William "Count" Basie, who died in 1984, was a man of few words with a famously sparse piano style. He also led one of the most significant big bands in jazz history.
Alyn Shipton sets out to discover Basie the man and his musical legacy. In the first of four programmes Basie the vaudeville and blues musician takes organ lessons from Fats Waller before joining the Territory Band of Bennie Moten. By 1936 he was leading his own band.
