Count Basie by Bud Kliment

Author:Bud Kliment
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: CHBiographies
ISBN: 9781438145259
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Published: 2014-10-11T13:59:16+00:00

Disaster at Roseland

While Basie's small group was making musical history, the full orchestra continued to struggle. After the Grand Terrace engagement and a succession of other one-night appearances, the band finally arrived in New York City, where it was scheduled to appear for a month at the Roseland Ballroom. The musicians were still not playing together properly, however, and on opening night-Christmas Eve, 1936-they showed they were not ready for their Manhattan debut. Basie had to put so much effort into trying to direct them and keep the band unified that for most of the show he had his back turned to the audience. Describing the disaster, critic George Simon wrote, "If you don't believe the band is out of tune, just listen to the reed section. If you don't believe the reed section is out of tune, just listen to the brass section. And if you don't believe that, just listen to the band!"

Some of the criticism directed at the group was probably unavoidable. Hammond, Alexander, and others had generated so much enthusiastic publicity about the Count Basie Orchestra before the group arrived in New York that it was practically impossible for the musicians to live up to the advance buildup. In addition, a few of the band members were genuinely inexperienced. They had come to New York with old instruments patched together with rubber bands, and they were unable to stay in tune. "We all had a lot to learn," Buck Clayton admitted.

Despite their initial disappointment, Basie's musicians remained undiscouraged. The same enthusiasm that had sustained so many of them through tough times in Kansas City came forward once again to help them persevere. They remained staunchly dedicated to Basie, aware that his leadership had already brought them a long way. "New York wasn't easy," Clayton said. "The band scuffled, and it starved. But it didn't seem to matter. Playing was the important thing. Sticking together and making a go of the band was our ambition. We wouldn't think of leaving Basie."

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