Jazz is known for that hard-to-define quality we call swing. We use the term broadly. There are “swing bands,” generally large ensembles that play jazz-informed dance music. But usually the term ...

The Count Basie Orchestra, with Basie on piano, came roaring out of Kansas City during the Great Depression. It's tempting to say that they're back for the current one, but that ignores decades in ...

Count Basie's band was the only orchestra that repeatedly re-invented itself across five decades with greater success each time. There were plenty of bands that soldiered on long after they were in ...