He began his professional career as an accompanist on the vaudeville circuit. 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. [54] They also continued to record for OKeh Records and Columbia Records. [9] When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians, where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. in Kansas City, Missouri. "I wanted my 13-piece band to work together just like those nine pieces," he explained. Dance, Stanley. He joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1928, and a year later, he started to play with Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City. On February 19, 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement at Southland in Boston, and they broadcast over the radio on February 20. The funeral service will be at noon on Monday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Basie hitched his star to some of the most famous vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, which helped keep the Big Band sound alive and added greatly to his recording catalog. The couple were true socialites - often gathering with friends including celebrities Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Basie protg Quincy Jones. [89] The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Basie also toured with Bennett, including a date at Carnegie Hall. 5 How old was Catherine Basie when she died? The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. Is the Count Basie Orchestra still alive? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. "One night the announcer called me to the microphone for those usual few words of introduction," Mr. Basie once recalled. 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. His father was a student of the mellophone, and his mother was a pianist. For the next two years he led small bands between six and nine pieces. Biography - A Short Wiki. [60] The jukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues artists. 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 reports of Woodard being sent to jail never surfaced, one thing is for sure, and that is that Diane is doing great under her new caretakers. band's achievements was its fifty-year survival in a culture that Diane died peacefully on October 15 after suffering a heart attack a few days before. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. However, the man ended up betraying Basies trust, and he stole from Diane. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983; they had one daughter. [35] Lester Young, known as "Prez" by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. 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). She was 67 years old. [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". 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. We've received your submission. 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. You never got tired of that business at the end.". [24] During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. During this period, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, with whom he would have a daughter. Sometimes the arrangement Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a Count Basie Birthday and Date of Death. The band flopped at a Pittsburgh hotel that had never booked a jazz band before. He was one of the greatest bandleaders of all-time, epitomizing the jazz of south-western America. 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. years ago when a number of musicians, including Mr. Basie, were scheduled to perform in a variety of combinations. When we played pop tunes--and, naturally, we had to--I wanted those pops to kick! He has had an unprecedented four recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame One OClock Jump(1979),April in Paris(1985),Everyday I Have the Blues(1992), andLester Leaps In(2005), along with a slew of other awards and honors not only for his music, but for his humanitarianism and philanthropy around the world. His second great band, from the 1950s onwards, relied more on arrangements, typically from Neil Hefti and Ernie Wilkin's. As a pianist Basie. The band keeps on touring around the country under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart. Eventually, Moten generously let Basie sit in on 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". Date of Death: April 26, 1984. a shrewd judge of talent and character, and he was extremely patient in many other famous artists, including Duke Ellington (18991974), In 1950, financial considerations forced Basie to disband the orchestra. 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". the arrangements that enabled his band to break through a year earlier, lent Mr. Basie some of his arrangements. 4 What pianist and his orchestra were really popular in the big band era? 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 1415. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several families in the area. pillsbury company net worth; does gotomeeting work in china; tanner mark boots website "Of course, I wanted to play real jazz. Discography of American Historical Recordings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Count_Basie&oldid=1137147837, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band, Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist (Instrumental), Best Performance by an Orchestra For Dancing. (Holiday did not record with Basie, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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[79] In his autobiography, he wrote, "I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter."[80]. At 16. to bite with real guts. 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. [39], The producer John Hammond continued to advise and encourage the band, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, and more standards. time!". Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. The NY Post reported a few years ago that Woodward was facing possible jail for stealing $70,000 from Diane. Basie added touches of bebop "so long as it made sense", and he required that "it all had to have feeling". His From then on, it was Count Basie.". 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 Their albums together included In Person and Strike Up 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. Throughout his tours, Basie met many jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong. 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? big city hotel ballrooms. On Moten's death in 1935, Basie and several other core band members formed their own ensemble, the Barons of Rhythm. And it was a seven-day week. The 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 [67] The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Judy Garland, Vera Lynn, and Mario Lanza. Credit: GettyImages/Global Images of Ukraine. Advertisement 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. [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.". fame. 50 feet long, which was having trouble doing business in the summer because it had no air-conditioning. [25] The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. In 1981, Mr. Basie was honored along with Cary Grant, Helen Hayes and other stars as a on a motorized wheelchair which he sometimes drove with joyful abandon. The new band billed itself as Count Basie and his Cherry Blossom Orchestra, marking the first time that Count was officially added to his name. 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. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. What disability did Count Basies daughter have? When that band broke up in 1929, he Bennie Moten's band Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. with trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his own death in 1986. 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. Where did Count Basie do most of his touring? Even in Harlem, it puzzled the aware audiences at the Savoy Ballroom. William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. I wanted those three trumpets and two trombones 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 By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. [52] The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. In 1950, financial restraints forced Basie to disband the orchestra. Who taught Count Basie how do you play the piano? The Gonzel White show was stranded in Kansas City, Mo., a fateful location for Mr. Basie. dealing with the egos of his musicians. 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. 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. He quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to the acts and the silent movies. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on "head" and more on written arrangements. Some argue Basie made some of his best work during the 1960s and 70sShiny Stocking, Lil Darlin, Corner Pocket,and even a hit single,Everyday I Have the Blues, with Joe Williams. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. 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. 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. When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. The songs were often designed to favorites, "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and band a permanent place in jazz history. Performers of bebop left the traditional musical melody and played a song freely, with the music and rhythm that was felt at the time. [50] In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. How did the bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington differ? 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. [77][78], Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. 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. The couple had an only daughter, Diane Basie, who's now a 74-year-old disabled woman. After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942.