"One O'Clock Jump" is a
jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...
; a
12-bar blues instrumental
An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
, written by
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
in 1937.
Background
The melody derived from band members' riffs—Basie rarely wrote down musical ideas, so
Eddie Durham and
Buster Smith helped him crystallize his ideas. The original 1937 recording of the tune by Basie and his band is noted for the saxophone work of
Herschel Evans and
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.
Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...
, trumpet by
Buck Clayton
Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record " Confessin' that I Love You" ...
,
Walter Page on bass, and Basie himself on piano.
The song is typical of Basie's early
riff
A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
style. The song was called One O'Clock Jump because the band practiced usually late at 1 AM.
The instrumentation is based on "
head arrangements" where each section makes up their part based on what the other sections are playing.
Individuals take turns improvising over the top of the entire sound. Basie recorded "One O'Clock Jump" several times after the original performance for Decca in June 1937. Notable live radio transcriptions of the song also exist, such as Basie's November 3, 1937 performance of the song at the Meadowbrook (Cedar Grove NJ). Later, Basie recorded the song for
Columbia in 1942 and 1950 and on a number of occasions in the fifties.
"One O'Clock Jump" became the theme song of the
Count Basie Orchestra
The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16- to 18-piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 19 ...
. They used it to close each of their concerts for the next half century. It was reportedly titled "Blue Ball" at first but a radio announcer feared that title was too risqué.
Accolades
In 1979, the song was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
. Later, it was listed in the
Songs of the Century
The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America's musical an ...
.
Other versions
*"Two O'Clock Jump" was a performance by
Harry James
Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...
and his big band in 1939, slightly based on "One O'Clock Jump" but using
triplets
A multiple birth is the culmination of a multiple pregnancy, wherein the mother gives birth to two or more babies. A term most applicable to vertebrate species, multiple births occur in most kinds of mammals, with varying frequencies. Such births ...
. Several versions of the original by Harry James and
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially.
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...
feature the "Two O'Clock Jump" ending.
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...
used the song as his theme song for a while as well. Basie later released "
Jumpin' at the Woodside" in a similar style.
*A popular
jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...
for virtually all top swing bands and their fans and jitterbuggers, it was part of the concert bill for Benny Goodman's famous
1938 concert at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
. It was also the last number ever recorded by
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
, in 1981 after a 58-year recording career.
*
Al Hirt
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...
released a version on his 1961 album ''
He's the King and His Band''.
Al Hirt, ''He's the King and His Band''
Retrieved April 6, 2013.
* Rush drummer Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...
included "One O'Clock Jump" in his drum solos on the band's concert tours in 2002 and 2004.
Appearance in film and television
*'' The Tuskegee Airmen''
*'' The Grass Harp'' (1995 film version)
*'' Harlem Nights''
*'' Enigma''
*'' The English Patient''
*'' Reveille with Beverly''
*'' Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)''
*'' The Gong Show''
Web sources
See also
* List of 1930s jazz standards
{{DEFAULTSORT:One O'Clock Jump
1937 songs
1930s jazz standards
Count Basie
Benny Goodman songs
Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
Jazz compositions
Swing jazz standards
Jazz compositions in F major
Jazz compositions in D-flat major
United States National Recording Registry recordings