As a pianist, he had a distinctive and influential style (the song title "Splanky" is an onomatopoetic reference to the sound of his playing), equally at home in the barrelhouse and the concert hall. Willie "The Lion" Smith, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller were among his influences.
As a bandleader, he created an organization (built upon the remains of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra) that was a favorite both of dancers and of vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and, of course, Billie Holiday. Equally important, it kept many musicians employed through lean years. Many jazz musicians of note built their chops and earned their bread and butter in Basie's organization.
In addition to Basie, the swinging "All American Rhythm Section" of his orchestra included greats such as Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums), and Freddie Green (guitar). It was the greatest, most swinging rhythm sections in the history of jazz. Chief among its vocalists were, first, Jimmy Rushing and, later, Joe Williams. Over the years it boasted sidemen and soloists like Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Lester Young (tenor sax), Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor sax), Buddy Tate (tenor sax), Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax), Earle Warren (alto sax), Jack Washington (alto & baritone sax), Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Buck Clayton (trumpet), Thad Jones (trumpet), Snooky Young (trumpet), Benny Morton (trombone), Benny Powell (trombone), and Dicky Wells (trombone).
Basie also collaborated with artists such as Zoot Sims and Oscar Peterson, and recorded with ensembles large and small, including the Count Basie Trio, the Count Basie Sextet, and the Kansas City Seven. Notable arrangers included Eddie Durham (who helped shape the Basie Orchestra's sound) and Neal Hefti.
Avenue C
Count Basie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reeds: What about it?
Brass: N. Y. is big
Reeds: People tout it
Brass: I flip my wig
Reeds: What about?
Brass: 'Bout a street I dig
Finally came upon a series of alphabet streets
A-be -see and D, but I went for "see"
The most of the hard-to-forget streets
It's really and truly the dilly of all m'pet streets
Tenor sax: Hey, hey, hey everybody now
Brass: Come go walkin' with me now
Walk up avenue see now
Chicks all lookin' so pretty
They don't give me no pity
Avenue see is the grooviest in the city
Tenor sax: I never dug an avenue so enjoyable to me
"see" Avenue is groovy
Yes it was groovy as it could be
Brass: Walk with me down Avenue see
Tenor sax: Man I really hope to say
Brass: Come on baby, while we ramble
Walk beside me while we ramble
Tenor sax: You dig it too I feel you do
What a scenic hike
It's a walk that you're bound to like
Brass: why'got "be " on the one side
Reeds: "A"
Brass: "D" on the other
Reeds: "be "
Brass: "see" in the middle
Reeds: "see"
Brass and Reeds: Baby!
Trumpet: The reason that you're feelin' so down, babe
Is 'cause you live in Stuyvesant Town, babe
I dug you down in Hamilton Fish, babe
And realized that you were my dish, babe
Walkin' home and you can walk with me
Walkin' hand in hand up Avenue see, Oh babe
And while we're walkin' we can do some talkin'
While the people dig us wonderin' what we're puttin' down
While we, happy as we can be, glide on
Takin' life in stride up to Murphy Park there beside the river
Brass: Well our feet got rhythm
Reeds: Pure pedal syncopation
Brass: 'N when we walk with 'em
Reeds: Demandin' admiration
Brass: Well our step is snappy
Reeds: Dig people step aside now
Brass: Because we're so happy
Reeds: We're takin' life in stride now
Brass: Avenue see your vibrations are followin' me. Oh yes
Reeds: Everybody busily lookin'
Brass: Yes yes
Reeds: Me and baby steadily cookin'
Brass: Yes yes
Reeds: Start at one end talkin' and movin'
Brass: Yes yes
Reeds: To the other wiggin' and groovin'
Brass: So come
Reeds: You should
Brass: And view
Reeds: I would
Brass: This Ave-
Reeds: You could
Brass: Venue
Reeds: It's good
Brass: Walk on
Reeds: "see" Avenue, see it my way
Brass: Talk on
Reeds: No better view on a highway
Ensemble: Big town you don't know 'till you see it
Brass: Walk on
Reeds: I never saw such a wonderful sight
Drum break
Ensemble: You're gonna love it
Break
Brass: I'm hip, you'll flip
Reeds: When you dig it you'll stop and linger
Brass: You'll pop your top
Reeds: What a pleasure and what a swinger
Ensemble: Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you
(Come on, come on, go)
Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you
(Come on, come on, now, go)
Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you
Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you
The song "Avenue C" by Count Basie is an upbeat and playful tune that celebrates the joys of walking down a favorite street in New York City. The song begins with the brass and reed sections having a conversation about how great New York City is and focusing on a particular street that they love. The piano then takes a solo and describes the experience of walking down Avenue C, one of the alphabet streets in the city. The tenor sax joins in and sings about how much he loves the street and invites the listener to join them for a walk down Avenue C. The song ends with the ensemble urging the listener to come and experience the street for themselves.
The lyrics of the song are a celebration of the joy of walking and exploring the city. Avenue C is described as the "dilly of all m'pet streets" and the "grooviest in the city." The brass and reed sections trade playful banter about how great the city is and how much they love Avenue C. The song captures the sense of freedom and possibility that comes with exploring a new place on foot. The upbeat tempo and swinging rhythm of the song reflect the excitement and energy that comes with exploring a new place and soaking up its sights and sounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Brass: N. Y. I dig
I love New York
Reeds: What about it?
