missouri;Tulsaand OklahomaCity, Oklahoma;and Dallas
 CountBasieandthepianothatswings theband 51

By 1928 Basie had more than sufficient training and experience to

fulfilthe duties of an ensemble pianist. He had masteredthe essentials
of eastern 'stride' style and could hold his own as a soloist. Several
years on the black vaudeville circuit had made him a seasoned
accompanist. But Basie must have discovered early on that pianists
with southwestern bands needed other skills. Forone thing, they had
to know how to play the blues. SingerJimmyRushinghas stated flatly
that Basie 'couldn't play the blues then' (Dance 1980, p. 20), implying
that he had to acquireboth the musical and emotional vocabularyof
the blues as played by southwestern musicians (for a good example,
listen to Troy Floyd's 'DreamlandBlues'). Also, the Blue Devils' riff-
based tunes and loose head arrangements were different from the
pieces Basie had learned with the eastern pianists and the vaudeville
singers. So was the style. As alto saxophonist Buster Smith recalled,
the Blue Devils played 'rough' music (Russell 1971, p. 79). Frequent
bandstand competitions with other groups called for a revamped
approach;here in the Southwest bands won on raw guts or sheer force
of personality, not necessarily by fancy figuration and technical
wizardry.
Unfortunately the Blue Devils only recorded two sides, on 10
l!lovember 1929, and they cannot begin to suggest the power and
excitement of their live performances.By this time Basie had left the
group to join Bennie Moten. Nevertheless, the two pieces- 'BlueDevil
Blues' and 'There's a Squabblin"- give some idea of the role Basie
probablyplayed in his first southwestern ensemble.t

and San Antonio, Texas.Bandsthattraversedthe region,playingnot just in citiesbut

in remote rural areas, are often referredto as 'territorialbands' (see Russell 1971,
chapters7-8). Schullerprovidesa lucidand informedintroductionto the music of the
Southwest bands, focusing on recordingsmade by BennieMoten, WalterPage'sBlue
Devils, Alphonse Trent, TroyFloyd, Jesse Stone, George Lee and others (1968,pp.
279-317).
* Head arrangementswere memorisedor improvisedon the spot ratherthan written
down, and often resulted from a spontaneous act of collectivecomposition. Buster
Smith describes the process in recountingthe genesis of Basie's theme song, 'One
O'ClockJump':
We were fooling around at the club and Basie was playing along in F. That was his
favouritekey. He holleredto me thathe was going to switchto D flatand forme to 'set
something'.I startedplayingthatopening reed riff(from'Sixor Seven Times')on alto.
Lips Page jumped in with the trumpet part without any trouble and Dan Minor
thought up the trombonepart. Thatwas it - a 'head'. (Russell1971,p. 136)
t Schullerdoes not think Basieis the pianiston these two sides, instead suggesting the
name of WillieLewis (1968,p. 296).Accordingto Russell(1971,p. 88), however, Basie
confirmedhis participationin the session (and since the Blue Devils recordedonly
once, I am tempted to believe him). If Basiehad some rolein persuadingJackKappof
Brunswickto recordthe group, he may have sat in to help out his friends. Moreover,
contraryto Schuller'sassertionthat there was a 'distinctdifferencein style' between
 .. .. . < rn - - - - . ...................................
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... . ....... .... ........... ......... ...............

52 Mark Tucker
In 'Blue Devil Blues' the piano is prominent only at the beginning
and end. The tune opens with six bars of an introductoryvamp in C
minor. Basietakes the firstfour alone, sweeping up the keyboardwith
an arpeggio and down with octaves. In bars 5 6 the reeds enter with
the vamp figure and the piano connects their phrases. Duringthe next
four choruses (one trumpet, one clarinet,two vocal)the piano seems to
drop out. But in the last ensemble chorus it re-appears, linking the
horns' simple riff figures as it did at the opening:
Example7. 'BlueDevil Blues', chorus5 (bars14)

Piano _ =_ Eb Elwm

$Atif D R < SL
Brass

@ $ n X blrjL<-

Eb EIJ7 W^-t

$ ; V

Sb b S i , fi r H

Here Basie relieves the stark simplicity of the repeated riffs with his
high-trebleresponse. Immediatelyafterwardshe tries a flowery, over-
pedalled arpeggio and, as if sensing this does not work, goes back to
octaves (bars7-8), ending with a few chords accented off the beat.
Basiefigures as a more importantensemble-memberon the flip side.
'Squabblin" is a fast, jumping tune in 4/4, driven by leader Walter
Page's string bass (he plays tuba on 'Blue Devil Blues'). In the brief
vamp section before the first and third choruses Basie marks strong
rhythmic accents. He also takes two strikingoctave breaks (beforethe

the Basieof 1929and the pianist on the BlueDevils' recordings,the musicalevidence

stronglyargues the opposite. Compare,for example, the ascendingarpeggioin 'Blue
Devil Blues'(last chorus, bars56) with that in Moten's'TheJones Law Blues'(piano
solo, bar 6); the piano's octave breaksin 'Squabblin"(introduction,bars 11-12, and
just afterthe clarinetsolo) with the figuresin Basie's'SmallBlack'solo (bars12-14);the
piano's ostinato bass at the end of 'Squabblin"with the same device Basie uses
consistently in the late 1930s, as in 'Doggin' Around' (1938)and 'TaxiWar Dance'
(1939).If not Basie, the pianistwho performssuch a beautifuldecrescendoat the end
of the introductionto 'BlueDevil Blues',and who so deftlytosses off the shortphrases
before and during the rhythm section chorus of 'Squabblin''is someone who had
Basie'stouch down pat
 G7 (Hi
Drums Hat C7m; m r r r 0 m; ffi r r r Z ^

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 53
firstand fourthchoruses) that recallthe style of EarlHines. Perhapsthe
most interesting aspect of 'Squabblin"(besides BusterSmith'simpas-
sioned sax solo) is the thirdchorus, forrhythmsection alone. Although
Page takes a bass break in the middle, this is not his solo spot but a
featurefor the entire unit of piano, guitar,bass and drums, all working
smoothly together. Basie plays an outline of the chord progressionin

Example8. 'Squabblin'',chorus3 (bars916)

Eb7 Ab AWnr7 Eb B\7 E''

,4.;0bJ
Piano
A .
E; j j X j 27;

