MUSIC | Count Basie Orchestra gets the Venetian Theatre swinging

The legendary Count Basie Orchestra brought its most explosive, swinging jazz to the Venetian Theatre yesterday evening. Founded in 1935 by pianist William “Count” Basie in Kansas City, the group has survived long past the Swing Era and still tours the world even without its late leader Mr Basie.
“The secret is that Mr Basie wanted to keep it going and therefore I believe his spirit is always with us on that stage. I can feel it. The DNA, if you will, was firmly entrenched into the musicians and it has always been a family,” the Orchestra’s director, Mr Scotty Barnhart, told the Times before the concert.
“This is why it was easy to have men such as Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Grover Mitchell, and others come back to lead this orchestra. They were an extension of Mr Basie and I am an extension of them as Director,” he added.
Time is the ultimate test for the evolving Orchestra, and “excellence in all aspects” is what sets it apart. Mr Barnhart stressed that the “Basie style” has been inherited from the olden days, which includes an attention to detail in both tempo and dynamics.
“The ‘Basie’ way is in essence the exploitation of basic music fundamentals such as dynamics, tempo, and the key to all great music, the element of surprise,’ he explained, adding that the band tends to play a soft passage softer and a loud one even louder.
“This is what established the Count Basie Orchestra as the most explosive force in Jazz. Add to the dynamics the degree of tempo shifts from very slow to very fast, you now have an orchestra that is able to play the full spectrum of fundamentals. No other jazz orchestra in history has done this type of playing,” he added.
The director also explained that the 19-piece Orchestra plays the classics whilst making sure the new numbers also adhere to the “Basie style.” In addition, its set lists remain fresh each night with an abundance of soloists “swinging and shouting the blues.”
One of the Orchestra’s vocalists, Alexander Stewart, described how the music they perform is “accessible, fun and often thought-provoking.”
“I think in yesteryear there was an air of elegance and sophistication, mystery perhaps about both acts and their songs, but also sheer quality. The songs of that era are still being played today and that’s really a testament to how well-crafted they were,” he said.
“Listening to a big band elegantly glide through swing tunes really is something beautiful,” he added, “it’s when you will really feel the power and energy of such a brilliant orchestra.”
“I think even with an audience who are not so familiar with jazz music, people’s perceptions of the music are really broken down when it comes to a live big band. There’s really nothing like it.”
Speaking of what’s kept attracting listeners from different generations, Mr Barnhart concluded that “swing” – being the core aspect of jazz – is the one thing that remains constant.
“Swinging is tantamount to all of the heartbeats of the musicians syncing up and becoming one inside of every beat and note that is played together,” he said. “So although the orchestra has evolved over 79 years, as long as that ‘Basie swing’ element is present, it will always keep people coming to hear our concerts, buying our recordings, and keeping the narrative alive that we are still the best and ‘swingingest’ jazz orchestra on earth.”