Count Basie

Interview at Interlochen Arts Academy with Miss McCray, who will introduce another interview with Mr. Count Basie, National Music Company Prof.

S = Jim Standifer
B = Count Basie
M = Miss McCray
G = Freddie Green

S Miss McCray, what are you doing at the National Music Camp?
M I am here attending a comprehensive musicianship workshop for two weeks.

S What is this concert that you are about to hear.
M About to hear Count Basie and his orchestra.

S Who are some of the people in the Count Basie orchestra that you are familiar with, say in your girlhood days and subsequent years?
M Well, there is Freddie Green on guitar, Bill Hughes on trombone. He was a classmate of mine at college. Eddie Davis, Sonny Paine, drummer, and of course there are many other greats.

S Has the Count Basie orchestra changed very much since you were a teenager to whatever, say now that you are an adult? Has it changed in terms of kind of music that they play?
M Well, of course, there have been many changes in personnel, but I would say that there are perhaps the greatest exponents of swing around today and they are known for their driving swinging style. That aspect has not changed.

S So in essence, then, he is still and has been a------of swing, if you want to categorize his music. He hasn't migrated off into progressive jazz or quasi swing or
M No, I wouldn't say so. I think that he has brought swing and kept swing and has brought it up with the times. He has made swing current.

S Freddie Green, you are a tradition with Count Basie, could you tell us anything abo your experience as "who you are and what you hope young people, college students, young people, and America in general, to remember about you and your time with Count Basie.
G Well, as you know my name is Freddie Green, and I have been with Basie since 1937, a I've been happy to be a part of the Basie band, which has contributed quite a bit, I think, to American jazz. As far as the young people are concerned, as far as I am concerned, contributing what little I offered toward jazz I think they should first of all think about the music, if you like it if you think that you want to become a musician, I think you should really study hard and try as hard as you can to produce whatever you have to offer in jazz or any other form of the arts. As far as being with Basie's band, I really enjoyed being with it and Basie has taught me quite a bit. As far as jazz is concerned, I think Basie is one of the true giants of jazz. [As for Interlochen],I have never seen anything like this here. I am really amazed at what is happening here. I can't express it, to see so many young people that really take to music. I really hope that they will continue to do their best for the arts, and I am sure when Mr. Basie comes on he will justifyfy what I am saying.

S You are an inspiration to many of the music students as well as non music students and particularly the black students in the course of reputation, fine person and fine musician. How did you happen to start in music, how did you get into it.
G Well, I really liked music in my home. I'm from a town called Charlestown, South Carolina. Music to me, I first really heard it at an orphanage there called Jenkins Orphanage and they had musicians, young kids playing horns. I think they had about four or five bands and used to go around the corners and play. Whatever I was doing, I would stop and go follow them. They used to play on one corner and they would play 10- 15 minutes and then they would go to another corner and play and I would just follow them, and follow them right out of my neighborhood. So I think they, I was kind of influenced much so through them.

S You mention Charleston, do you know Ashley River
G Yeh, there's the Ashley River and then there is the Cooper River.

S There are many things,--------fine music being made in Charleston.
G Oh, yeh. Porgy and Bess, let's not forget that. It was all written about Charleston, really.

S Well, it has been a delight talking with you. In a few minutes I understand you begin your music. I'm going to let you go and again thank you and I wish you all the greatest success in all you do in the future. Thank you for being you.
G Ok, thank you very much.

S That's your better side. All of your good side.
B All them's bad. All sides are terrible.

S This tape actually will be used for scholars and musicians to study for years and yea3 to come. It will be at the University of Michigan in Dr. Eva Jessye's collection in Afro-American music. So I'll ask you a few questions that will sort of enlighten us, that we can't get from the textbooks. For example, maybe you could tell us something about who do you feel were your most influential people in your style. When did you first start getting what you call the Count Basie piano style, if you feel like you can remember.
B Well I think, I know, I like Fats Waller. That was my man.

S And you feel like he had a great influence on you
B I know so if I have any sort of style at all.

S All right. Then tell me what do you feel is your contribution. The books have writtern all kinds of things by Count Basie, but I would like to have the students see what you think your contribution
B Oh, I don't know. I don't think that I have contributed anything. I believe I play what hope to stay along with a little bit of it, but I don't think I have really contributed anything worthwhile, but I am just very happy to have been along with some of the swingers and I have met a lot of people and a lot of people have been very nice to us.

S Who were some of these early swingers that you can remember that maybe worked with you or influenced you or maybe you influenced.
B Oh, I don't know. That is a terrific question you asked me. I can remember a whole of early swingers. That would take up really a lot of time, we can go way, way back.

S I guess if I dropped a few names. Some of those that were close to you, that you felt close to.
B Well, I'll tell you. There were very few of the real main ones that I have actually beenclose to, actually real close to. I do know the great on e who I was really close to was Edwar We were real tight. -Also, Fletcher Henderson, I was real tight with Mac. Tommy, Jimmy, all the guys back there.

S Let me ask you another question. When you hear people talking about the big band sound is coming back. Of course the young people of today are rediscovering this sound. You never left. I would like to ask has your sound changed say, from the early days. If not...
B No,------some of the soloists, the style of some of the soloists have varied a wee bit because of younger blood. I don't think our style has changed. It couldn't. I couldn't change that image because if I did it wouldn't be me.