Bass

A(' ; t j $ j t Sj 0 1 72; ; j 0 j j

Guitar El' Ab Eb Bb7 E;

b 6-f / { / {- I I I I I I I S I I I
+ + + + + + + + o o + + + + + o + o

Cymbal)
G7 C7

@4 v} > ij ]51 v) 1z)7b,<L>L

p4 ; +X r vJ t $4 ; 0J ; j j
l

+ + + + + O + + O + + O + + + + O +

r r r r lrr rrr^rl Cr r lr r r r I
F7 Bl'7

@ 7At ;*;LgJ S 0 - - 7[i }

Break

4 !4 1Ji; 0 S L; D4XS; j
F7 Bb7

@ i } / / / / / / / / ,

+ o + + + + + o +

+ = closed
rrrrlrrr r Ira § $ r 1
O-open
54 MarkTucker
the tenor rangewhile the other three performtheirtasks as usual. Yetit
is remarkablehow such absence of activityprovides so much interest.
(I don't know how common such rhythm section choruses were for
Kansas City bands at this time, but they are relatively infrequent on
jazz recordingsuntil the late 1930s, when Basiehad Page in his band.)
At firstthe reduced volume and the absence of a soloist cause surprise.
But in the blend of piano, bass and guitarstringsthe ears find a timbral
oasis in the midst of a brass- and reed-dominatedensemble.
It seems quite likely that Walter Page played a significant role in
transforming Basie's style at the keyboard. Although only a young
man, Page (b. 1900)became a kind of mentor to many southwestern
musicians in the late 1920s.Schullerhas called attentionto the fluidity
and 'relaxedpropulsion' of his bass lines, and it is these which make a
piece like 'Squabblin'' swing. But Page brought other qualities to
bands. With his big sound and powerful technique - 'He was like a
house with a note', Eddie Durhamhas said (Dance 1980,p. 63) - Page
allowed both the drummer and the pianist's left hand to lighten up.
This is turn broughtabout a shift in the dynamicbalanceof the rhythm
section. Page instructedhis fellow playersto stay out of the way of each
other, 'or we'll have to get rid of either the piano or the guitar'.Fellow
bassist Gene Ramey claimed that the most valuablelesson he learned
from Page was restraint.He rememberedPage's advice:
'There'sa whole lot [you] could do here . . . but what you must do is play a
straight line, because that man out there's waiting for food from you. You
could run chordchanges on every chordthat'sgoing on. You'vegot time to do
it. Butif you do, you're interferingwith that guy [the soloist]. So run a straight
line '
* (Dance 1980, pp. 264 5)
Such advice was also valuablefor pianists who tended to play bunches
of notes at the same time.
If Basie learned economy and restraintwith Page, it would be some
years before his playing reflectedthe bassist's teachings. Basie's early
recordingswith Bennie Moten show little of his laterstyle. But should
they? Basie's main chargewas to adapt to an existing ensemble and its
arrangements,not to searchfor an individualstyle. WithMotenhe had
joined one of the Southwest's pre-eminent dance bands. Moten was
ten years Basie's senior and had been recording since 1923. Initially
Basie probably had little choice of repertoryand little influence over
other band members. Although Moten gradually yielded his piano
chairto Basie, there was still his nephew Busterto contend with, who
played both piano and accordian. And when Buster put down his
squeeze-box for piano, as Rameyrecalled, he did not give the rhythm
section much help: 'Buster would start a tune and then just go for
 (T?20
p{50> -h- t(;>t! - '-5i
f v J - + - 77 j e

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 55

himself . . . When he was playing both hands on the piano, it was kind
of rough!' (Dance 1980, p. 270). Like any newcomer in an ensemble,
Basie had to get his bearings, and to do so he fell backon the old piano
techniques he knew best.
Basie's solos with Moten in 1929-30are solidly in the 1920stradition:
the band takes a breather while the pianist continues with rhythm
section accompaniment.EarlierMoten had performedthe same func-
tion, as in his 'TwelfthStreet Rag' (1927)chorus with banjo and wood
blocks, or with ragtime-cum-noveltyeffects on 'Kansas City Break-
down' (1928):
Example 9. 'Kansas City Breakdown', piano solo (bars 14).

¢b(W 7i zg 8R i ¢ 8 9U i <2Fs=
| F BW F

* should be Bb?

Basiehad moretechniqueand firethanMoten,alsomoreof the crisp

attackandsyncopationof EarlHines,as is evidenton his 'SmallBlack'
solo (1929):
Example10. 'SmallBlack',piano solo (bars1-16)

) G7 C7 Bbm6 F G#o C7

° t % $ bX 4 "jfi dJ < j 5
 gra ............

56 Mark Tucker
Example 10 - cont.

(ib t 9 g><itF Ft ; ie j
g G7 C7 Bbm6 F

tpb -m t t 0 t $ g | t

This full, two-handed approach - as though Basie were saying, 'I'll

show you who can play piano around here' - is typical of the 1929-30
records. Basie has similar outings on the fast 'Oh, Eddie' (1930), the
slow 'Jones Law Blues', and the slower still 'New Vine Street Blues'
(both 1929).
Forthe most partBasie'sensemble-playingon these sides remainsin
the background.The fault is not Basie'salone. The recordingqualityis
often poor, and the piano is one of the instrumentsto suffermost from
the limitationsof the medium. On tunes like 'SomebodyStole My Gal'
(1930) and 'Oh, Eddie', Basie's piano accompanimentbarely comes
through (it is possible that he dropped out at times). On 'The Jones
Law Blues', occasionalpiano bass notes are audiblebut the upper part
of the keyboard is not (except, say, in the last half of the trombone
solo).
There are at least three other factorsthat prevent Basiefrom emerg-
ing as an important ensemble player on the early Moten recordings.
First, the band's arrangementstend to be quite busy, especially the
ones used in 1930. Unlike the Blue Devils' more open, riff-constructed
tunes, Moten's chartsleave little space for Basie'sfills. Sometimes the
musiciansbarelyhave time to catcha breath!During solos the reeds or
brass often play backgrounds - either sustained chords or moving
parts- that keep Basiefrominteractingwith the soloist. On 'Oh, Eddie'
(in which arrangerEddie Durham emulates a 'hot' eastern arranging
style, like that of Don Redman or Benny Carter),there are three call-
and-response sections, none of which involves Basie:between reeds
and brassin the second and fifth choruses, and between accordianand
brass in the fourth. Basie sometimes gets a chance to fill in gaps but
does not always follow through. In the last chorus of 'Small Black'
 CountBasieand thepianothatswingstheband 57

