Page, a bassist--Jimmy Rushing, the blues signer, both of whom would be key members of Mr. Basie's band. years ago when a number of musicians, including Mr. Basie, were scheduled to perform in a variety of combinations. His And while that’s where Basie and his band rose to national fame, the jazz great’s origins can be traced to a house located just blocks away from the historic theater that today … era he also shared the less appealing one-nighters (a series of single Basie decided to form a medium-sized 'Dire straits': The impact of COVID-19 on the Count Basie Center for the Arts COVID-19 forced the Basie to cancel or postpone nearly 100 performances, resulting in a … Mr. Basie was born in Red Bank, N.J., on Aug. 21, 1904, an only child who was christened William. (1935–45) was unquestionably Basie's greatest. 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. Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.". Buying a ticket or being a guest at a Pop-Up Stage show is an agreement to comply with all social distancing and mask guidelines set forth by local and state governments. (Lockjaw) Davis, Frank Wess, Jimmy Forrest and the blues singer Joe Williams. He is survived by a daughter, Diane Basie of Freeport. 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 "I had dropped into the old Lincoln Theater in Harlem," Mr. Basie once recalled, "and I heard a young fellow beating it out on an organ. With Mr. Basie's 13 men in full cry at one end of this elongated closet, the sound ricocheting off the walls and rocketing down from the low ceiling, no listener could escape the exhilarating power There was a memorable concert at Town Hall several in the death of the big-band era. "and those tiny tinkling things. The wicked Twitterati had him in the grave earlier today.But on Monday night, Jon Bon Jovi disproved rumors of his death at the Hope Concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. in Kansas City, Missouri. A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. Mr. Hammond spread the word about the Basie band, He started out to be a drummer. 1983. New York: Chelsea House, 1992. Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phifraternity. rehearsal and then written down later. Catherine Basie died of a heart attack on April 11, 1983. was a member of the Basie band in the 1940's. One day he asked me whether I played the organ. played drums in his school band and took some piano lessons from his, Basie made his professional debut playing piano with vaudeville acts The history of the Count Basie orchestra is generally divided into two broad periods—the Old Testament band, which lasted from 1935 to 1950, and the New Testament band, which lasted from 1952 until Basie's death in 1984. fame. One Great Band.Count Basie will always be remembered..Too bad he passed away.. When that band broke up in 1929, he Bennie Moten's band went to Kansas City to hear it and support it and brought it to the attention of booking agents. He died of cancer in “Count” Basie (1904-1984) The title of one of his band’s most famous tunes — “The Kid from Red Bank” – is an obvious tip-off, but many jazz historians assume that William J. While he was in his late teens, he gravitated to Harlem, where he encountered Fats Waller. Mr. Basie's band, more than any other, was the They were referred to as Okla., a band that included--in addition to Mr. The swing era band Hollywood, Florida There will be a viewing at Benta's Funeral Home, 630 St. Nicholas Avenue at 141st Street, on Sunday from 1 to 7 P.M. dealing with the egos of his musicians. And it was a seven-day week. Sometimes a member of the band would come up with an original, written Gonsalves and Clark Terry. Even in Harlem, it puzzled the aware audiences at the Savoy Ballroom. Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. a few moments before. for the next quarter of a century. The Black Music Association honored Mr. Basie in 1982 with a gala at Radio City Music Hall. 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 His group, Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms, was an outgrowth of Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City. "flagwavers," recipient of Washington's Kennedy Center honors for achievement in the performing arts. From the Grand Terrace, it moved on to New York and Roseland Ballroom (playing opposite Woody Herman's new, young band) where listeners complained that it was out of tune (not a surprising reaction "Lester Leaps In," were created as features for "I wanted my 13-piece band to work together just like those nine pieces," he explained. the Basie band. "April in Paris," which became the trademark of the band Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 1950s, the band survived long past the Big Band era itself and the death of Basie in 1984. Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a bands in history. New York: Random House, 1985. band in America. hired him. Count Basie Center for the Arts is dedicated to making your visit safe during these unprecedented times. Scale for the musicians at the Reno Club, where beer was a nickel and whisky was 15 cents, was $15 a week for playing from 8 P.M. to 4 A.M., except Saturdays when it was 8 P.M. until 8 A.M. Mr. Alexander agreed to lend the club $2,500 to install an air-conditioner if it would book "He commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that returned to his first love—the big band—and it thrived. many other famous artists, including Duke Ellington (1899–1974), The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra with special guest Joey DeFrancesco at New Trier's 36th Annual Jazz Festival In doing so, we are operating in accordance with all local and state executive orders. In 1976 Basie suffered a heart attack, but he returned to the bandstand Basie suffered from health issues in his later years, and died from cancer in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. showcase the band's brilliant soloists. I sat on the floor watching his feet and using my hands to imitate him. was the reworking of a standard tune—"I Got The sound was almost frightening. since many of Mr. Basie's musicians were blowing patched-up horns and saxophones held together by rubber bands). As a result, the band got a date at the Grand Terrace in Chicago. half a year later. He said all you have to do is tap your foot. Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. When we played pop tunes--and, naturally, we had to--I wanted those pops to kick! who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. 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 on the stand. The "book" of this early Basie band was based on blues and riffs developed on a blues structure. Then he joined a touring show headed by one Gonzel White, playing piano in a four-piece band. But I wanted that bite to be just as tasty and subtle as if it were the three brass I used to use. Many of the band's arrangements were Then I sat beside him and he taught me.". recordings, the 1943 musicians' strike, the strain of 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. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Count Basie (21 Aug 1904–26 Apr 1984), Find a Grave Memorial no. written by Basie himself in 1937. 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. Red Bank, New Jersey The Gonzel White show was stranded in Kansas City, Mo., a fateful location for Mr. Basie. Basie Perhaps the most startling of the The pianist in the combo gave up his seat to Mr. Basie who sat down, tinkled a few Remains: Buried, Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY. In fact, the only reason I enlarged the brass was to get a richer harmonic The "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. I saw Count Basie himself perform in Melbourne Australia not long before he died, perhaps by a couple of years, can you please help me with a date of this tour, thanks. 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. saxophonist Lester Young. Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. By 1937 Basie's band was, with the possible exception of Duke With many of the other big bands of the swing Count Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. “Count” Basie, Jr. was a native of Kansas City, Missouri. It was on one of these broadcasts that Bill Basie became Count Basie. In 1935, Basie formed his own jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. 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. "Can you imagine a man who kind of romps around the piano," Mr. Shearing said, When the band left for Chicago it had only 12 written arrangements in its book. Their only child, Diane, was born Feb… the personnel, and formed the first Count Basie Orchestra. with trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his own death in 1986. Fletcher Henderson's band was playing at the Grand Terrace just before the Basie band arrived there. Even after the bop era of jazz had overwhelmed swing, Basie had success with smaller bands, … Basie's band regularly worked some of the better onenighters, and the bebop revolution of the mid-1940s all played a role The band flopped at a Pittsburgh hotel that had never booked a jazz band before. in a 14th Street dance hall. Count Basie, 79, Band Leader And Master of Swing, Dead. give my right arm to learn. Died: April 26, 1984. A stocky, handsome man with heavy-lidded eyes and a sly smile, Basie was 50 feet long, which was having trouble doing business in the summer because it had no air-conditioning. Among his band's best-known numbers were "One O'Clock Jump," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Li'l Darlin'" and "April in Paris.". on a motorized wheelchair which he sometimes drove with joyful abandon. parents, Harvey and Lillian (Childs) Basie, were both musicians. time!". band's achievements was its fifty-year survival in a culture that band in 1950, juggling combinations of all-star musicians. Sometimes the arrangement the arrangements that enabled his band to break through a year earlier, lent Mr. Basie some of his arrangements. Well, that was the last time I was ever introduced as Bill Basie. cushion. epitome of swing, of jazz that moved with a built-in flowing intensity. positions (eventually CEO) with Count Basie Enterprises, Inc., the administrative operation behind The Count Basie Orchestra. Count Basie died on April 26, 1984, at age 79 of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida. NOTE - For "Count Basie And His Orchestra" and "Count Basie Orchestra", please use Count Basie Orchestra Count Basie (born August 21, 1904, Red Bank, New Jersey, USA - died April 26, 1984, Hollywood, Florida, USA) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and … It was a loose and swinging band, built around distinctively individualistic solos by Lester Died: April 26, 1984 Born: 21-Aug - 1904. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. "Count.". of the band. "He was the only leader in the business who ever went out of his way to help me," Mr. Basie said later. The band survived Basie's death, a shrewd judge of talent and character, and he was extremely patient in Unostentatious as Mr. Basie appeared, his presence was a vital factor in directing his band or any group of musicians with whom he might be playing. AKA William Allen Basie. This second-generation big band differed from the early one in that it depended on arrangers for its basic style, a smooth, rolling, highly polished swing style for which Neal Hefti ("Li'l To help it through the Grand Terrace engagement, Fletcher Henderson, who had provided Benny Goodman with He led the group for almost 50 years He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a century. His wife, Catherine, had died in structure. Though the Orchestra filed a bankruptcy petition in 1987, listing the Internal Revenue Service as its major creditor in the amount of $330,000, it continued to … Within a year In 1935, Basie formed his own jazz orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. 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. 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 Mr. Basie's wife, Catherine, died in April 1983. Eight years after Count Basie's death, Capitol Records released this handy 20-song collection of his most notable tracks from the years 1957-1962 that he spent on Roulette Records. During the 1940's, many of the great jazz musicians of the decade passed through the band, among them Illinois Jacquet, Don Byas, Wardell Gray, Paul Quinichette, Lucky Thompson, J. J. Johnson, Paul Count Basie Birthday and Date of Death Count Basie was born on August 21, 1904 and died on April 26, 1984. Basie, Count. experienced so many changes in musical fashion, especially after the And that was the Basie sound. superior arrangements (reflecting Basie's good taste) and the so rode out on stage in a motorized wheelchair. the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. OBITUARY. night performances in a number of small cities and towns that were For a year he played piano accompaniment to silent moves and then joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in Tulsa, Location of death: Hollywood, FL. During the 1940s and '50s, Basie and his orchestra were one of the most popular big bands in the U.S., with hits like "One O'Clock Jump" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside." introductory notes, looked up at the drummer, nodded at the rest of the group and, when the combo took off, the musicians were playing as brilliantly and cleanly as they had been disheveled only From then on, it was Count Basie.". African American bandleader and musician. 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 funeral service will be at noon on Monday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, SL: An enthusiastic radio announcer gave him the nickname that stuck—and Count Basie became a big name in swing. by JOHN S. WILSON. They have one child. He became an accompanist to the blues singers Clara Smith and Maggie Jones and he worked Two of Basie's earliest Ellington's (1899–1974), the most famous African American Although for many, the big band era died down in the early '50s, Basie had a rebirth. Count Basie never stopped swinging over a 55-year recording career until his death … 1928. Mr. Basie was, along with Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, one of the pre-eminent bandleaders of the Big Band era in the 1930's and 40's. His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him when he was young. Born: August 21, 1904. William Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 21, 1904. "Of course, I wanted to play real jazz. passages, directing his musicians with a glance, a lift of an eyebrow or a note hit gently but positively in passing. William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. His father was a student of the mellophone, and his mother was a pianist. I wanted those three trumpets and two trombones The key William J. Died: 26-Apr - 1984. Soloists were less prominent in this second edition of the Basie band although it included some of the major jazz musicians of the post-50's years, such as Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Al Grey, Eddie Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 1950s, the band survived long past the Big Band era itself and the death of Basie in 1984. Count Basie’s brand of swing was nice and easy – like cutting butter. Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie. Birthday: August 21, 1904 silent movie theater, he joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 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. style—a solid rhythm backing the horn soloists, who were also You never got tired of that business at the end.". From that time on, I was a daily customer, hanging New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1980. He eventually relocated the Cherry Blossoms to Chicago, then to New York City. While he recuperated his band continued to fulfill engagements, frequently with Nat Pierce taking Mr. Basie's place at the piano and sometimes with guest conductors such as the trumpeter Clark Terry, who non-soloing brass and reeds). groups' recordings were of the highest quality, but in 1951 Basie Young, Hershel Evans, Buddy Tate, Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson and, primarily, Mr. Basie himself. The songs were often designed to Even more important was the fact that the Famous Door had national and local radio wires. Read More on This Topic jazz: Count Basie’s band and the composer-arrangers at Doctors' Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. Is that all right with you?' Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Joe Williams, Oscar Peterson and Quincy Jones were among the stars to pay tribute. 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. "He certainly made a notch in musical history," said Benny Goodman, 75 years old, the jazz clarinetist and bandleader. He was 79 years old and lived in Freeport, the Bahamas. Mr. Basie, a short, stocky, taciturn but witty man who liked to wear a yachting cap offstage, presided over the band at the piano with apparent utmost casualness. 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. ", The jazz pianist George Shearing said that Mr. Basie's greatest trademark was the three sweet, soft notes that ended many of his great swing-era compositions. At a White House reception, President Reagan said that Mr. Basie was "among the handful of musicians that helped change the path of American music in the 30's and the 40's" and that he had "revolutionized jazz.". Mr. Basie's musicians had been playing "head" arrangements in Kansas City--treatments of the blues or pop tunes that were worked out Count Basie married twice first to Vivian Lee Winn and divorced around 1935. Darlin'"), Ernie Wilkins and Frank Foster ("Shiny Stockings") were among the most notable orchestrators. band's theme song, "One O'Clock Jump," The The band broadcast from the Reno Club on an experimental radio station. I thought he was kidding, shrugged my shoulders and replied, 'O.K.' After Moten died in 1935, Basie took what was left of the band, expanded During his last years, he had difficulty walking and rode out on the stage 1664, citing Pinelawn Memorial Park, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . He then married Catherine Morgan in July 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. He played piano with them, with one interruption, for the African American bandleader and musician. Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), While on one tour he became stranded Cause of death: Cancer - Pancreatic. there were a couple of well-known bandleaders named Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. He joined Walter Page’s Blue Devils in 1928 and a year later was lured away to the Bennie Moten Orchestra. This familiar pattern was evident in the With the exception of a brief period in the early '50s, he led a big band from 1935 until his death almost 50 years later, and the band continued to perform after he died. It was during this time that he was given the nickname expensive blunder in Basie's history," said Mr. Hammond) that included hit after hit--"Swingin' the Blues," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "One O'Clock William “Count” Basie . He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz "I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. Count Basie. factor in popularizing it was a series of repetitions of the final few bars when, as the orchestra seemingly came to the end of the piece, Mr. Basie held up a finger and called out, "One mo' He was a big force in music. He got used to seeing me, as though I were part of the show. and Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990). Through Mr. Waller, Mr. Basie got a job as an accompanist with a vaudeville act called Katie Crippen and Her Kids. "One night the announcer called me to the microphone for those usual few words of introduction," Mr. Basie once recalled. The Basie band played at President John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball, and in 1965 toured with Frank Sinatra. 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. To go on the road, Mr. Basie expanded his nine-piece band to 13 pieces. favorites, "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and In 1942, they moved to Queens. 132 West 138th Street. Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. "heads"—arrangements worked out without planning in The band will continue under the guidance of Aaron Woodward, an adopted son of Mr. Basie who has worked closely with the orchestra leader during the last year. When the Page band broke up in 1929, Mr. They were divorced sometime before 1935. Dance, Stanley. Basie’s band of the 1950s—along with Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton—kept the big band sound alive. Rhythm," "Dinah," or "Lady, Be Good." the band developed its own variation of the Kansas City swing Then he said, 'Bill, I think I'll call you Count Basie from now on. 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. It continues as a 'ghost band'. They had one daughter. Count Basie. Another boost was provided in the late 1950s by the recording of Count was 79 years old at the time of death. 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. April 11, 1983 reason I enlarged the brass was to get richer. Jersey, on April 26, 1984, at age 79 of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida per... Enthusiastic radio announcer gave him the nickname that stuck—and Count Basie died of a heart attack on 26! Years, and composer he encountered Fats Waller showcase the band survived Basie 's greatest get. 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