Count Basie Band - 2nd Jam

Object Details

Exhibition Label

This group portrait by Life magazine photographer Gjon Mili pictures Count Basie (lower right, in front of the piano) and other members of his band, including celebrated saxophonist Lester Young (center, with black hat). Influenced by the piano styles of Willie "the Lion" Smith and Fats Waller, Basie formed his first group in 1935. For the next forty years, Basie performed and recorded with a frequency unmatched by any other big band. In addition to routinely crisscrossing the United States, he led thirty European tours and traveled eight times across the Pacific Ocean to entertain audiences. In 1961 he gave a memorable performance at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, solidifying his national reputation. Basie's ability to adapt to changing musical tastes, while maintaining the group's artistic integrity, was a hallmark of this extraordinary jazz orchestra.

Data Source

National Portrait Gallery

Artist

Gjon Mili, 28 Nov 1904 - 14 Feb 1984

Sitter

Count Basie, 21 Aug 1904 - 26 Apr 1984

Lester Willis Young, 27 Aug 1909 - 15 Mar 1959

Buck Clayton, 12 Nov 1911 - 8 Dec 1991

Earle Warren, 1 Jul 1914 - 4 Jun 1994

Jo Jones, 7 Oct 1911 - 3 Sep 1985

Date

1944

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image/Sheet: 26.1 x 20.1 cm (10 1/4 x 7 15/16")

Mat: 55.9 x 40.6 cm (22 x 16")

Type

Photograph