there are tiny places where he might add something; the first time
around he does (bars96), but in the second eight bars he leaves the
holes unfilled (perhapstoo rushed to oblige). A similaroccurrenceis in
'Won'tYou Be My Baby'(1930),in which Basiehas six opportunitiesto
add fills and takes only four. This seems less an example of Pageian
restraint than a kind of rebelliousness on Basie's part toward the
crowded arrangements.
While the BlueDevils had a well-balancedinstrumentalline-up (four
brass, three reeds, four rhythm), the Moten band of 1929-30 was
bottom-heavy. There were four to five brass and three reeds, but
consider the rhythm section. BothBasieand BusterMoten arelisted on
piano (although the former probably sounds more than the latter).*
Buster,of course, also played accordian.Banjo-playerLeroyBerrywas
joined by Eddie Durham on guitar. And bringingthe total to six were
Vernon Page on tuba (whose notes are so heavy they sound like two
players) and WillieMcWashingtonon drums. Such a weighty rhythm
section made clean, fluid swing well-nigh impossible, especiallyin the
absence of a strong musical leader or a sectional 'straw boss' (like
Walter Page) to straighten things out. Players just went their merry
ways, as on 'That Too, Do', when the fills behind Jimmy Rushing's
blues lyric are taken simultaneouslyby guitar, piano and accordian!
In addition to the problem of instrumentalclutter, the Moten band
played with a strong rhythmicfeeling of two instead of four('WhenI'm
Alone' (1930)is an exception). As Eddie Durhamlaterrecalled, drum-
mer McWashington'was a two-four man. He played that Charleston
beat and cut wood all the time' (Dance 1980, p. 63). This pulse, in
combinationwith over-writtenarrangementsand over-playedrhythm
instruments, drasticallylimited Basie'sensemble contributions.
There are, however, isolated spots on the 1929-30 sides where the
later, familiar Basie pokes through, like a shaft of light slicing the
clouds. Near the end of 'Hot Lips'Page's opening trumpetsolo on 'Oh,
Eddie' (bars 11-12) Basie tosses off an arpeggiatedfigure high in the
treble;otherwise his piano is barelyheard. Basieanswers two of Page's
phrases on 'When I'm Alone' (first chorus, bars 1-16) with trumpet-
like octaves. Here Basie would be more audible if the reeds were not
playing theirbackgroundchordswith such volume. Some lovely ideas
accompanythe clarinetsolo on 'Won'tYou Be My Baby?'(1930).In the
first four bars Basie plays only two celeste-likephrases, widely spaced

* Personnel listings in discographies often involve a certain amount of guesswork,

owing to sketchy or inaccurate documentation from the actual recording date.
Nonetheless, both Charles Delauney in New Hot Discography(New York 1948)and
BrianRustin Jazz Records,4th Revisedand Enlargededition (New Rochelle1978)indicate
BusterMoten on accordianand piano.
 8tt - * * - * - * * - - .......... ........ .............

58 MarkTucker
and falling on different beats. He continues with a similarascending
phrase in bars 8, but now speeds up the pacing as he directs a
delicate sequence toward the top of the keyboard:

Example 11. 'Won't You Be My Baby', clarinet solo (bars 14)

Piano _ _;

{,$( 7 $ _ 8 rr
}, ¢- - *x: 1
C G7 C G7
Clarinet

@} z1 $ *t4}; "

4 7+ 1 < } 7mt , -

C7 wJ F7 L3J D7 3 3 G7

$?;Is SR jo;" Svv

By 13 December 1932, when the Moten orchestramade its trip to

Camdento recordfor Victor,some importantchanges had occurredfor
both the band and Basie. Moten's recruitingof Blue Devils players,
which had begun in 1929with Basieand EddieDurham,culminatedin
the arrivalof leader WalterPage in 1931. Page brought to the band not
only a differentrhythmicpulse but, I suspect, a concernformore order
and cooperation in the rhythm section. Other relatively new arrivals
included trombonistDan Minorand reed-menEddieBarefieldand Ben
Webster. Playing together on tour had given the ensemble cohesion.
New arrangementsby Durham,Barefieldand Basiewere leanerand let
the band swing harder.And on that day in December,the Motenband
had some indefinablespiritof unity- perhapsa response to adversity-
that practicallyknocks the listener over with its force. As Basie might
say, every note meantsomething, and the resultis ensemble-playingof
the highest order.
Basie the soloist sounds confident, almost cocky on the 1932Moten
sides. His flashy work on 'Toby','Lafayette'and his showcase, 'Prince
of Wails', mark him as an energetic exponent of two-handed stride.
And although this style was probablyjust beginning to sound dated in
1932, at least some of the arrangementsput Basie more on a par with
the brass and reed sections instead of just giving him separate
i+W(- 7 7 t t t i _[ }

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband
choruses. On 'TheOnly GirlI EverLoved', Basie'ssolo, with its Hines- 59
ish octaves and shakes, is dressed up by snappy responses from the
brass:
Example12. 'The Only GirlI EverLoved', piano solo (bars14)

Piano ¢.:t ffi =_ 9 9

3
t t t f-+
I

( F,f G#° Gm7 C7 F G#° C7

0,p'(s7 ; _

Brass (muted) , > . .z _ s

$W(, - 77t - - 1;

Bass
i9 (5 - 7 2)7 5J ,} - - 1 } 7 ^

Sb 7 f 9 p 4 t;-% ;>
5 F7 B; Bl'm6 F G50 Gm C7 F E7 Am6

< 14 CintS; W_ R _ R

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7 t -
-9b J $ - _ _ | >

'Toby' has Basie striding in the old 1920s way, with just snare
accompaniment.But on his 'Lafayette'solo he gets backing from the
reeds and at one point plays the same single-note bass line as Walter
Page(bars1-16). Such a featuremakes Basie'ssolo more of an integral
partof the arrangement,as does the three against four rhythmictrick
which Basie performs several times before the band picks it up (see
MusicalEx. 18). 'Princeof Wails'is perhaps the most old-fashioned of
the 1932 sides. The arrangement is built around Basie's rollicking
piano, with several choruses putting him in the spotlight (while the
bandpops in for occasionalfills);a solo break;and a rhapsodic, mock-
classicalcadenza at the end. Basieplays as though at a 'cuttingcontest',
60 Mark Tucker

Figure 1. Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra,PearlTheatre,Philadelphia,Apnl,

1931.Leftto right:'Hot Lips'Page, trumpet;WilliamMcWashington,drums;Ed Lewis,
firsttrumpet;ThamonHayes, firsttrombone;WoodieWalder,tenorsax, clannet;Eddie
Durham, trombone, guitar, arranger;Bill Basie, piano, arranger;Jimmy Rushing,
vocalist;LeroyBerry,banjo;HarlanLeonard,firstalto sax;BennieMoten,leader,piano;
VernonPage, tuba;BookerT. Washington,trumpet;JackWashington,altoand baritone
saxes; BusterMoten, accordion.Photo:courtesyof FrankDriggs.

and here, nearthe end of the session, he is underbettercontrolthan on

the opener, 'Toby'.
While Basie's solo playing in 1932 shows greater technique and
maturitythan on the earlierrecordingswith Moten, the most impress-
ive advances can be heard in his accompaniment.Five years in hard-
hitting southwestern bands had made him an exceptional ensemble
pianist:he now knew how to answer back when the brass and reeds
shouted, how to make himself heard above the rest of the band, and
how to blend in with the rhythm section the moment the lead
instrumentsdropped out. Basiehad learnedto accompanyusing horn-
like riffs high in the treble, where the piano's tone was sure to cut
through. His preferencefor the high end of the keyboard- present in
1929-30and omni-presentin 1932- derived not only fromthe styles of
Waller,James P. Johnson and Hines, but from his stint with Moten.
Gene Ramey rememberedthat Moten and Basie sometimes shared a
piano during band dates, with Moten taking the lower half and Basie
theupper. This practiceput Basieon close termswith the upper treble
) t&o (5 ii gra 7
- 0
.................. - 7 H 0 - 7 +

