Count Basie Center for the Arts

The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey's premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas.

The Basie aims to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the region's diversity. As a nonprofit organization, Basie is committed to enriching the community's quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations, and driving regional economic prosperity.

It originally opened in 1926 as Reade's Carlton Theater, the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank has become one of the nation's most celebrated performing arts centers. The Basie Center's 1,568-seat historic theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America, consistently recognized by Pollstar magazine as one of the nation's top-performing live event venues, and everyone from Tony Bennett and Bruce Springsteen, to Ringo Starr and William J. "Count" Basie himself have performed on its historic stage.