I Subbed for Basie

I came back from Eastman School of Music with my head full of contemporary jazz, this is maybe 1976? I was playing all kinds of gigs. One Saturday afternoon I got a phone call at 2:30 and this agent asked me, "Hey, can you play for Count Basie tonight? He's got the flu, and I need to find a sub for him!" I said, are you sure you want me? And he said, “I've already tried a lot of people.” I said, “OK that sounds good.”

The concert/dance was at the University of Texas Union ballroom. And it was advertised as a “sock hop.” (I guess you know what that is. Everybody takes their shoes off and dance on the wooden dance floor in their socks.)

So when I arrived (oh by the way, this is probably 1976 and I looked like I was 14 years old, so blonde and blue eyed) I realized I was the only white guy in an all black Count Basie Orchestra Big Band. They looked at me like “oh no!” But we had to do this, so I sat down at the piano, and I realized there's no music! There's no piano book! After all it's Count Basie's band and it's his music. He doesn't need a book. I wasn't versed in jazz history, and what I didn't know at the time, was that I was sitting with super legendary jazz artists. Freddie Green was Basie’s guitarist for 40 years. He said, “That's all right kid. I know this music. Here's my book. You can use my book.” After we played a tune, the band realized I could actually play jazz and warmed up to me. They were enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful.

Here’s one thing I didn't know at all! Count Basie has this very famous cliché way of ending a song. It's a very simple little “plink plink” piano solo. When it came time for me to play that, I launched into this really fast show-off ending, which made the band just aboutt fall out of their chairs laughing. I didn't know why or what I did. But a guy said, “Hey, just keep it really simple.” And I only found out later that I was really blowing the ends of these tunes. I mentioned these legends. This very handsome black man came out to sing, and he had the most beautiful, baritone voice. I find out later that his name was Joe Williams, and was quite a voice superstar.

All in all, it was a great experience. I learned a lot. I learned what I should've known, and it was a great evening. 300 people were dancing to Count Basie's great music and a this is a story I'll never forget.