Count Basie Center for The Arts to Celebrate Count Basie on His Birthday

The Count Basie Center for the Arts will formally dedicate a statue of William James “Count” Basie –The Count–at the Basie Center’s William and Catherine Basie Arts Plaza on what would have been his 119th birthday, August 21.

The statue was recently unveiled at the organization’s summer gala. Master sculptor Brian Hanlon will lead the dedication starting at along with remarks from Wayne Winborne, Executive Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, and performances of Basie jazz pieces by pianist Phil Bingham.

On Sunday, August 20, Red Bank’s Jazz Arts Project will celebrate Count Basie as part of the borough’s summer-long Westside Jazz Concerts series at Johnny Jazz Park on Shrewsbury Avenue. The Charnee Wade Quintet, Timothy Ogunbiyi Quartet, Julius Tolentino & The Next Wave and the Eddie Allen Aggregation Big Band will perform, with festivities beginning at 1PM. This is a free event, open to all-ages.

Members of the public interested in attending the event, to be held outdoors at the Basie Center’s William and Catherine Basie Arts Plaza, must RSVP at info@thebasie.org. Refreshments will be served, including a commemorative birthday cake to conclude the ceremony.