Count Basie took his orchestra to Chicago for a long engagement in 2000.
William James `` Count '' Basie ( August 21 , 1904 -- April 26 , 1984 ) was an American jazz pianist , organist , bandleader , and composer . In 1935 , Basie formed his own jazz orchestra , the Count Basie Orchestra , and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording .