Since 1935, the Count Basie Orchestra has been performing at major jazz festivals, and for its 80th anniversary the group will be playing at Eastern’s 56th annual jazz festival.

The festival will include both a performance from the Count Basie Orchestra and the EIU Jazz Ensemble.

Both groups will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Dvorak Concert Hall of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Pianist William James “Count” Basie started the orchestra in Kansas City, Missouri, and within a year the group was played on popular radio throughout the county, according to a press release.

Musicians such as Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Frank Foster, Thad Jones, Snooky Young and Joe Williams became international stars after working with the orchestra, according to the release.

The concert will feature the EIU Jazz Ensemble performing modern and old musical favorites.

The EIU Jazz Ensemble will perform Saturday afternoon as well under the direction of Sam Fagaly, the director of jazz studies at Eastern, and the performance will include solos from members of the Count Basie Orchestra.

This tradition has been around for more than 50 years to bring music and clinics to students.

Dan Crews, the director of patron services for Doudna, said around 20 to 30 groups of high school and junior high school students will come to see the performance on Saturday.

“They bring students here for a intensive day on Saturday, just like friendly competition among the students and schools,” Crews said. “Each of the schools are critiqued and each of the players get to spend time with some professionals jazz educators and players and who are come in from all around the Midwest.”

Members from the Count Basie Orchestra, jazz professionals and Eastern faculty will give the students lessons and tools to improve their musical skills, he said.

Willie Morris, a freshman music major and saxophonist, said some of the pieces that will be featured are Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks’ Works” and Bob Mintzer’s “Mosaic.”

David Perez, a senior music major and saxophonist, said the festival is a good time for jazz faculty to talk to perspective students.

Lulia Lonescu, a sophomore saxophonist and music major, said she has never seen the Count Basie Band, but she thinks the group is fantastic and aspires to play like them.

Tickets for the event are $20 for the general audience and $10 for students and can be purchased online or at Doudna’s box office.

Lynette Jackson can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].