Pratheek Mangini, Elizabeth Calt, Angela Ning, Goedele Van Landegem, and Ryan Henry

Professor Conklin
AAS 240: History of Jazz
October 5, 2015
Count Basie: A Musician that Embodies the Principles of Democracy
Democracy is a defining feature of the United States and has long been one of its
founding principles. It gives power and a voice to the American people and the ability to have
fair representation in government. The system possesses a core principle, which allows each
person the freedom to make his or her own decisionultimately making each citizen equal in the
eyes of the law. William Count Basie, an American jazz musician, followed his passion for
music all over the United States and was not only prominent in his own right, but also unselfishly
assisted in the rise of other musicians. A composer, musician, and leader all in one, he shared a
pure love for democratic nature of jazz music and helped to spread it to all those who would
listen.
Even from the start, Count Basie was drawn to jazz music because of the collaborative,
almost democratic, energy of jazz bands. Born as William James Basie in New Jersey, he joined
a traveling vaudeville show until the mid-1920s. While travelling in Oklahoma City, he was
captivated by a new style of jazz from a territory band known as the Blue Devils. After watching
a show, Basie recounted that, Everybody seemed to be having so much fun up there playing
together...There was such a team spirit among those guys, and it came out in the music
(DeVeaux and Giddins 214). A band for the people, by the people, it is evident that the musicians
in the band not only worked together to show the audience a good time, but even more so, were
enjoying themselves while playing. Each members equal and active participation in the
government of the band culminated in a collective, engrossing sound that inspired Count Basie.

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In fact, the democracy of the Blue Devils even bled into their finances as they were a
commonwealth band that evenly split all their profits. Regardless, it is evident that the Blue
Devils played a large role in shaping Count Basies perception of jazz music during his formative
years. Count Basie found the cooperative nature of the Blue Devils band members to be a
characteristic he not only admired, but also actively integrated into his own music and
throughout his future career.
Subsequently, Basie assembled several musicians to form his own band who were known
for playing their signature head arrangements. Coined as such because they were unwritten, head
arrangements embody many of the same democratic ideals that initially inspired Basie from the
Blue Devils. Produced spontaneously and collectively, these tunes were a conglomeration of
solos. However, other players would contribute to the main musical line by harmonizing within
the riff producing block-chords. By keenly listening to the voices of each musician, the
members of Basies band created a pseudo-socratic musical conversation. Not only were the
band members attentive to each other, they also worked off the energy of the audience creating a
synchronistic musical environment. The dancers danced to the music, and the musicians played
for the dancers. While each band member was autonomous in their musical choices for their
respective solos, they remained mindful of the band as a whole and the audienceessentially
forming a democratic system of checks and balances.
Basies first hit, One OClock Jump, did not reach its final state until it was played for
over a decade. Since all melodic arrangements were public property at the time, it was not an
issue that this songs original melody came from another song, Six or Seven Times, , by Don
Redman. The sharing of songs and melodies shows another democratic aspect of Basie outlook
on music. Everyone had access to all music, and everyone could use the music however they

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wanted. Basie felt that music was not about what you did, but how you did it. Then, after John
Hammond, a blues singer and guitarist, heard Basies band on the radio, he brought the band to
New York City to bring it into commercial mainstream. Basie finally wrote down his bands head
arrangements into permanent form, even though he believed that, the heads that [they] made in
that basement were a lot better than things that were written out (DeVeaux and Giddins 220).
Basie preferred a collaborative, improvised, and democratic dialogue when making music more
so than simply playing written arrangements.
From the events of Count Basies life to the inner workings of his band, Basies life and
music embodied the American value of democracy. Democracies value the individual and ensure
that everyones voice is heard. Inspired by the Blue Devils commitment to individual
participation, the spontaneous and collaborative nature of head arrangements, and his views on
music belonging to allBasies musical career centered on many democratic ideals. Basies
outlook on jazz music was largely egalitarian in many respects and continued to influence many
aspiring musicians to view music as a collective effort and dynamic dialogue.

A for awesome. Great job, everyone!

Works Cited
DeVeaux, Scott, and Gary Giddins. Jazz. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009. Print.