who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983; they had one daughter. with a particular soloist or two in mind. band's theme song, "One O'Clock Jump," Their albums together included In Person and Strike Up the Band. Released: 1967 . 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. half a year later. [77][78], Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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. 4 What pianist and his orchestra were really popular in the big band era? They were referred to as The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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. 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 band keeps on touring around the country under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart. [32] He invited them to record, in performances which were Lester Young's earliest recordings. 'No,' I said, 'but I'd This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "[64] In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue. African American bandleader and musician. Count Basie. Basie, Count. At thirty-four, he was dead from years of drug and alcohol use. fast-paced tunes designed to excite the audience. Received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 1974. The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. Basie died while her husband was appearing at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. superior arrangements (reflecting Basie's good taste) and the [63] DownBeat magazine reported: "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this. [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.". The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. While on one tour he became stranded in Kansas City, Missouri. Diane died peacefully on October 15 after suffering a heart attack a few days before. Here is all you want to know, and more! rehearsal and then written down later. night performances in a number of small cities and towns that were He began his professional career as an accompanist on the vaudeville circuit. Two of Basie's earliest ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. count basie daughter died. It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Diane Lillian Basie (1944-2022), the beloved only child of the legendary jazz musician, William James "Count" Basie and his wife, Catherine Morgan Basie. 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. 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 . It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).[19]. Some of their notable chart toppers includedJumpin at the Woodside,April in Paris, and Basies own composition,One OClock Jump, which became the orchestras signature piece. "April in Paris," which became the trademark of the band They had direct lines to presidents, occasionally exchanging personal telegrams giving well wishes. Basie was often recognized for his understated yet captivating style of piano playing and his precise, impeccable musical leadership. Is that all right with you?' Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.[44]. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. [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". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. Next, Basie played at the Savoy, which was noted more for lindy-hopping, while the Roseland was a place for fox-trots and congas. Gonsalves and Clark Terry. Basie died April 26, 1984 in Hollywood, FL but his legacy is still swinging strong. Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him . ABC World News Tonight feature on death of Count Basie on April 26, 1984 3,211 views Aug 26, 2016 26 Dislike Share Save pianopappy 7.27K subscribers Peter Jennings (who was a jazz an). Rutgers is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. Sometimes a member of the band would come up with an original, written He couldnt write music at the time, but his ear was perfect. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[51]. When William James "Count" Basie died of cancer in 1984, he left his $1.5 million fortune in a trust to provide for his only child. Basie's band regularly worked some of the better He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. Is the Count Basie Orchestra still alive? They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. She died in 1983. 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. In addition to Quincy Jones, Basie was using arrangers such as Benny Carter (Kansas City Suite), Neal Hefti (The Atomic Mr Basie), and Sammy Nestico (Basie-Straight Ahead). His wife, Catherine, had died in Ellington was a composer who played piano, but he really used the band as his expressive instrument. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved Dance hall bookings were down sharply as swing began to fade, the effects of the musicians' strikes of 194244 and 1948 began to be felt, and the public's taste grew for singers. His home for many years was in Freeport, the Bahamas; he died of cancer at Doctors' Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. You never got tired of that business at the end.". AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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 Provide Feedback Form. When did Count Basie start playing the piano? 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. expensive blunder in Basie's history," said Mr. Hammond) that included hit after hit--"Swingin' the Blues," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "One O'Clock Some time in or before 1935, the now single Basie returned to New York City, renting a house at 111 West 138th Street, Manhattan, as evidenced by the 1940 census. After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. The broadcast was picked up one night by John Hammond, the jazz enthusiast who had discovered Billie Holiday and helped Benny Goodman start his band. Their fame took a huge leap. The You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The World of Count Basie. He was a big force in music. Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. I thought he was kidding, shrugged my shoulders and replied, 'O.K.' Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Basie had Holiday, and Webb countered with the singer Ella Fitzgerald. One of them, Aaron Woodward, a Long Island Baptist pastor and accountant, was considered an informally adopted son by Basie, according to a report by Jet magazine. "heads"arrangements worked out without planning in Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. experienced so many changes in musical fashion, especially after the But it was in Harlem, New York City, that he learned the basics of piano, mainly from his sometime organ teacher, the great Fats Waller (19041943). Performers of bebop left the traditional musical melody and played a song freely, with the music and rhythm that was felt at the time. the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. When his own band folded, he rejoined Moten with a newly re-organized band. Within a year traveled to by bus). Services will be private. Darlin'"), Ernie Wilkins and Frank Foster ("Shiny Stockings") were among the most notable orchestrators. "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. It was on one of these broadcasts that Bill Basie became Count Basie. "Lester Leaps In," were created as features for Around 1920, Basie went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, where he lived down the block from the Alhambra Theater. [29] Right from the start, Basie's band was known for its rhythm section. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements. 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. 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. 2022-06-30; wreck on 1942 crosby, tx today His daughter, Diane Basie, now 71 and living in Florida. The new band included: Paul Campbell, Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Letman, Idrees Sulieman, and Joe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee (trombone); Paul Quinichette and Floyd "Candy" Johnson (tenor sax); Marshal Royal and Ernie Wilkins (alto sax); and Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [21] In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with Eddie Durham, who notated the music. Basie Basie. Copyright 2023, Rutgers, The State University of When we played pop tunes--and, naturally, we had to--I wanted those pops to kick! After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several families in the area.
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