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband
61
registerand its distinctivesound possibilities.Ringingchimeeffects
turnup nearthe beginningof both 'BlueRoom'and 'New Orleans'.
And Basie keeps up a conversational,almost hyper-activetreble
counterpointduringthe firstreedchorusof 'MotenSwing'.
A strikingfeatureof Basie'saccompaniment in 1932is its strong
rhythmiccharacter.Whereearlierhis parallelfourths(vocalchoruson
'Won'tYou Be My Baby')and showy arpeggioshad a decorative
function,now Basiejabs chordsand sets riffswith authority.Such
techniquescould transforma tune's basic nature.Basie'spointed
octavefills betweenthe phrasesof the SterlingRusselltriovocalon
'The Only Girl I Ever Loved'give rhythmicbite to a section that
otherwisemightbog downfromthe syrupywritingforreedsand the
singers'sweet crooning.HereBasiepullsa weakarrangement off its
seatand makesit swing.
In his accompanimentto Hot Lips Page's solo on 'Toby',Basie
displayslightning-quick reflexesas he feeds the soloistwith clipped
chords. His rhythmicimaginationhere contrastssharplywith his
straight'oom-pah'accompaniment on the bridge:
Example 13. 'Toby', chorus 1 (bars 1-16)
8re- - - -

{) bTrumpet(muted)
F rf rr rrr r r r r r r r r r r m

@y$ + ¢ | > 7F V9
$4 -r* - t("r t r? ; 0 -

e _ T Et M EW7+ F F t

@4 7t fw- 1(g f - $ 27 3t7

While Eddie Barefield'sstreamlined arrangementhelps bring about
the freedom Basie enjoys behind Page and in the final riff choruses,
62 Mark Tucker
credit also must go to the well-anchoredrhythm section and the tight
but supple phrasing of both brass and reed sections.
Beyond the spirit and virtuosity displayed by the Moten band in
these recordings, the constant variation of rhythmic feeling lends to
the visceral excitement. In large part, Basie and Walter Page are
responsible. Both men change their accompanimentpatternsto create
new backdrops for soloists and the full band. Although Basie often
plays accented single bass notes while Page walks (as in the opening to
'Toby'), the result is not as thick or redundant as it might be. Basie
varies his approachby leaving out the bass and playingriffs, chimes or
counter-melodies in the high treble; laying down a heavy ostinato
instead of walking lines (thirdchorus of 'MotenSwing');bringingout a
line in the tenor registeragainst ensemble riffs (fourthchorus of 'Blue
Room'); and simulating a brass or reed section with expertly placed
accents (seventh chorus of 'Toby'). Basie may not have been the first
pianist to use such techniques, but by 1932there arefew recordingsby
others that show his wealth of accompanyingideas.
On one of the 'old' tunes of the session, Jelly Roll Morton's
'MilenbergJoys', Basie and Page demonstrate the kind of telepathic
teamworkthat later was to distinguish the Basieband rhythm section
in the late 1930sand 1940s.The firstchorus has Hot Lips takinga solo,
backed by the reeds blowing sustained accompanimentchords, one
per bar, as bassist Page plays on the first and third beats. After the
trumpet'sfirsteight barsBasieentersin the treblewith octave punctua-
tion, then changes to littlerifffiguresin the last sixteen. Thisway Basie
can produce the rhythmic dynamism of a brass section without
swamping the soloist with volume. The entire chorus builds tension -
both from the reeds and from Basie's riffing- that resolves in the last
two bars. As Page changes to a four-beatwalking bass Basie hits two
cue chords that kick off the next reed ensemble chorus (see example
opposite): Basie's punctuation and Page's beautifully varied lines
continue throughout the piece, making a set arrangementnew and
fresh.
In these last records with Moten, Basie emerges as a new kind of
ensemble pianist. He is no longer just a soloist who plays apart from
the rest or an accompanistwho follows the strictdemands of arrange-
ments. Instead he has become the band's true conductor,with Walter
Page his left-hand man. Fromhis piano stool he takes an active role in
shaping the performancewith his variedrhythmsand texturesand his
emphatic chords. And by making his instrument a more prominent
memberof the ensemble Basiecan also contributeto the arrangements,
adding details of orchestrationthat become an intrinsic part of the
piece itself and not mere ornamentation.
| C7 F7 BW F

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 63
Example 14. 'Milenberg Joys', chorus 1 (bars 2532)

Tmnpet

@: " :< t t a " rt 87Jr9 ir r s 1

Reeds

i0(p; $2 $ ; $2 3

(+$eRv $9} t + Fe7Fs

G Eb Ebm Bb G7

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Bass

c9p sc u s j s .1 s ; $ ; $J $ J r

@: ffrzrr llrmrr br r r s:$ ; X*

bb ; $ i R A t _

ip - reCt? $- $H}

ty: - jbu; ! ! j

vb I a ; s J s j ffi j X X s z u j >
xL i,L ' '

Nearly four years passed beforeBasiegot backto the recordingstudio.

During this time he was still based in KansasCity, playingwith Moten
until the leader's death in 1935, then co-leading a group with alto
saxophonist Buster Smith at the Reno Club. WalterPage joined Basie
and Smith on the Reno bandstand, as did saxophonists LesterYoung
and Herschel Evans. The band personnel fluctuated in size but
stabilisedaround seven-to-nine pieces. Unlike the earlierMotenband,
64 Mark Tucker
this group probablydid not have a 'book'of arrangements(Buster
Motenmayhaveheld ontothoseplayedby his uncle'sband).Instead
theyreliedmoreon 'headarrangements workedup atrehearsalsfrom
BusterSmith'sstoreof sketchesand roughcharts'(Russell1971,p.
135).Smithwas notedforhis abilityto co-ordinate
varyingnumbersof
instrumentalists
at jamsessions:
Buster would set the riffs. There might be one trumpet and ten saxophone
players. Usually, when one horn sets a riff, the other guys play in unison with
him, but with Busterthe other horns had to harmonise.Then it would sound
like a written chorus, and that's what you hear on recordswhen Basie'sband
was jumping . . . Busterwas noted for . . . eliminatingthose who didn't get
the harmonicnotes right in the riffs . . . [he] also showed the young guys that
they had to learnto teamas well as play a solo. Thesections, too, had to learnto
breatheat the same time.
(Rameyin Dance 1980, p. 274)
Such traitsas riff-basedarrangements,teamworkand finely tuned
sectionphrasingwere to becometrademarks of the laterBasieband.
And at the Reno Club Basie and his fellow musicianshad ample
opportunityto refinetheirart. DrummerJessePriceestimatedthat
totalweeklyplayingtimethencamecloseto sixtyhours!(Russell1971,
p. 135).
Itis theRenoClubband'srelaxedyet disciplinedapproachthatturns
up on the recordingsBasiemadein Chicagoon 9 October1936with a
small group dubbed 'Jones-SmithIncorporated' (the pseudonym-
fromthenamesof drummerJoJonesandtrumpeterCarl'Tatti'Smith-
was necessarysince Basie'sband had just signed a contractwith
Decca).Thesession,organisedby JohnHammond,hadlittleprepara-
tion. Basierecalledlaterthathe did not havehis band's'library'with
him:'Sowe justsatdownandcameup withfourtunesandhada nice
littleballon the session . . . I thinkthose sortof datesgo a lot better
than when things are writtenout and plannedin advance'(Brooks
1976).The pieces chosen includedtwo standards,'Shoe-ShineBoy'
and 'Lady Be Good', and two vocal featuresfor JimmyRushing,
'BoogieWoogie'and 'Evenin",a bluesy,minor-keyballad.
Basie'splayingon these four sides is clearerand moreprominent
than ever before,owing both to the group'ssmallersize (trumpet,
tenor sax, piano, bass, drums)and the improvedrecordingquality.
The musicdoes not have the drivenedge of the 1932Motensession,
and Basieno longerhas to provehimself.His stridesolo on 'Shoe-
ShineBoy'(take1)hasa smoothfeelingof fourratherthantwo, partly
becauseof a lighterleft hand. The strideright-handmannerismsare
stillthere(notethe typicalfigurein the firstchorus,bars2928, take
two)butso aretheKansasCityhornriffs,whichby thistimeBasiehad
been hearingand playingfora half-dozenyears.
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 65

