William “Count” Basie, (born August 21, 1904) was a pianist, organist and composer who lead one of the greatest big bands of all time for 50 years. The band still performs hundreds of dates throughout the world to this day. Over the years, a procession of jazz giants have passed through the band: Lester Young, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Thad Jones, just to name a few.