The Racquette

Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: A&E

Media Credit: Ben O'Brien Smith Scotty Barnhart blows with plunger mute.

The history of jazz and its roots run deep in American music history. When big band and swing took over in the 1930s, musicians like William "Count" Basie and Duke Ellington paved the way for jazz as some of the most important musicians, composers and bandleaders from the big band generation. Now, in 2010, the style is still very much alive and thriving all over the world in tribute to the greats.

Count Basie held together one of the most influential jazz bands until his death in 1984. In order to continue in his legacy, the band continued to tour, induct new members and record in the name of their first composer.

On Friday, February 19, the Count Basie Orchestra played what appeared to be a sold out show in Hosmer Hall. At first glance, the stage appeared the way a jazz performance would: the rhythm section was on one half and the horn section on the other. The performance started with a short introduction by the current bandleader, Bill Hughes, who is also one of the last members hired by Basie himself. The performance started with, "All Of Me," a jazz standard with an explosive introduction by the horns and drums.

Some of the other instrumental tunes were: "One O' Clock Jump," "Blues in Hoss' Flat" and a few others. Periodically, songs featured their singer, Carmen Bradford, a wonderful jazz singer who has performed and recorded with musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and James Brown. She had the radiance and stage presence of Aretha Franklin and the late Ella Fitzgerald.

The performance was rich with classics that the band held down with enthusiasm and grace. They played for roughly two hours with a brief fifteen-minute intermission around the middle, giving the audience a few minutes to reflect on their many pieces and collaborative solo sessions by each of the eighteen musicians.

I found it quite remarkable to watch a band whose members' ages vary so greatly, performing in such unison. They had a wonderful take on the roots of jazz from the 1930s and forward with a variety of musical backgrounds. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to watch The Count Basie Orchestra perform at Crane, as it was quite possibly the best performance to come to Potsdam in my academic career.

It's rare that we get to watch timeless music happen in front of us as a part of the digital music era, but when we do, it's something to appreciate.

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