In addition to a more relaxedrhythmicfeeling, Basie shows greater

economy in some of his solos. The most dramaticexample is his first
chorus on 'Lady Be Good'. Here, for the first time on record, is the
classic Basie style. The left hand has virtually disappeared and the
right-hand phrases have more space between them, as Basie floats
high above WalterPage's bass and JoJones's hi hat cymbal. (Page can
be heardpractisingwhat he preached,giving Basie'food'by 'runninga
straightline'.)
Example 15. 'Lady Be Good', chorus 1 (bars 14)

Basie's dramaticuse of silence may have few precedentswith other

pianists, but he could have learnedit from other playersin the Kansas
City area. Gene Ramey remembers Lester Young as having 'a very
spacey sound' in 1933: 'He would play a phrase and maybe lay out
three beats before he'd come in with another phrase' (Dance 1980, p.
266). Basie also must have discovered that KansasCity musicians did
not place as high a value on speed and virtuosityas did the Easterners.
The scene was still competitive - KansasCity 'cutting sessions' being
legendary in the annals of jazz anecdotes - but people played by
66 Mark Tucker

different rules. As Ramey has said: 'The adage in Kansas City was -
and still is - saysomethingonyourhorn,not just show off your versatility
and ability to execute. Tellus a storyanddon'tlet it bea lie. Let it mean
something, if it's only one note.' (Dance 1980, p. 267) Part of Basie's
Kansas City training had taught him how to tell a meaningful story
with the fewest notes and phrases possible. One hears this economy of
expression in 'Lady Be Good', also in the blues solos Basie recorded
later with Page, Jones and guitarist Freddie Green (e.g. 'Hey Lawdy
Mama', 'How Long Blues' (both 1938), 'WayBackBlues' (1942).
Basie's accompanimentis also spareron the Jones-Smithsides. He
fills in behind Rushingon 'Evenin'' with single-notelines;in years past
it would have been with octaves or busier runs based on fourths or
arpeggios. There is still a fair amount of standard 'oom-pah'
accompaniment,but it, too, is lighter and the accents are no longer as
insistent. Basie plays this way behind Lester Young's solo on 'Shoe-
Shine Boy', but instead of accenting beats one and three he often
anticipates beat four by a split-second, adding a little kick as a
drummermight do. This way his accompanimentpushes the momen-
tum ahead instead of simply providingthe soloist with straightcrochet
beats.
On 'Shoe-ShineBoy'Basiesets riffsforCarlSmithmuch as he had on
some of Lips Page's solos in 1932. Basie almost never uses this
technique behind saxophone solos, reserving it usually for trumpet.
(Perhapshe felt it blended with the trumpet'stimbreand complemen-
ted its articulationbetter than the saxophone's*).On 'BoogieWoogie',
Basie accompanies Rushing by holding long chords, then 'popping'
them (as Jones pops snare accents) when Young and Smith take their
solos.
By the time Basie startedmaking records as leader of a big band, in
January 1937, the essential characteristicsof his piano style were in
place. Over the next few years, as he fulfilled his contractwith Decca
and recordedmore than sixty sides with both his big band and smaller
groups, Basiecan be heardhoning the techniquesof ensemble-playing
already present on the Blue Devils, Moten and Jones-Smithrecords.
Behind solos he still alternatesbetween the older standardaccompani-
ment and the newer trebleriffingand chime-likechords. Forhis own
solo outings he might pay homage to Wallerand eastern stride roots
('Pennies from Heaven' (1937), 'Panassie Stomp' (1938)), play some
southwestern boogie ('Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)' (1937)), or
* This distinctionalso may have been a performanceconvention in KansasCity jazz.
Charlie Parkerrecalled that when he first started playing in Kansas City clubs, it
'wasn'thardto hearthe changesbecausethe numberswere easy and the reed men set
a riffonly for the brass, never behind a reed man' (Shapiroand Hentoff 1955,p. 355).
2@bMb . S . f o . r ! . f .

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 67
adopt his lighter, sparser, basically right-hand style ('Doggin'
Around', 'TexasShuffle' (1938)).
'Twelfth Street Rag' (1939) gives a summary of Basie's preferred
techniques. After a deliberately old-fashioned introduction, Basie
states the theme with exaggeratedsquarenessas JoJonesadds 'period'
breaks on wood blocks. Then in the second chorus Basie and his
rhythm section give an updated, Swing Eraresponse to ragtime. The
evenly pulsing four of Page, Jones and guitarist Freddie Green,
together with Basie'slight-fingered,Waller-Johnsontreblefiguration,
make the piece swing instead of stride. During the solos of Lester
Young and Harry Edison, Basie shuttles between an updated 'kick'
version of standardaccompaniment,sharp treble chords placed over
an ostinato bass, and staccatoriffs:
Example 16. 'Twelfth Street Rag', accompaniment patterns

A: Chorus3 (LesterYoung),bars14

(5 } h $ > 0 iL 0 j $ j } #ip

EW . Bb7

?bbb (5 1 $ j $ ,1 } .L ¢ J $ j * J $; $

. . .

