Thad Jones Influence On Basie

This historic arrangement was one of “the original seven” that formed the repertoire of the original Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. In the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra band folders, Big Dipper is to this day #4 in the book. This new edition is taken directly from the original ink parts that were on the stands at the band’s debut performance in February 1966, now housed in the Thad Jones Archive at William Paterson University, where Thad served as Founding Director of Jazz Studies.

These original seven charts were commissioned by Count Basie for an entire album of Thad Jones’ music – but Thad’s voicings and ideas were “modern” enough to Basie’s ears that he never made the record, instead suggesting that Thad start his own band. The rest is history! Nevertheless, Big Dipper still maintains that swinging Basie mindset, and should be rehearsed that way. Its basic foundations are a relaxed but powerful rhythm section with a driving ride cymbal beat and crisp hi-hat, underpinning saxes and brass that are tight, and always on the back of the beat. The saxes and brass play their upbeats as late as possible, locking in with the tight ride cymbal skip beat. A great description of the Basie time concept comes from the legendary Basie alumnus Frank Wess, who once said, “That accent is not on the upbeat of four, it’s just before one!”
The first ten measures of every chorus are normal blues changes, with what at first sounds like a V-IV-I cadence in mm. 9-10 – but, instead of going to the I chord in m. 11, Thad continues down by whole-steps to a bIII7, then uses a gospel-like cycle-of-fifths progression to end each