What's so great about it?
Brass: N. Y. is big
New York is huge
Reeds: People tout it
People praise it
Brass: I flip my wig
I'm crazy about it
Reeds: What about?
What specifically?
Brass: 'Bout a street I dig
About a street I really like
Piano (Basie's solo): One day I was walkin' n' Finally came upon a series of alphabet streets A-be -see and D, but I went for "see" The most of the hard-to-forget streets It's really and truly the dilly of all m'pet streets
One day I discovered a bunch of streets with letters for names, and out of all of them, I preferred "see" because it's the most memorable of them all.
Tenor sax: Hey, hey, hey everybody now
Hey everyone! Let's go!
Brass: Come go walkin' with me now Walk up avenue see now Chicks all lookin' so pretty They don't give me no pity Avenue see is the grooviest in the city
Come walk with me on Avenue C, where all the pretty ladies are, and experience the coolest street in the city.
Tenor sax: I never dug an avenue so enjoyable to me "see" Avenue is groovy Yes it was groovy as it could be
I've never liked a street as much as Avenue C. It's really cool.
Brass: Walk with me down Avenue see
Come walk with me down Avenue C
Tenor sax: Man I really hope to say
I really hope you can experience it too.
Brass: Come on baby, while we ramble Walk beside me while we ramble Tenor sax: You dig it too I feel you do What a scenic hike It's a walk that you're bound to like
Let's walk together and enjoy the beautiful sights. I'm sure you'll like it as much as I do.
Brass: why'got "be -" on the one side Reeds: "A" Brass: "D" on the other Reeds: "be -" Brass: "see" in the middle Reeds: "see" Brass and Reeds: Baby!
We've got streets with letters on both sides, and Avenue C is in the middle. Pretty cool, right?
Trumpet: The reason that you're feelin' so down, babe Is 'cause you live in Stuyvesant Town, babe I dug you down in Hamilton Fish, babe And realized that you were my dish, babe Walkin' home and you can walk with me Walkin' hand in hand up Avenue see, Oh babe And while we're walkin' we can do some talkin' While the people dig us wonderin' what we're puttin' down While we, happy as we can be, glide on Takin' life in stride up to Murphy Park there beside the river
You're feeling down because you live in Stuyvesant Town. But I love you just the way you are, especially after discovering how great you are in Hamilton Fish. Let's walk hand in hand on Avenue C and have a great time while people wonder what we're up to. We'll take life in stride together and make our way up to Murphy Park.
Brass: Well our feet got rhythm Reeds: Pure pedal syncopation Brass: 'N when we walk with 'em Reeds: Demandin' admiration Brass: Well our step is snappy Reeds: Dig people step aside now Brass: Because we're so happy Reeds: We're takin' life in stride now Brass: Avenue see your vibrations are followin' me. Oh yes
Our feet move to the beat of the music, demanding attention from onlookers. Our steps are lively and fast, and we're so happy that we're making our way down Avenue C. I can feel the street's energy coursing through me.
Reeds: Everybody busily lookin' Brass: Yes yes Reeds: Me and baby steadily cookin' Brass: Yes yes Reeds: Start at one end talkin' and movin' Brass: Yes yes Reeds: To the other wiggin' and groovin' Brass: So come Reeds: You should Brass: And view Reeds: I would Brass: This Ave- Reeds: You could Brass: Venue Reeds: It's good
Everyone is busy but we're walking confidently as a couple. Let's start at one end of the street and work our way to the other end, having fun and dancing along the way. You should come with me and check out this cool street.
Brass: Walk on Reeds: "see" Avenue, see it my way Brass: Talk on Reeds: No better view on a highway Ensemble: Big town you don't know 'till you see it Brass: Walk on Reeds: I never saw such a wonderful sight Drum break
Let's keep walking on Avenue C and look at it from my perspective. There's no better view anywhere else. You won't know how great this big town is until you experience Avenue C. I've never seen anything so wonderful before.
Ensemble: You're gonna love it Break Brass: I'm hip, you'll flip Reeds: When you dig it you'll stop and linger Brass: You'll pop your top Reeds: What a pleasure and what a swinger Ensemble: Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you (Come on, come on, go) Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you (Come on, come on, now, go) Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you Go dig it cop that view it's bound to thrill you
You're going to enjoy it so much that you won't want to leave. You'll be so pleased and impressed that you won't be able to contain your excitement. Come on and check it out, it's sure to be amazing and exciting.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: BUCK CLAYTON, DAVE LAMBERT, JON HENDRICKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EJKorvette1
They had better music back then than they do today.
pianopappy
The out-choruses on this tune (including Shadow Wilson's drum breaks) are among the most exciting ever recorded by Basie, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Mark Ladenson
According to Chris Sheridan's monumental bio-discography of Basie, this was recorded Feb 26, 1945 with a different trumpet section than given above: H. Edison, A Killian, E. Lewis, J Newman. Sweets is the soloist. The band did record on May 14, 1945 with somewhat different trumpet and trombone sections than those given above.