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. When the Page band broke up in 1929, Mr. Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a [18] A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. He became an accompanist to the blues singers Clara Smith and Maggie Jones and he worked He was already playing jazz piano at parties, clubs and other venues. of the band. The band broadcast from the Reno Club on an experimental radio station. Hammond introduced Helen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years. 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". Died: April 26, 1984 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. Their "Moten Swing", which Basie claimed credit for,[23] was an invaluable contribution to the development of swing music, and at one performance at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia in December 1932, the theatre opened its door to allow anybody in who wanted to hear the band perform. dealing with the egos of his musicians. the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. 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. "heads"arrangements worked out without planning in [12][13] His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. After working briefly as house organist in a Mr. Alexander agreed to lend the club $2,500 to install an air-conditioner if it would book Ella Fitzgerald made some memorable recordings with Basie, including the 1963 album Ella and Basie!. Another boost was provided in the late 1950s by the recording of era he also shared the less appealing one-nighters (a series of single 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. During his last years, he had difficulty walking and rode out on the stage Provide Feedback Form. 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 credited Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. For the next two years he led small bands between six and nine pieces. When You Breathe In Your Diaphragm Does What. 4 What pianist and his orchestra were really popular in the big band era? 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.". [35] Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. The sound was almost frightening. half a year later. He began his professional career as an accompanist on the vaudeville circuit. His father, Harvey Lee Basie, was a coachman and a groundskeeper, and his mother, Lillian Childs Basie, was a laundress. "April in Paris," which became the trademark of the band saxophonist Lester Young. Credit: GettyImages/Global Images of Ukraine. He had an incredible ear, and could repeat any tune he heard. He rose to fame after taking over Bennie Moten's band in 1935. When did Count Basie start playing the piano? Basie made a few more movie appearances, such as in the Jerry Lewis film Cinderfella (1960) and the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles (1974), playing a revised arrangement of "April in Paris". fame. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. rehearsal and then written down later. In 2012, Manhattan Surrogates Court Justice Kristin Booth Glen removed Woodward from his position as Diane guardian after he failed to explain the missing money from Dianes account. He went out on tour with on the vaudeville and TOBA circuits again until his performance group disbanded in the mid-1920s, leaving him stuck in Kansas City. Then I sat beside him and he taught me.". band's theme song, "One O'Clock Jump," "Of course, I wanted to play real jazz. ", Basie at the piano, 1955, in a photographic portrait by, Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts. Is the Count Basie Orchestra still alive? He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz He also recorded with Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and Sarah Vaughan. parents, Harvey and Lillian (Childs) Basie, were both musicians. 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. Basie heard Bennie Motens band, and longed to play with them. Encyclopedia of Jazz. vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singer Gonzelle White as well as Crippen. 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. Mr. Basie's band, more than any other, was the Basie was often recognized for his understated yet captivating style of piano playing and his precise, impeccable musical leadership. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. The Black Music Association honored Mr. Basie in 1982 with a gala at Radio City Music Hall. They paced themselves to save their hottest numbers for later in the show, to give the audience a chance to warm up. During his orchestras peak years in the 1920s and 30s, he helped define the sound of big-band jazz, pioneering musical ideas which today are taken for granted. ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. 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. Sometimes the arrangement There were often no musical notations made. Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Joe Williams, Oscar Peterson and Quincy Jones were among the stars to pay tribute. At a theatre in Newark he was able to hear regular performances by the bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton and others. While Count Basie worked over 300 nights a year, Mrs. Basie was very active in charitable and civil rights organizations, and was recognized for her work by the major leaders of the day. The key Basie made his professional debut playing piano with vaudeville acts (traveling variety entertainment). mid-1960s, when jazz lost much of its audience to other forms of music. 132 West 138th Street. They had one daughter. onto every note, sitting behind him all the time. Who was Count Basies adopted son on Long Island? stylea solid rhythm backing the horn soloists, who were also 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. When that band broke up in 1929, he Bennie Moten's band Single Gay Man Adopts Girl with Down Syndrome after She Was Rejected by 20 Families, Billy Joel Is Happily Married to 4th Wife Who Is 33 Years His Junior & the Mom of His Youngest Kids, Rich Landlord Evicts Poor Old Lady from Rental Home, Goes to Family Dinner and Sees Her There Story of the Day, Man Mocked for Living with His Disabled Grandmother Finds Her Missing from Home One Day Story of the Day, Eddie Van Halen Was Married to Wife for 11 Years before His Death Meet Janie Who He Wed Wearing Flip-Flops, Diane Keaton Wanted More Commitment From Al Pacino Who Had No 'Intention of Marrying', Alicia Keys Grew up without a Dad after He Abandoned Her Meet the Singer's Mother Who Raised Her Alone, Mark Wahlberg Wants to Devote More Time to Parenting in Private & Asks Record $87.5M for His LA Mansion, Who Was Vangelis? The Count Basie Orchestra had a slew of hits that helped to define the big-band sound of the 1930s and 40s. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.