On July 20, 1961, the Count Basie Orchestra was in the south of France at the Antibes International Jazz Festival. There, the band played Splanky, Blee Blop Blues (the first two songs were incorrectly labeled on the film), Shiny Stockings, I Need to Bee'd With, Every Day I Have the Blues (with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and O.C. Smith), A Little Tempo Please and Old Man River, with an extended solo by drummer Sonny Payne.
On July 23, 1968, Basie was at the same festival, where the band played Blues for Eileen, Cherokee, Night in Tunisia, the Kid From Red Bank, Stormy Monday, Magic Flea and Jumping at the Woodside.
Here's an hour-long clip of both concerts:
On July 23, 1968, Basie was at the same festival, where the band played Blues for Eileen, Cherokee, Night in Tunisia, the Kid From Red Bank, Stormy Monday, Magic Flea and Jumping at the Woodside.
Here's an hour-long clip of both concerts:
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
Copyright © 2026. All rights reserved.
