William Basie was a great jazz pianist born on August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. Basie, also called "The Count", as a bandleader was an interpreter of swing. His teacher, Fats Waller another leader in the jazz history, was a large influence on his musical style. While studying music under Fats Waller, he played in the New York and Kansas City jazz bands through the 1920's and the early 1930's. In 1935 the "Count" assembled his own jazz band and became famous for his highly polished interpretation of blues melodies. "Count" Basie also worked with many other famous jazz musicians including singer Billie Holiday and saxophonist Lester Young. Count Basie died on April 26, 1984 after a long successful music carrer.

Throughout his career, the name of Count Basie was synonymous with swing. Basie, whose influence remains huge over a decade after his death, not only led two of the finest jazz orchestras ever, but he redefined the role of the piano in the rhythm section. Originally a stride pianist, Basie had such a strong rhythm section in the mid 1930s that he pared down his style drastically, eliminating the oom-pah timekeeping function of his left hand.

By 1937, the Count Basie band had caught on. Basie’s orchestra could hold its own against any other swing band. Its theme "One O’Clock Jump"; soon became widely recorded and "Jumpin’ at the Woodside" became a standard.