BASIE, Count.

Description

February 1971 Australian concert tour program

Original vintage concert program produced for Count Basie’s February 1971 Australian tour, presented by Kym Bonython in cooperation with Marlboro. This was Basie’s first visit to Australia. His orchestra for the tour featured George Minger, Wayman Reed, Sonny Cohn, John Watson (trumpets); Steve Galloway, Melvin Wanzo, Bill Hughes, Paul Cohen (trombones); Bill Adkins, Eric Dixon, Bobby Plater, Eddie Davis, Cecil Payne (saxophones); Freddie Green (guitar); Norman Keenan (bass); Harold Jones (drums); and Mary Stallings (vocals). By the 1970s, Count Basie was no longer just a beloved entertainer. After more than three decades in the music business, he had become a jazz institution. Still, he did not slow down. Year after year, he and his orchestra maintained their rigorous schedule of performing live and making records. In 1971, the group traveled to the Far East, appearing in Hong Kong, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Singapore for the first time. Basie and his musicians also journeyed to New Zealand and Australia, where in Perth they played before an opening night crowd of ten thousand.

In original red, blue and black pictorial wrappers, staple bound, 21.5 x 27.8 cm, 20 pp. There is a handwritten “87” to the top right corner on the front wrapper, else in excellent condition, tightly bound and clean. Additional images of the program available on request.