T. Thomas Center To Host Virtual Concert In Honor Of Count Basie

RED BANK, NJ – The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center will be honoring one of Red Bank’s most famous residents on Friday.

The theater will be hosting a virtual event on Friday, Aug. 21 to celebrate the birthday of Count Basie, a jazz pianist and legendary orchestra leader.

The event, dubbed “Up For The Count”, will take place on Facebook Live from 7 to 9 p.m. Performances featuring the Vel Johnson Jazz Band will be broadcast live from the Cultural Center.

William “Count” Basie was born in Red Bank in 1904 and grew up in town. In fact, it was the annual carnival that came to Red Bank that inspired Basie to become a musical entertainer.

Although the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center’s initiative “2020: The Year of Basie” was cut short by COVID-19, the organization is “still moving forward with great enthusiasm” through the new event.

“The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center is prepared to tell his story and underscore this rich history that Red Bank takes pride in,” reads a statement on the theater’s website.

All proceeds generated from the event will benefit the center’s educational programs, including the new exhibit “A Love Letter to Count Basie: From the Great Migration to the Harlem Renaissance”. The exhibit is slated to open Sept. 25.

The celebration is sponsored by The Institute of Jazz Studies/Rutgers University-Newark and Red Bank Parks & Recreation.

More details can be found on the event Facebook page here.

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