Feb 18 2022
Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series: Count Basie Orchestra

Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series: Count Basie Orchestra

Presented by Fort Mose Historical Society and St. Johns County Cultural Events Division and St. Johns Cultural Council at Fort Mose Historic State Park

In February 2022, Fort Mose Historic State Park will be the host of the inaugural Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series to honor the history and celebrate the cultural significance of Fort Mose. The Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series will comprise six unforgettable performances over three weeks from some of the biggest names in their respective genres.

In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold-out concerts all over the world, with members personally chosen by him, for over 30 years after his passing. Pianist and bandleader William James “Count” Basie was and still is an American institution that personifies the grandeur and excellence of Jazz.

The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world. The latest honors are the 2018 Downbeat Readers Poll Award as the #1 Jazz Orchestra in the world, and a Grammy Nomination for their 2018 acclaimed recording, All About That Basie, which features special guests Stevie Wonder, Jon Faddis, Take 6, and Kurt Elling among others.

t follows their critically acclaimed release in 2015 of A Very Swingin’ Basie Christmas!, the very first holiday album in the 80-year history of the orchestra. Released on Concord Music, it went to #1 on the Jazz charts and sold out on Amazon! Special guests include vocalists Johnny Mathis, Ledisi, Carmen Bradford, and pianist Ellis Marsalis. A BBC TV-produced documentary on Mr. Basie and the orchestra entitled Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes premiered on PBS in the US and UK in 2019 coinciding with the orchestra’s 85th Anniversary. It features interviews by Quincy Jones, Scotty Barnhart, Dee Askew, John Williams, and several other important members and associates of Mr. Basie and the orchestra.

Some of the greatest soloists, composers, arrangers, and vocalists in jazz history such as Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Frank Foster, Thad Jones, Sonny Payne, Freddie Green, Snooky Young, Frank Wess, and Joe Williams, became international stars once they began working with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. This great 18-member orchestra is still continuing the excellent history started by Basie of stomping and shouting the blues, as well as refining those musical particulars that allow for the deepest and most moving of swing.

The Count Basie Orchestra will perform at Fort Mose Historic State Park on February 18, 2022, at 7 PM for the inaugural Jazz & Blues Fest. Tickets start at $65 and are available to purchase here.

The Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series is produced by the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division, which operates The St. Augustine Amphitheatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, with support from St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, St. Augustine Distillery, St. Johns Cultural Council, Fort Mose Historical Society, and Flying Saucer Presents.

Admission Info

$65-$115

Dates & Times

2022/02/18 - 2022/02/18

Location Info

Fort Mose Historic State Park

15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32084