B:Chorus4 (LesterYoung),bars14
: F: * + + + _

($bhb ' F=F 7 : ,t 4 , _ 7; ¢ 0 7 XF

Eb Bb7

W
b (5 1j 1j 1 j Jj Jj j ; j j
C:Chorus5 (HarryEdison),bars14

Eb Bb7

yb b

Basie changes accompaniment patterns with remarkablespeed and

ease, throwing a glance at his own styles past and present, all the while
providing steady support.
Another example of Basie'sself-consciousnessappearsin 'IfI Didn't
Care' (1939). Basie accompanies mainly in his newer ensemble style,
adding treble fills and riffs between phrases. But during Benny
 68 Mark Tucker
Morton'seight-bartrombonesolo (in the chorus afterthe vocal) Basie
reverts to humorously heavy oom-pahs, as if to show how he might
play, if he didn't care.
The Basieband of the late 1930sgrew fromthirteenpieces in 1937to
fifteen in 1940 (additions of one each to the trumpet and trombone
sections). Many of the musicians shared a KansasCity or Southwest
territorybackground,and some - WalterPage, JackWashington,Joe
Keyes- had been with Basiein the Moten band of the early 1930s.The
addition of guitaristFreddieGreen in 1937filled out what many have
considered the greatest rhythm section in the history of jazz; in 1942
this section even recordedseparatelywith Basieas the 'All-American
RhythmSection'. The Basie-Page-Green-Jones unit became more than
just the heartbeatof the band but an important'soloist' on its own.
Two choruses for rhythm section occurat the beginning of Basie'sfirst
recording with his big band, 'Honeysuckle Rose' (1937), and many
more followed in the ensuing years. This device, heard earlierin the
Blue Devils' 'Squabblin",allowed Basie to function both as leader of
the small band-within-the-bandas well as conductorand soloist with

Figure2. Count Basie'sKansasCity Seven, 1940. Leftto right:JoJones, drums;Walter

Page, bass; Buddy Tate, ttnor sax; Count Basie, piano; Freddie Green, guitar;Buck
ClaytonJtrumpet;Dicky WellsJtrombone.Photo:courtesyof FrankDnggs.
((?-9
(5 (} 9
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0W t _ -,
- -_-5 f $0 .-'- 7 70 .,.
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CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 69

the larger group. His piano served as a pivot between these two
orchestraldivisions.
The liberationof Basie's rhythm section in the late 1930s may help
explain the pianist's increased interest in varying the tone colours of
single notes and chords by applying different degrees of force and
articulation.The fewer notes Basieplayed, the more carehe took with
each one. As the rhythm section's support freed him from time-
keeping he could concentrate on the piano's sonority, making its
instrumental colour just as distinctive as that of three trombones or
LesterYoung's saxophone.
The introduction and opening chorus on 'Ham 'n' Eggs' (1939)
illustrates Basie's increasing concern with articulationand sonority.
The introduction is based on a two-note figure (c"-d") played three
times with different articulation, then moved to other pitches and
given shorterrhythmicvalues (barsS7). This two-note motive keeps
returningin the first chorus, either embedded in runs (bars8, 10, 15,
36, 37, 39), as an isolated event (bar 12), or inverted (bar 16). The
playful suggestion of stride (bar25) quickly evaporates with staccato
chords (bar28), a suspended high note (bars29-30), then silence. In
the last eight bars Basie increases the activity, bringing back the
opening figures and getting help from Buddy Tate's entrance as he
pushes toward the cadence:
Example17. 'Ham'n' Eggs', Basie'sintroductionand firstchorus
[NTRO.

g F C D7
i S a _- .

7°-m- <@n2^5< F $ }}R

s C6 C6 D7

#; $ r 7 0

s G7 C7
 (P A t r r o- rX # J -t- o - rF re Wr : t

70 MarkTucker
Example17- cont.

17 (&)

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.
.

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 Qbn_ = .,R ...... _ j . lE v _ . ............. . I. ..... -n .. l ,

CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 71

Hodeir has called Basie's playing 'full of melodic cliches', containing

'figuresthat are worn to the bone' (1962,p. 98). True,in a solo like this
one in 'Ham 'n' Eggs', there are few, if any, new melodic ideas. But
Basie's originality lies in the way he combines stock phrases in
unexpected ways. His clean technique and crisp execution make the
'worn to the bone' figures irresistible.Throughouta solo the listener
experiencesBasie'sown joy in playing and shareshis discoveriesalong
the way. Like his kindred spirit, Thelonious Monk, Basie pulls the
listener inside the process of improvisation.
One of Basie's favourite rhythmic devices from the late 1930s is to
play ternary phrases in a duple context, as Hodeir has noted in his
discussion of 'Doggin' Around' (1962, pp. 10v5). The three-in-four
grouping goes back to the early 1920s and pieces like Zez Confrey's
'Kitten on the Keys' (1921) and Don Redman's arrangement of
'ShanghaiShuffle' (1924)for FletcherHenderson. Laterit was picked
up by 'hot' arrangers and stride pianists in the New York area.
Ellingtonused it for an instrumentalbreakin 'OldManBlues'(1930),as
did Eddie Durhamin the Moten band's version of 'Lafayette'.Pianists
like Fats Waller liked the trick too, as his recordings of 'Smashing
Thirds' (1929) and 'Honeysuckle Rose' (1937) demonstrate. Basie
probablyheard it played by Walleror other pianists in New Yorkback
in the 1920s. It turns up in the 'SmallBlack'solo and in 'Squabblin",
also in many solos of the late 1930s. A few examples show how his
paring-down technique retains the basic beat displacement while
making the effect more strikingbecause of the reductionin notes:

Example18. Ternarypatterns.(a) Zez Confrey,'Kittenon the Keys' (1921),firsttheme;

(b) Fletcher Henderson, 'Shanghai Shuffle' (1924), introduction (bars 1-4); (c) Fats
Waller, 'SmashingThirds' (1929), chorus 1 (bars lJ=); (d) Basie, 'SmallBlack'(1925),
piano solo (bars4 6); (e) Basie, 'Squabblin"(1929),pianobreak;(f) Ellington,'Old Man
Blues' (1930),break;(g) Bennie Moten, Lafayette'(1932),piano solo (bars 28-28); (h)
Moten,Lafayette',brass,chorus6 (bars1-3);(i) Basie,'HoneysuckleRose'(1937),chorus
2 (bars97); (j) Basie, 'I Ain't Got Nobody' (1938),chorus4 (bars22-25);(k) Basie, 'Love
Me Or LeaveMe' (1939),chorus 1 (bars13-16)

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CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 73

SimilarlysBasie often takes a wide right-handvoicing used by stride

pianists (see James P. Johnson's 'If Dreams Come True' 1939) and
energises it with the rhythmicaccents of KansasCity swings as in the
opening to 'If I DidnstCare':

Example 19. 'If I Didn't Care', introduction (bars 99)

Bass [Piano] Ab7

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Basie's expansion of the piano's role within the ensemble con-

tributedboth to his band's distinctive sound and to its arrangements.
'Ladybe Good' (1939)shows how closely instrumentalcolourand form
could be related in the Basie band of the late 1930s.The piece features
several strong soloists (Chu Berry, Shad Collins and Lester Young),
tight ensemble riffing from the whole band in the last two choruses,
buoyant swing from the rhythm section, and plenty of the leader's
piano throughout. The structure of the arrangement not only
highlights individuals against the group but focuses on the interplay
among the three sections of the ensemble - brass, reeds and rhythm.
As conductor and main soloist, Basie both leads and follows the
players in each group. The principleat work is similarto that used by
eighteenth-century composers of the concerto grosso, contrasting a
smaller group (the concertino) with a larger one (the ripieno), and
deriving textural, structuraland dramaticcontrast from the opposi-
tion (see Table 1 on p. 74). Such an integration of both soloist and
rhythm section with the band represents a considerableadvance over
Moten's 1932 'Prince of Wails', where the exchanges between piano
and band have less organiccontinuity.

