Sweets Edison Quotes

"I should have paid him [Count Basie] to be in the band because I was having so much fun. You couldn’t pay for that kind of education." - Sweets Edison

Sweets Edison Quotes

"[Count] Basie was my mentor, my father and brother. He did it so much to me … So every time I got the opportunity to play again with him, I immediately did it. I remember one time, in the 50’s, that I had a gig with my group in a small town in about 200 km in the north of Miami, Florida. Basie played from 2:00 am to 6:00 am! Yes! That was like that in those days! When I finished my gig, I took a car, went down to Miami and played with him for the rest of the night! All the members of the band were so happy to see me there that they gave me all the trumpet solos in the band! I was sitting just near by the great drummer Sonny Payne. Good God that was really something! A great early morning to remember to!" - Sweets Edison

Jo Jones Quotes

"The hardest thing for a musician to learn is how to play WITH people. That's what made the Basie rhythm section." - Jo Jones

Joe Williams Quotes

"I used to make more money in one night than I got in a week working with [Count] Basie. Somebody’d say: 'I'm gonna give you $200, I want you to come over here and sing two songs, 'Every Day I Have the Blues', and 'Stop, Pretty Baby'. People loved that, and women wanted to march out in their finery while I sang 'Stop'." - Joe Williams

Buddy Rich Quotes

"And, well of course, Count Basie, and I think all of the black bands of the late thirties and early forties, bands with real players. They had an influence on everybody, not just drummers." - Buddy Rich