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Setting the stage with just a ?ôsplunk?ö or two from his piano, Count Basie's big band in the ?æ30s swung harder than any other, giving the world such talents as Lester Young, Buck Clayton and "Sweets" Edison. That trio, along with the Count himself, created a freewheeling beast featuring sizzling improvs and solos. Basie's ?ôNew Testament?ö bands of the ?æ50s operated like soulful, well-oiled machines, and were reliant on arrangers like Neal Hefti, Quincy Jones and Frank Foster. The vocal platform was perfectly suited to Basie's ?æ50s sound ?û he had great success with superstar singers Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.
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