In 1950, financial restraints forced Basie to disband the orchestra. While on one tour he became stranded in Kansas City, Missouri. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? [4] Both of his parents had some type of musical background. William James " Count " Basie ( / besi /; August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984) [1] was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Despite being born with cerebral palsy, Diane surpassed expectations due to the excellent love and support she received from her parents, family, friends, and caretakers and her indomitable spirit. [70], During the balance of the 1960s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises. Count Basie, byname of William Basie, (born August 21, 1904, Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.died April 26, 1984, Hollywood, Florida), American jazz musician noted for his spare, economical piano style and for his leadership of influential and widely heralded big bands. [2][3] His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974. 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. ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. It was a loose and swinging band, built around distinctively individualistic solos by Lester It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).[19]. Count Basie, the jazz pianist whose spare, economic keyboard style and supple rhythmic drive made his orchestra one of the most influential groups of the Big Band era, died of cancer yesterday morning "[64] In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue. epitome of swing, of jazz that moved with a built-in flowing intensity. stylea solid rhythm backing the horn soloists, who were also She was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. Undismayed by Chick's forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick's brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. By then a series of records by the Basie band had begun appearing (under a contract with Decca Records by which Mr. Basie was paid a total of $750 for 24 sides with no royalties--"probably the most After Moten died in 1935, Basie took what was left of the band, expanded Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. The family had a piano, and Basies mother paid 25 a lesson for his piano lessons at an early age. Basie gave up her career to care for their daughter, who was mentally retarded, and their two adopted sons. Basie now called Kansas City home. skilled performers (reflecting Basie's sound management) gave the Basie. Provide Feedback Form. accessibility issues with Rutgers web sites to accessibility@rutgers.edu Died: April 26, 1984 He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies. The pianist in the combo gave up his seat to Mr. Basie who sat down, tinkled a few At a theatre in Newark he was able to hear regular performances by the bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton and others. Ellington's (18991974), the most famous African American onenighters, and the bebop revolution of the mid-1940s all played a role "and those tiny tinkling things. night performances in a number of small cities and towns that were [31] Hammond first heard Basie's band on the radio and went to Kansas City to check them out. time!". Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Rhythm," "Dinah," or "Lady, Be Good." Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. In the early 1970s, the Basies moved to the warmer climate of Freeport, Bahamas. Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He constantly parried Chick's thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary. with disabilities are encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any This stemmed primarily from the presence in the rhythm section, from 1937 to the present, of both Mr. Basie on piano and Freddie Green on guitar. Page, Mr. Basie and Mr. Rushing all joined Bennie Moten's orchestra, the leading big band in the Southwest, which became even stronger with their presence. A year later, Basie joinedBennie_Motens band, and played with them until Motens death in 1935. He said that Norman Granz got them into the Birdland club and promoted the new band through recordings on the Mercury, Clef, and Verve labels. Basie reorganized the Orchestra in 1952 and this new band was in high demand and toured extensively around the world. who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. Mr. Hammond spread the word about the Basie band, [35] Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. Basie, Count. I said the minute the brass got out of hand and blared and screeched instead of making every note mean something, there'd be some changes made. His home for many years was in Freeport, the Bahamas; he died of cancer at Doctors' Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. He was the arbiter of the big-band swing sound and his unique style of fusing blues and jazz established swing as a predominant music style. New York: Chelsea House, 1992. groups' recordings were of the highest quality, but in 1951 Basie They have one child. the personnel, and formed the first Count Basie Orchestra. He is credited for creating the use of the two split tenor saxophone, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and beautifully layering masterful vocalists. He was the leader of the group for almost 50 years and many musicians like saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, and trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, came to prominence under his direction. When Basie died of pancreatic cancer in 1984 at the age of 79, he left his $1.5 million fortune in a trust to provide for Diane. [61] Basie also added flute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied. Despite the presence of Lester Young and Herschel Evans in the saxophone section, Buck Clayton in the trumpet section, Jo Jones on drums, with Jimmy Rushing and, briefly, Billie Holiday as vocalists, She even toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s, and Fitzgerald and Basie also met on the 1979 albums A Classy Pair, Digital III at Montreux, and A Perfect Match, the last two also recorded live at Montreux. The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. Basie died while her husband was appearing at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Some argue Basie made some of his best work during the 1960s and 70sShiny Stocking, Lil Darlin, Corner Pocket,and even a hit single,Everyday I Have the Blues, with Joe Williams. He started out to be a drummer. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album. Rutgers is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. was a member of the Basie band in the 1940's. Jazz at Santa . [37] Soon, they were booked at the Roseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved band in 1950, juggling combinations of all-star musicians. dealing with the egos of his musicians. Gonsalves and Clark Terry. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. Before he was 20 years old, he toured extensively on the Keith and TOBA vaudeville circuits as a solo pianist, accompanist, and music director for blues singers, dancers, and comedians. [20] Where the Blue Devils were "snappier" and more "bluesy", the Moten band was more refined and respected, playing in the "Kansas City stomp" style. When he came back to Harlem, Fats Waller showed him how to play the organ, and Willie the Lion Smith took him under his wing. His wife, Catherine, had died in These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. [41], Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday, whom he invited to sing with the band. In 1959, Basie's band recorded a "greatest hits" double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger), and Basie/Eckstine Incorporated, an album featuring Billy Eckstine, Quincy Jones (as arranger) and the Count Basie Orchestra. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.[44]. Jazz was especially appreciated in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950s; these countries were the stomping grounds for many expatriate American jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. He called Basie "Holy Man", "Holy Main", and just plain "Holy".[36]. New Jersey, Report Accessibility Barrier or Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies (featuring singer Katie Crippen) as part of the Hippity Hop show; on the Keith, the Columbia Burlesque, and the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) Later that year, Basie appeared on a television special with Fred Astaire, featuring a dance solo to "Sweet Georgia Brown", followed in January 1961 by Basie performing at one of the five John F. Kennedy Inaugural Balls. His piano style, which often seemed bare and simple, was an exquisitely realized condensation of the florid "stride" style of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson with whom Mr. Basie started. Sometimes a member of the band would come up with an original, written The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. Among his band's best-known numbers were "One O'Clock Jump," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Li'l Darlin'" and "April in Paris.". was the reworking of a standard tune"I Got [89] The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983.

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