Juilliard Jazz Orchestra Is The New "Chairman of the Board" at Lincoln Center

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Thursday, 22 October 2026 13:35

Written by Jack Angstreich

Aanya Sengupta performs with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra

At Lincoln Center’s excellent Peter Jay Sharp Theater, on the night of Friday, October 16th, I had the incomparable pleasure to attend a superb concert devoted to the fabulous music of Count Basie, here performed by the extraordinary Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.

The event started delightfully with the classic “Who, Me?” written and arranged by Frank Foster—who later led the Basie band—famously recorded on the celebrated 1959 studio album, Chairman of the Board. A terrific vocalist, Aanya Sengupta, then entered the stage to splendidly sing the 1929 “Blue Devil Blues” by Don Stovall, originally recorded as a B-side by the Oklahoma City Blue Devils—of which ensemble, Basie was a member—for which it was sung by Jimmy Rushing. That group also recorded the next selection, “Squabblin’,” which Basie himself composed and which was the A-side of that release.

The next tune, “Prince of Wails,” was written by bandleader Bennie Moten, whose orchestra Basie joined in 1929. This was followed by another composition recorded by Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra, “Toby.” After this, “Blue and Sentimental” was played, which Basie co-wrote with eminent songwriters Jerry Livingston and Mack David. The first set closed enjoyably with two of Basie’s most popular standards, beginning with “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” from 1938, followed by “One O’Clock Jump,” from 1937.

The second half of the evening—which, in contrast to the first, focused on Basie’s later, “New Testament” period—was at least equally memorable, opening with another Foster tune, “Blues in Hoss’ Flat,” a recording of which also appears on Chairman of the Board—Jerry Lewis brilliantly mimed to this music in a masterful sequence in his imaginative 1961 film, The Errand Boy. The succeeding “Corner Pocket” from 1955 is another jazz standard that Sarah Vaughan recorded with Basie’s orchestra. A highlight of the program was the return of Sengupta to perform three more wonderful songs, starting with “Every Day I Have the Blues,” made famous by Joe Williams. She followed this with the comparably charming “We'll Be Together Again” from 1945, which was composed by Carl T. Fischer, with lyrics by Frankie Laine. She closed out her brief set winningly with the 1926 standard, “‘Deed I Do,” which Basie recorded with Ella Fitzgerald for their 1963 album, Ella and Basie!

The next selection, the remarkable “The Kid from Red Bank,” was written by Neal Hefti and appeared on another acclaimed album, The Atomic Mr. Basie from 1958. This preceded “Count Me In” which was a track on the 1964 album, Basie Land, with all music by Billy Byers. The penultimate composition in this concert was “Way Out Basie” by Ernie Wilkins, an important arranger for Basie, and the program concluded marvelously with “In a Mellow Tone,” a number written by Basie’s friendly rival and sometime collaborator, the great Duke Ellington, in another arrangement by Foster.

The artists were deservedly, enthusiastically applauded.