S Right. Have you done anything to your instrumentation in the last 10 years that you didn't have prior to that.
B Course not.

S It is pretty much that Count Basie
B Has to be. I couldn't change it. I tried it, but nothing happened.

S Do you think nothing happened because maybe you felt it wasn't you
B That's right. The kids around my house said no.

S Then it might be that one of the stylistic features,---------is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan doing a dissertation, incidentally, on black music, and out of a--------- collection in Detroit, in fact. She has been reading about Don Redman and...
B Oh, boy, you brought up a beautiful man. I was just talking to Dave Wilburn last night. Dave is taking up a band again. The band is playing again. They are playing all the old McKenney arrangements and all those sort of things.

S ...since you are writing your dissertation on this you might have one or two questions that you might ask him.

Ms. Lewis Well I would like to say that the books do say that you are a very modest man, and that is certainly true because you just finished a very excellent performance. Even though I was backstage I enjoyed it and the audience certainly let us know that they did.
B Well, they are certainly wonderful. They really rate.

Ms. Lewis Do you like these kinds of audiences, the young people.
B Of course. It really surprises me that kids understand a little bit of what we are doing, or are trying to dig what we are doing. That is an honor for me. It really knocks me right down to see this. We have been playing a lot of high schools -----------got some wonderful orchestras in the schools. They are just marvelous. I was listening to a little bit of the concert the people were doing out there today, which is just marvelous. I wish I could hear. A young gentlemen here said he has a 17 piece band, I wish I could have heard that and they tell me it is marvelous. I spoke to a couple of people in Detroit yesterday and they said they have a heck of a good band out here.

S Eubie Blake has said that he thought that you were one of the greatest pianists around Who -did you study with in the early days with piano or did you just
B I didn't study. I am really not a student. I had a few lessons, enough so that I can sort of spell a little bit, but I am not really a scholar.

S This brings up another question. You are at an international music camp and what do these kids are studying all kinds of music courses, what would you say to a young person w is trying to study music but maybe cannot cut what they legit or illegit.
B What they are learning out here they can cut anything. They have no worry at all They got it right here.

S Let me ask you another question. The other day we did have our jazz group play an one of the boys came off, he was very disappointed because he said I didn't swing. Now...
B You don't necessarily have to swing to be a musician. To play swing you don't have to be a swinger.

S I think what he was trying to say, he wanted to swing, but he couldn't swing, because something couldn't come out.
B You can still play swing and don't have to be a swinger. You can play swing music. You can be part of the section. Everybody in the band is not a swinger, you know.

S Do you need to read
B Are you kidding. You'd better.

S Do you need...
B If you don't you are lost. There used to be a time when you had the small combinations. That is where I skated through, when you didn't have to have the notes out. Now, it is part of it. That is the reason these people are so lucky now. What is so wonderful about is that they are taking advantage of it. They are really doing it. I hear it all the time. You hear bands like --------and Woody and Stan, I hear them. When some of these kids go with these bands during vacations and things like that. It is just so wonderful. I got to hear --------- and Woody's band with those youngsters in there. You can't find a greater band with those kids in there.

S Sometime we get at the music camp what we call a natural music talent. This is a k-who can't read and he hasn't had many lessons. We have problems with that.
B Being a soloist, if he's that far out. Sometimes it pays off that way. If he's got to sit a big orchestra, he's sort of lost. If he's going to be a solo if they are going to hire him just tc play him some jazz or something like that. Other than that, I'm sorry.

S One last question. Since this tape will be given to the Eva Jessye Collection at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Jessye, incidentally is in the audience, what would she, she always liked for me to end these interviews by asking the individual, just what you doing now. Anyway, how would you like to be remembered. I don't like that question but she...
B I don't like it either. How would I like to be remembered. Let's don't even think about being remembered.

S I have to ask it because I think this is her collection, but at the same time this is your interview.
B Just don't even think about it. I'd like to be remembered just how you want to remember me.

S Your music will speak for itself, speak for you
B Maybe that's kinda bad. Maybe some other parts of me are all right, maybe my music is bad.
Dr. Standifer, excuse me please. Since we have another outstanding black musician here, Mr. Everett ---------, the conductor----------come right over

S I see him tomorrow at 4:30 at which time I will get him in action with the kids here at the camp. But I would like to say that I appreciate very much...
B I thank you an awful lot for inviting me along. I appreciate you thinking, asking me along with you.

S You are an inspiration to us and I think I must say, too, that you are an inspiration to all young people and especially young black people in this time when we are searching for ourselves and other things. Thank you again. I do want to introduce you to Dr. ? who is the president.

? Very pleased to have you here. This is only the third year in jazz but we are glad that we have finally got into it and Dave ---------- was a lot of help here to get it started. We have you this year and we had the great Duke last year and I am glad we had him too.
B Well, you had the master.

? You bet. We have a master here too. We want you to know how much we are enjoying you here and the youngsters out there. I am sure you turned on those youngsters out in front. Wonderful to have you.

END OF INTERVIEW