Some idea of Basie's individuality in the 1930s can be gained by

listening to other pianists with big bands during the time. Many
continued to follow the older soloist-accompanistmodel, among them
Billy Kyle, Fletcher and his brother Horace Henderson, Don Kirk-
patrickwith ChickWebb, Ed Wilcoxwith JimmyLunceford,MaryLou
Williamswith Andy Kirk'sClouds of Joy, and WilliamS. Smith with
HarlanLeonard'sRockets.A pianistlike Teddy Wilsondid not seem to
alter his style appreciablywhether playing solo, with small groups, or
74 Mark Tucker

Table 1. 'Lady Be Good', Count Basie and His Orchestra,recorded2 March

1939

No.
Featuredmusicians measures Basietsrole
Introduction: Brass 4
Reeds 4
Chorus 1: Basie, rhythm section 32 soloist
Chorus 2: Chu Berry(tenor sax) 32 accompanist
(standard)
Chorus 3: Shad Collins (trumpet) 32 accompanist
(riffing)
Chorus4: LesterYoung (tenor sax) 32 accompanist
(standard)
Chorus 5: Brass 4 l
Basie 4
Brass + reeds 2 soloist
Basie 6
Dicky Wells, Benny Morton,
Dan Minor(trombones) 8
accompanist
Dicky Wells 8
Chorus 6: Brass + reeds, Basie 8 soloist
Brass + reeds 8 accompanist
Basie, rhythmsection 8 soloist
Brass + reeds 4 accompanist
Basie 4 soloist
Coda: Basie, rhythm section 44
Brass + reeds 2 > soloist
Basie 2J

with largebands. Another starsoloist, EarlHines, could show tracesof

Basie's distinctive upper-trebleaccompaniment(see 'Rockand Rye',
1934)but often a separationcould be felt between the leader's centre-
stage piano and his accompanyingband. Besides Basie, the only other
major figure in the 1930s who actively explored new possibilities for
the pianist in a jazz orchestrawas Duke Ellington. Ellington can be
heard trying out a more integrated, ensemble-style piano as early as
'Sweet Jazz Of Mine' and 'Shout 'Em, Aunt Tillie'(both 1930).By the
late 1930she was clearlyat ease in the role of a conducting pianist, as
can be heard in 'Steppin' into Swing Society' (1938) and 'Solid Old
Man' (1939)
When other bands played Basie's arrangementstheir pianists did
not always follow Basie's approachand hence the pieces could sound
quite different. In Benny Goodman's 1938CarnegieHall performance
of 'One O'ClockJump',Jess Stacy makes no attemptto emulate either
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 75

Basie'ssolo style or ensemble techniques. His opening choruseshave a

strong duple feeling and an older, stride-orientedphrasing. During
the solos and ensemble passages he stays in the background as
receding accompanist;he does begin a little counter-melody toward
the end of Goodman's solo, but plays it deferentially rather than
assertively.
Basie arrivedat his ensemble piano style of the late 1930sthrough a
combinationof factorsold and new. He did not entirely excise earlier
techniques from his approach. He could still be found taking stride
solos, providing standard accompaniment, or playing florid lines in
the manner of a vaudeville accompanist. But these characteristics
became more infrequentafter 1940, making the 'telegraphic'style the
one most people associated with him. The musicalreasons for Basie's
change had to do with stylistic trends (two-beat versus four-beat,
stride versus swing), a superb rhythm section, and simpler but more
skilful arrangements. Also, as Basie assumed greater conducting
responsibilities, the cue chords and well-placed accents did the job
better than a two-handed, ten-fingeredattack.
Others have attributed Basie's sparer style to his shyness. Jimmy
Rushing suggested that Basie- like Ellington,Hines and Nat Cole- got
self-conscious about the older, fuller way of playing (Dance 1980, p.
23). Always a modest, unassuming man, Basie was perhaps not
comfortablewith flashy solos by 1940 when he was a famous band-
leader; such exhibitionismmay have been easier when he was just a
piano player back in the rhythm section of Bennie Moten's band.*
Basie himself had a straightforwardexplanationof his style:
My piano?WellI don't want to 'runit in the ground'.I love to play, but this idea
of one man taking one chorus after another is not wise, in my opinion.
Therefore,I fed dancersmy own piano in shortdoses, and when I camein fora
solo, I did it unexpectedly,using a strongrhythmbackgroundbehind me. That
way, we figured, the Count's piano wasn't going to become monotonous.
(Shapiroand Hentoff 1955,p. 304)
Farfrom being monotonous, Basie's piano-playingwas foreverfull of
surprises. But instead of callingattentionto himself, somehow Basie's
art always deflected on his fellow players - whether a lone bass
accompanist, full rhythm section, or the entire band. For Basie's
individual style was the productof long experiencewith team players
like Walter Page and Buster Smith. In it he preserved the older,
communal spirit of Kansas City musicians for whom the whole was
always greater than the parts. Freddie Green, who strummed by

* Still, every now and then Basiewould let loose wi.h a vengeance, as in the 1950short
film, 'BasieBoogie'.
 76 Mark Tucker

Basie's side from 1937until 1984,had good reason for staying so long.
He once called Basie 'just about the best piano player I know for
pushing a band and for accompanyingsoloists' (Shapiroand Hentoff
1955,p. 305). And at the end of his piano solos, Greencontinued, Basie
always prepared for the next man's entrance: 'He leaves the way
open.'

Appendix: Symbols used in transcriptions

(J) Lightly sounded or implied pitch

L; or J Short slide into pitch

:) Falling off from pitch

r Vibrato
References
Books and articles

Brooks, M. 1976. Liner notes to TheLesterYoungStory,vol. 1, Columbia JG 33502

Dance, S. 1970. The Worldof Duke Ellington (New York)
1974. The Worldof Swing (New York; repr. New York, 1979)
1980. The Worldof Count Basie (New York)
Ellington, D. 1940. 'Jazz as I have seen it', part 2, Swing (March), pp. 9, 32
Giddins, G. 1984. 'The majestic Count Basie', Village VoiceJazz Supplement,26
June 1984, pp. 71, 79
Hodeir, A. 1962. TowardJazz (New York; repr. New York 1976)
Kington, M. 1965. 'The case of the disappearing left hand', Jazz Journal, 18:9,
pp. 28, 38.
Russell, R. 1971. Jazz Style in KansasCity and the Southwest(Berkeley, California)
Schuller, G. 1968. EarlyJazz (New York)
Shapiro, N. and Hentoff, N. 1955. Hear Me Talkin'to Ya' (New York)
Williams, M. 1970. TheJazz Tradition(New York; rev. edn, New York, 1983)

Recordings
Superscriptnumbers indicate LP re-issue on list given at the end.

