[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 778 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 778

 Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of William ``Count'' 
 Basie and acknowledging his important contributions to jazz and swing 
                                 music.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2004

  Mr. Pallone (for himself, Ms. McCarthy of Missouri, and Mr. Rangel) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                     on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of William ``Count'' 
 Basie and acknowledging his important contributions to jazz and swing 
                                 music.

Whereas on August 21, 1904, renowned pianist and bandleader William ``Count'' 
        Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey;
Whereas in 1924, William ``Count'' Basie moved to New York City and, under the 
        influence of James P. Johnson and Thomas ``Fats'' Waller, learned the 
        style of piano known as stride piano, a contrasting constant beat from 
        the left hand with a melodious right hand;
Whereas in 1927, William ``Count'' Basie's vibrant musical career took off when 
        he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and joined Walter Page's Blue Devils 
        Band;
Whereas William ``Count'' Basie joined the Bennie Morton Band, and took over as 
        bandleader in 1935, renaming the band ``Count Basie and his Cherry 
        Blossom Orchestra'';
Whereas Count Basie and his Cherry Blossom Orchestra disbanded, but eventually 
        reformed as the ``Count Basie Orchestra'';
Whereas the Count Basie Orchestra dominated the realms of jazz and swing for 
        several decades;
Whereas the music of William ``Count'' Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra 
        solidified the bond between the musical fashion of jazz and the mournful 
        sounds of the blues;
Whereas William ``Count'' Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra established swing 
        as a predominant force in the musical tastes of generations;
Whereas the music of William ``Count'' Basie maintained a lightness and 
        precision that has set the tone for modern jazz accompanying styles;
Whereas William ``Count'' Basie perfected a style of piano known as comping, a 
        syncopated and highly precise style of chords on the piano;
Whereas William ``Count'' Basie's most famous pieces included ``One O'clock 
        Jump'', ``Swingin' the Blues'', ``Jumpin' at the Woodside'', ``April in 
        Paris'', ``Shiny Stockings'', and ``Every Day I Have the Blues'';
Whereas in 1983, William ``Count'' Basie was awarded an American Jazz Masters 
        Award by the National Endowment for the Arts;
Whereas in 1984, in honor of William ``Count'' Basie's accomplishments, an 
        historic theater in his hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey, was renamed 
        the ``Count Basie Theatre'';
Whereas in 1996, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage 
        stamp in honor of William ``Count'' Basie;
Whereas the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded William 
        ``Count'' Basie 9 Grammy Awards throughout his career, as well as the 
        Grammy Trustees Award in 1981, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 
        2002; and
Whereas William ``Count'' Basie passed away on April 26, 1984, leaving his music 
        and the Count Basie Orchestra as vivid reminders of his brilliant talent 
        and influential career: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of 
        William ``Count'' Basie; and
            (2) acknowledges the important contributions of William 
        ``Count'' Basie to jazz and swing music.
                                 <all>