The [35] Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. [74], Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984, at the age of 79.[1]. After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. When Basie took his orchestra to New York in 1937, they made the Woodside Hotel in Harlem their base (they often rehearsed in its basement). A longtime friend of jazz legend Count Basie is facing possible jail time for allegedly stealing $70,000 from the late bandleaders disabled daughter. written by Basie himself in 1937. Red Bank, New Jersey This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. [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. Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. [27] According to Basie, "we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. Their neighbors included Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson and Milt Hinton. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. [34], By then, Basie's sound was characterized by a "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. He soon started booking the band and shopping them to agents and record companies forging their big break. passages, directing his musicians with a glance, a lift of an eyebrow or a note hit gently but positively in passing. Today, Charlie Yardbird Parker is considered one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century. Count Basie was a bandleader and pianist who was at the forefront of American big band music in the mid-twentieth century. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Walter Page (bass), Earle Warren (alto sax), Buck Clayton and Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Morton and Dickie Wells (trombone). Two of Basie's earliest How old was Catherine Basie when she died? 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". During this period, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, with whom he would have a daughter. Even in Harlem, it puzzled the aware audiences at the Savoy Ballroom. 2022-06-30; wreck on 1942 crosby, tx today count basie daughter died Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's live Sinatra at the Sands which featured Sinatra with Count Basie and his orchestra at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. He was one of the greatest bandleaders of all-time, epitomizing the jazz of south-western America. Basie, Count. In May 2019, Basie was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Memphis, TN, presented by The Blues Foundation. Dropping out of junior high school, Basie learned to operate lights for vaudeville and to improvise piano accompaniment for silent films at the local movie theater in his hometown that would eventually become the Count Basie Theatre. 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. the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. The NY Post reported a few years ago that Woodward was facing possible jail for stealing $70,000 from Diane. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Who was Count Basies adopted son on Long Island? 'One More Once' A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Music of Count The Count Basie Orchestra had a slew of hits that helped to define the big-band sound of the 1930s and 40s. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count". William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. [54] They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records. Count Basie | The Concert Database [40] His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Honeysuckle Rose". in a 14th Street dance hall. Hammond introduced Helen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years. 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. Basie changed the jazz landscape and shaped mid-20th century popular music, duly earning the title King of Swing because he made the world want to dance. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. However, the man ended up betraying Basies trust, and he stole from Diane. A year later, Basie joinedBennie_Motens band, and played with them until Motens death in 1935. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. His second great band, from the 1950s onwards, relied more on arrangements, typically from Neil Hefti and Ernie Wilkin's. As a pianist Basie. It was released by Roulette Records, then later reissued by Capitol Records. 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. She was 67 years old. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world. 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. fast-paced tunes designed to excite the audience. Count Basie | YourDictionary Released: 1967 . We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Well, that was the last time I was ever introduced as Bill Basie. She was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors claimed she would never walk. 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. Count Basie and his Orchestra played at the tenth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also at Wrigley Field on June 20, 1954. 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. years ago when a number of musicians, including Mr. Basie, were scheduled to perform in a variety of combinations. in the death of the big-band era. When did Count Basie start playing the piano? Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Fletcher Henderson's band was playing at the Grand Terrace just before the Basie band arrived there. William James "Count" Basie learned how to play the piano at an early age under his mothers instructions. He began his professional career as an accompanist on the vaudeville circuit. vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singer Gonzelle White as well as Crippen. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz bands in history. [65], In 1958, the band made its first European tour. During his last years, he had difficulty walking and rode out on the stage so rode out on stage in a motorized wheelchair. The "book" of this early Basie band was based on blues and riffs developed on a blues structure. 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. "and those tiny tinkling things. The Black Music Association honored Mr. Basie in 1982 with a gala at Radio City Music Hall. there were a couple of well-known bandleaders named Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. While on one tour he became stranded in Kansas City, Missouri. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William JamesBasie August 21, 1904in Red Bank, New Jersey. Basie appointed Aaron Woodward, a Long Island Baptist pastor and accountant, to be Dianes guardian. She paid 25 cents a lesson for Count Basie's piano instruction. [5] Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singer Ella Fitzgerald. Count Basie, Jr. was a native of Kansas City, Missouri. Basie was a true innovator leading the band for almost 50 years and recording on over 480 albums. "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. "flagwavers," stylea solid rhythm backing the horn soloists, who were also They had one daughter. ", Basie at the piano, 1955, in a photographic portrait by, Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts. [77][78], Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. The band tried to stay together but failed. Well, the Roseland is still standing". As Metronome magazine proclaimed, "Basie's Brilliant Band Conquers Chick's"; the article described the evening: Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. [46], The publicity over the big band battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a boost and wider recognition. Finally, Willard Alexander, a booking agent, in an effort to get the band on 52d Street, then the jazz center of New York, made a deal with the Famous Door, a shoebox of a room, 25 feet wide and about She was 67 years old. 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 pianist, Count Basie played vaudeville before eventually forming his own big band and helping to define the era of swing with hits like One OClock Jump and Blue Skies. In 1958, Basie became the first African American male recipient of a Grammy Award. Swing-era bandleader noted for his theme songs One O'Clock Jump from 1937 and April in Paris from 1932. After Moten died in 1935, Basie took what was left of the band, expanded For a year he played piano accompaniment to silent moves and then joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in Tulsa, According to court papers, Diane is severely retarded and only marginally communicative, so Basie left two co-trustees he considered his close friends in charge of his estate and his daughter. onenighters, and the bebop revolution of the mid-1940s all played a role William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader and composer. Count Basie's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths Diane died peacefully on October 15 after suffering a heart attack a few days before. He finished junior high school[7] but spent much of his time at the Palace Theater in Red Bank, where doing occasional chores gained him free admission to performances. While he was in his late teens, he gravitated to Harlem, where he encountered Fats Waller. . The swing era band century. "I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. What happened to Count Basie daughter? - Sage-Advices count basie daughter died 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. The World of Count Basie. cushion. Credit: GettyImages/Global Images of Ukraine. We've received your submission. big city hotel ballrooms. 1981 interview cited in "The Lester Young Story" (Properbox 16), pp. 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. Friend 'stole' $70K from jazz legend's disabled daughter [5][6], The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. returned to his first lovethe big bandand it thrived. non-soloing brass and reeds). [85], By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance.". Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years. 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. He was 79 years old and lived in Freeport, the Bahamas. Soon after, Benny Goodman recorded their signature "One O'Clock Jump" with his band. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940, in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. His daughter, Diane Basie, now 71 and living in Florida. After Motens death in 1935, Basie started his band, the Count Basie Orchestra. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune. This group was eventually called the New Testament band.