Freddie Green has been my right arm for thirty years. And if he leaves the band one day, I'll probably leave with him. Count Basie More Quotes by Count Basie More Quotes From Count Basie I never thought innovation as such was very important. Not when you have to think about it... If you're going to come up with a new direction or a really new way to do something, you'll do it by just playing your stuff and letting it ride. The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves. Count Basie innovation real thinking Of course, there are a lot of ways you can treat the blues, but it will still be the blues. Count Basie music funny way Learn to deal with the valleys and the hills will take care of themselves. Count Basie hills valleys care It's the way you play that makes it . . . Play like you play. Play like you think, and then you got it, if you're going to get it. And whatever you get, that's you, so that's your story. Count Basie stories play thinking If you play a tune and a person don't tap their feet, don't play the tune. Count Basie music feet play The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves. Count Basie just-being music real I got everything I wanted. When I was young in Kansas City, I knew nothing about Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, of all those concert halls, of all those countries. I did not know what it was like to direct a band... All I wanted was to be big, to be in show-business, and to travel...and that's what I've been doing all my life. Count Basie kansas-city cities country If you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night! Count Basie music play night All I wanted was to be big, to be in show business and to travel ... and that's what I've been doing all my life. Count Basie bigs shows wanted I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter. Count Basie swings cutting thinking I was always willing to say, "Let's see what happens," when something came up that looked like it might help me get a little closer to where I wanted to be . . . Count Basie helping littles might I just think swing is a matter of some good things put together that you can really pat your foot by. I can't define it beyond that. Count Basie swings feet thinking Keep on listening & tapping your feet. Count Basie music feet listening If a guy is gonna to play good bop, he has to have a sort of a bop soul. Count Basie guy soul play I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, 'Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.' Count Basie would-be names cards I don't dig that two-beat jive the New Orleans cats play. My boys and I have to have four heavy beats to the bar and no cheating. Count Basie cat music cheating I, of course, wanted to play real jazz. When we played pop tunes, and naturally we had to, I wanted those pops to kick! Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch. Count Basie tunes real play Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I've ever heard. Count Basie ivory oscars play I'll always remember when I first heard Lester [Young]. I'd never heard anyone like him before. He was a stylist with a different sound. A sound I'd never heard before or since. To be honest with you, I didn't much like it at first. Count Basie stylist different sound I'm saying: to be continued, until we meet again. Meanwhile, keep on listening and tapping your feet. Count Basie meet saying feet listening
