Count Basie

DIRECTOR:

Gary Keys

PLOT:

Jazz great William “Count” Basie comes back to life in this rich documentary, which traces the history of the pianist, composer, and bandleader over several decades. Filmmaker Gary Keys juxtaposes a roundtable discussion among old (indeed octogenerian) cats from the Count Basie Orchestra with recorded performances, including a cameo appearance in Blazing Saddles. In archival clips, we see Basie skittering his hands over the keys. He holds a single finger up in the air, ready to unleash the band’s energy. A gallery of portraits and snapshots shows the ever-smiling face of a man as vivacious as the grooves he delivers—his good humor suffusing the music and the players going at it all around him, from Lester Young to Ella Fitzgerald.