Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Won't You Be My Baby

Bennie Moten (1894-1935) was born in Kansas City. In 1922 he formed the Beenie, Bailey & Dude Trio. Subsequently, he led the Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the itinerant, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 20s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would define many of the 1930s big bands. They next recorded in 1926 for Victor Records in New Jersey, and were influenced by the more sophisticated style of Fletcher Henderson. By 1928 Moten's piano was showing some boogie woogie influences, but the real revolution came in 1929 when he recruited Count Basie, Walter Page and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page. Walter Page's walking bass lines gave the music an entirely new feel compared to the 2/4 tuba of his predecessor Vernon Page, colored by Basie's understated, syncopated piano fills. When Moten died in 1935 from an erroneously performed tonsillectomy, Basie took over the band. This brilliant interpretation however, was recorded in 1930. Vocal by James Rushing.