Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble
All About That Basie
Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm CST
Galvin Recital Hall
Darius Hampton, conductor
Pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer William James “Count” Basie left an indelible mark on the jazz world with his Count Basie Orchestra and standards including “Blue and Sentimental,” “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” and “One O’Clock Jump.” Influenced early in his career by Willie “the Lion” Smith, Fats Waller, and Bennie Moten, he went on to assemble a band including such talents as Lester Young, Freddie Green, Walter Page, and Dickie Wells. He showcased legendary singers Billie Holiday, Big Joe Turner, and Helen Humes, and in the wake of the big band era, his band played for Queen Elizabeth II and a John F. Kennedy Inaugural Ball. The Jazz Ensemble celebrates the artist who declared, “I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter.”
Sammy Nestico, Basie–Straight Ahead
Billy Byers, Yuriko
Sammy Nestico, Fun Time
Benny Carter, Sunset Glow
Quincy Jones, Jessica’s Day
Neal Hefti, Flight of the Foo Birds
Ernie Wilkins, Kansas City Shout
Sammy Nestico, Ja-Da
Freddie Green (arr. Frank Foster), Down for Double
Sammy Nestico, “It’s Oh, So Nice”
John Clayton, Jr., Blues for Stephanie
Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students with valid ID.
Buy TicketsMary B. Galvin Recital Hall
Address
70 Arts Circle Drive
Evanston, IL 60208
United States
About
Located in the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, this 400-seat hall features a 40-foot glass wall offering views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Undulating walls of Forest Stewardship Council–certified wood, covered with a thin layer of African moabi wood, provide optimal acoustics, and the hall is equipped with state-of-the-art sound and video equipment for recording.