Count Basie
With his orchestra (all recorded in New York:
'Pennies from Heaven' 21 January 1937,Decca 11214
'Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)', 26 March 1937,Decca 12522
'Doggin' Around' 6 June 1938,Decca 19652
'Texas Shuffle' 22 August 1938,Decca 20302
'Panassie Stomp' 16 November 1938,Decca 22242
'Lady Be Good' 4 February 1939,Decca 26312
'Taxi War Dance' 19 March 1939,Vocalion 47486
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband
77
'If I Didn't Care'5 April 1939,Vocalion47846
'TwelfthStreetRag'5 April 1939, Vocalion48866
'Ham 'n' Eggs' 7 November 1939,Columbia353577
'I Never Knew' 19 March1940, Columbia355217
With small groups:
Uones-SmithIncorporated)
'Shoe-ShineBoy' 9 October1936,Vocalion3441(Chicago)5
'Evenin'' As above5
'BoogieWoogie' Same session, Vocalion34595
'Ladybe Good' As above5
(Basie'sBad Boys)
"LoveMe or LeaveMe' 13February1939,ColumbiaCG 31224(Chicago)6
Piano solos with rhythm section:
'How Long Blues' 9 November 1938,Decca 2355(New York)4
'Hey Lawdy Mama'As above, Decca 22724
'I Ain't Got Nobody' 24 December1939(CarnegieHall, New York)8
'FarewellBlues' 24 July 1942,Columbia36712(Hollywood)
'Way BackBlues' As above3
(also see Bennie Moten, 1929-32)

DukeEllingtonandHis Orchestra
'Sweet Jazz O' Mine' 4 June 1930,VictorV-38143(New York)9
"Shout 'Em, Aunt Tillie'As above, Victor230419
'Old Man Blues' 26 August 1930,Victor23022(Hollywood)9
'Steppin' into Swing Society' 13 January 1938, Brunswick 8063 (New
York)I°
'Solid Old Man' 21 March1939,Brunswick8380(New York)

Orchestra
TroyFloydandHis Shadowland
'DreamlandBlues' 21 June 1929,Okeh 8719(San Antonio)12

andHis Orchestra
BennyGoodman
'One O'ClockJump'16 January1938, ColumbiaA-1049(New York)13

FletcherHendersonandHis Orchestra
'ShanghaiShuffle' 7 November 1924,Vocalion14935(New York)14
'TheHenderson Stomp'3 November 1926,Columbia817-D(New York)14

EarlHinesandHis Orchestra
'Rockand Rye' 13 September1934Decca 577 (Chicago)

JamesP. Johnson
With his orchestra:
'You've Got to Be Modernistic'18 November 1929,VictorV-38099(New
York)l6
Piano solos:
Riffs'29 January1929, Okeh 8770 (New York)
'If Dreams Come True' 14June 1939(New York)15
78 Mark Tucker
Pete Johnson
'Roll 'Em, Pete' 30 December 1938, Vocalion 4607 (New York)

Jelly Roll Morton

With his orchestra:
"Muddy Water Blues' June 1923, Paramount 12050 (Chicago)l7
With his Red Hot Peppers:
"Grandpa's Spells' 16 December 1926, Victor 20431 (Chicago)18

Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra

'Twelfth Street Rag' 11 June 1927, Victor [second take, originally unissued]
(Chicago)l9
'Kansas City Breakdown' 7 September 1928, Victor 21693 (Camden, New
Jersey)l9
'The Jones Law Blues' 23 October 1929, Victor 23357 (Chicago)
'Small Black' As above, Victor 23342
'New Vine Street Blues' 24 October 1929, Victor 23007 (Chicago)
'Won't You Be My Baby?' 27 October 1930, Victor 23028 (Kansas City)
'Oh! Eddie' 28 October 1930, Victor 22958 (Kansas City)
'That Too, Do' As above, Victor 22793
"When I'm Alone' 30 October 1930, Victor 22734 (Kanas City)
'Somebody Stole My Gal' 31 October 1930, Victor 23028 (Kansas City)
'Toby' 13 December 1932, Victor 23384 (Camden, New Jersey)
'Moten Swing' As above
'The Blue Room' As above, Victor 24381
'Milenberg Joys' As above
'New Orleans' As above, Victor 24216
'Lafayette' As above
'The Only Girl I Ever Loved' As above, Victor 23378
'Prince Of Wails' As above, Victor 233931

WalterPage's Blue Devils

'Blue Devil Blues' 10 November 1929, Vocalion 1463 (Kansas City)12
'Squabblin'' As above12

Thomas'Fats' Waller
'Smashing Thirds' 24 September 1929, Victor V-38613 (New York)20
'Honeysuckle Rose' 9 April 1937, Victor 36206 (New York)20

LP Re-issues
Basie
1. Count Basiein KansasCity: BennieMoten's GreatBandof 193s1932 AFMI 5180
(RCA)
2. The Best of Count Basie MCA24050 (MCA)
3. Blues by BasieJazz Odyssey PC 36824 (Columbia)
4. GoodMorning Blues MCA24108 (MCA)
 CountBasieandthepianothatswingstheband 79
5. The LesterYoung Story, Vol. 1 JG 33502 (Columbia)
6. The LesterYoung Story, Vol. 3 JG 34840 (Columbia)
7. The LesterYoung Story, Vol. 4 JG 34843 (Columbia)
8. From Spirituals to Swing VSD 47/48 (Vanguard)

Others
9. TheIndispensableDuke Ellington, Vol. 3/4 PM 43697 (RCA)
10. Duke Ellington 1938 (Smithsonian Collection)
11. Duke Ellington 1939 (Smithsonian Collection)
12. Sweet and Low Blues/Big Bands and TerritoryBands of the 20s NW 256 (New
World)
13. CarnegieHall Jazz concert, Vol. 1 CL 814 (Columbia)
14. Fletcher Henderson: Developing an American Orchestra, 1923-1937 (Smith-
sonian Collection)
15. JamesP. Johnson:Fatherof the Stride Piano CL 1780 (Columbia)
16. Harlem L'Age D'Or, 1926-1957 PM 43259 (RCA)
17. TheImmortalJelly Roll Morton MLP 2003 (Milestone)
18. The Saga of Mr Jelly Lord, Vol. 1 SM 3550 aoker)
19. The CompleteBennieMoten, Vol. 1/2 PM 42410 (RCA)
20. Fats Waller/SmashingThirdsLPV 550 (RCA Vintage)