The Count Basie Orchestra

Members who give $500+ annually receive 10% off concert tickets.

2023 Concert Series sponsored by

If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.

—Count Basie

In the history of jazz, there is only one bandleader whose orchestra still performs sold-out concerts all over the world and, nearly 40 years after his death, still counts among its members musicians that bandleader hand-picked.

Pianist and bandleader William James “Count” Basie was an American institution who personified the grandeur and excellence of jazz. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, has topped every respected jazz poll in the world at least once. It has also performed for royalty, been featured in several movies and television shows, and appeared at nearly every major jazz festival and concert hall in the world.