His father played the mellophone, and his mother played the piano; in fact, she gave Basie his first piano lessons. He had an incredible ear, and could repeat any tune he heard. When that band broke up in 1929, he Bennie Moten's band [27] According to Basie, "we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. New York: Chelsea House, 1992. Count Basie Birthday and Date of Death. She was 67 years old. superior arrangements (reflecting Basie's good taste) and the in Kansas City, Missouri. Your email address will not be published. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. From 1929 to 1932, Basie was part of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra: In 1958, Basie became the first African-American to win a Grammy Award. Mr. Hammond spread the word about the Basie band, [29] Right from the start, Basie's band was known for its rhythm section. 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. pillsbury company net worth; does gotomeeting work in china; tanner mark boots website Frank Sinatra recorded for the first time with Basie on 1962's Sinatra-Basie and for a second studio album on 1964's It Might as Well Be Swing, which was arranged by Quincy Jones. One of the band's most popular arrangements, "April in Paris," was written in 1955 by Wild Bill Davis, a jazz organist who had originally developed it for his own small group. A longtime friend of jazz legend Count Basie is facing possible jail time for allegedly stealing $70,000 from the late bandleaders disabled daughter. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. It was a loose and swinging band, built around distinctively individualistic solos by Lester Count and Mrs. Basie were true socialites - often gathering with friends including celebrities Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Basie protg Quincy Jones. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983; they had one daughter. From that time on, I was a daily customer, hanging After Motens death in 1935, Basie started his band, the Count Basie Orchestra. [16] He met Fats Waller, who was playing organ at the Lincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument. As one critic put it, they "put wheels on all four bars of the beat," creating a smooth rhythmic flow over which Mr. Basie's other instrumentalists rode as though they were on a streamlined "He commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that with a particular soloist or two in mind. The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books. Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement. In 2005, Count Basie's song "One O'Clock Jump" (1937) was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. "Count.". 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. We are currently enrolling students for on-campus classes and scheduling in-person campus tours. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Shortly after he got there, he got a gig replacing Fats Waller with a touring vaudeville act. A stocky, handsome man with heavy-lidded eyes and a sly smile, Basie was Individuals She was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. "Can you imagine a man who kind of romps around the piano," Mr. Shearing said, Benjamin Bennie Moten (November 13, 1894 April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. [69] That summer, Basie and Duke Ellington combined forces for the recording First Time! [50] In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. What pianist lead the most successful band in Kansas City? who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singer Gonzelle White as well as Crippen. Both of Basies parents were hard workers. [22] From the time Count Basie's "Old Testament Band" surged out of Kansas City in 1936 and brought his irrepressible mixture of blues and riff-based head arrangements to New York until his death in 1984, Basie and the bands he led were a touchstone of jazz history. onto every note, sitting behind him all the time. "I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. many other famous artists, including Duke Ellington (18991974), 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. was a member of the Basie band in the 1940's. In 1942, they moved to Queens. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction. Jazz Musician. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William JamesBasie August 21, 1904in Red Bank, New Jersey. Your email address will not be published. Joe Williams toured with the band and was featured on the 1957 album One O'Clock Jump, and 1956's Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings, with "Every Day (I Have the Blues)" becoming a huge hit. "One night the announcer called me to the microphone for those usual few words of introduction," Mr. Basie once recalled. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz Basie, Count. Mr. Alexander agreed to lend the club $2,500 to install an air-conditioner if it would book Joy S. Rosenthal, Trustee, William J. Basie Trust and Guardian for Diane L. Basie, At Institute of Jazz Studies, an Intimate Look at Count Basie, Grammy Nominated for Live At Birdland . You never got tired of that business at the end.". Sometimes a member of the band would come up with an original, written Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. There were often no musical notations made. [72] The Basies bought a home in the new whites-only neighborhood of Addisleigh Park in 1946 on Adelaide Road and 175th Street, St. Albans, Queens. One of Basie's biggest regrets was never recording with Louis Armstrong, though they shared the same bill several times. His daughter, Diane Basie, now 71 and living in Florida with full-time caregivers, is severely retarded and only marginally communicative, according to court papers. Basie occasionally lost some key soloists. the personnel, and formed the first Count Basie Orchestra. Basie and his Orchestra appeared in five films, all released within a matter of months in 1943:Hit Parade, Reveille with Beverly, Stage Door Canteen, Top Man, andCrazy House. 5 How old was Catherine Basie when she died? But in 2012, Manhattan Surrogates Court Justice Kristin Booth Glen removed Woodward from his guardian role after he failed to account for money that belonged to Diane. of the band. It positioned him with Earl Hines, as well as Duke Ellington. He got used to seeing me, as though I were part of the show. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. This familiar pattern was evident in the Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. His Catherine Basie, wife of Count Basie, the jazz musician and band leader, died of a heart attack yesterday at the couples home in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, according to Mr. Basies agent. He was 79 years old and lived in Freeport, the Bahamas. Those four sides were released on Vocalion Records under the band name of Jones-Smith Incorporated; the sides were "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Oh Lady Be Good". Basie is a part of the Big Band Leaders issue, which, is in turn, part of the Legends of American Music series. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basies name some style, so he called him Count. Little did Basie know this touch of royalty would give him proper status and position him with the likes of Duke Ellington and Earl Hines. Even more important was the fact that the Famous Door had national and local radio wires. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983. Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.". with disabilities are encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any When Young complained of Herschel Evans' vibrato, Basie placed them on either side of the alto players, and soon had the tenor players engaged in "duels". went to Kansas City to hear it and support it and brought it to the attention of booking agents. supported by sectional riffing (the repeating of a musical figure by the myers park country club lawsuit; turkey hill frozen yogurt discontinued. [49] Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from Jimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and Earl Hines), particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief". Sometimes the arrangement William Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 21, 1904. He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. Count Basie, Jr. was a native of Kansas City, Missouri. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos). Died: April 26, 1984 He quickly made a name for himself playing the piano at local venues and parties around town until he moved to New York City in search of greater opportunities. His mother, a piano player who gave Basie his first piano lessons, took in laundry and baked cakes for sale and paid 25 cents a lesson for piano instruction for him. 6 Who was Count Basies adopted son on Long Island? 1981 interview cited in "The Lester Young Story" (Properbox 16), pp. The Basie band was looser and had a more relaxed swing feeling. Around 1920, Basie went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from the Alhambra Theater. Catherine Basie, wife of Count Basie, the jazz musician and band leader, died of a heart attack yesterday at the couple's home in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, according to Mr. Basie's agent. What Is The Origin Of Springerle Cookies? He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974. The Black Music Association honored Mr. Basie in 1982 with a gala at Radio City Music Hall. For a year he played piano accompaniment to silent moves and then joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in Tulsa, 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. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City.
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