[44]. Individuals The songs were often designed to In 1937 Basie took his group, Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, to New York to record their first album with Decca Records under their new name, The Count Basie Orchestra. onenighters, and the bebop revolution of the mid-1940s all played a role [41], Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday, whom he invited to sing with the band. Died: April 26, 1984 Hollywood, Florida African American bandleader and musician Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a century. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? a few moments before. 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 [30], In that city in October 1936, the band had a recording session which the producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with". What pianist lead the most successful band in Kansas City? We've received your submission. The Count Meets the Duke, each providing four numbers from their play books. He was a big force in music. Basie studied music with his mother and was later influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, receiving informal tutelage on the organ from the latter. night performances in a number of small cities and towns that were since many of Mr. Basie's musicians were blowing patched-up horns and saxophones held together by rubber bands). He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F." It became his signature tune. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. bands in history. William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. or complete the Report Accessibility Barrier or Ellington's (18991974), the most famous African American Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. "and those tiny tinkling things. 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. E-Commerce Site for Mobius GPO Members count basie daughter died. [62] Soon, his band was touring and recording again. Shortly after he got there, he got a gig replacing Fats Waller with a touring vaudeville act. Both of Basies parents were hard workers. Mr. Basie's wife, Catherine, died in April 1983. [24] During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. band's achievements was its fifty-year survival in a culture that [28], At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom. Basie favored blues, and he would showcase some of the most notable blues singers of the era after he went to New York: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. [38] Compared to the reigning band of Fletcher Henderson, Basie's band lacked polish and presentation. In 2009, Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in, "Blues in Hoss' Flat," composed by Basie band member, Since 1963 "The Kid From Red Bank" has been the theme and. with Rutgers web sites to accessibility@rutgers.edu or complete the Report Accessibility Barrier or [54] They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records. 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 Basie Birthday and Date of Death. 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). The award was received by Aaron Woodward. 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. 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 . Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. superior arrangements (reflecting Basie's good taste) and the After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump". But the obvious talents of another young Red Bank drummer, Sonny Greer, Basie, Count. 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. Red Bank, New Jersey in Kansas City, Missouri. When we played pop tunes--and, naturally, we had to--I wanted those pops to kick! 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. Around 1924 Basie moved toHarlem, a hotbed for jazz, where his career started to quickly take off. Darlin'"), Ernie Wilkins and Frank Foster ("Shiny Stockings") were among the most notable orchestrators. 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 silent movie theater, he joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in It was during this time that he was given the nickname [1] As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie "the Lion" Smith helped Basie out during the lean times by arranging gigs at "house-rent parties", introducing him to other leading musicians, and teaching him some piano technique. 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. 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 By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. You never got tired of that business at the end.". Mr. Basie was born in Red Bank, N.J., on Aug. 21, 1904, an only child who was christened William. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[51]. Many of the band's arrangements were "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In 1981, Mr. Basie was honored along with Cary Grant, Helen Hayes and other stars as a "[64] In 1957, Basie sued the jazz venue Ball and Chain in Miami over outstanding fees, causing the closure of the venue. They were referred to as on the stand. A longtime friend of jazz legend Count Basie is facing possible jail time for allegedly stealing $70,000 from the late bandleaders disabled daughter. In 2021s Elvis, a Count Basie poster is seen about 20 minutes into the movie. [52] His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him . All We Know about the Award-Winning Composer, His Life, and Legacy, Rich Old Man Left More than $10M Estate to 11 Heirs One Keeps Portion Worth Millions for Herself, Who Is Lionel Richie Married To? In 1957, Basie the live album Count Basie at Newport. Count Basie was a bandleader and pianist who was at the forefront of American big band music in the mid-twentieth century. the Basie band. recordings, the 1943 musicians' strike, the strain of The Barons of Rhythm were regulars at the Reno Club and often performed for a live radio broadcast. [43] Durham returned to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part, the orchestra worked out its numbers in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings. New Jersey, Report Accessibility Barrier or By then, Basie was playing with pick-up groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson's "Kings of Syncopation". Your email address will not be published. with trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his own death in 1986. showcase the band's brilliant soloists. During a broadcast the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some style, so he called him "Count". African American bandleader and musician. [47], A few months later, Holiday left for Artie Shaw's band. She was 67 years old. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies. 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 bite with real guts. The band survived Basie's death, with ex-Basie-ite trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his death in 1986. encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any accessibility issues fast-paced tunes designed to excite the audience.