| This article needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by adding reliable references.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer.Commonly regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years.Many notable musicians came to prominence under his direction, including tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison and singers Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams.Basie's theme songs were "One O'Clock Jump" and "April In Paris."He started out to be a drummer, but the obvious talents of another young Red Bank drummer, Sonny Greer (who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951), discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano.His touring took him to Kansas City, Missouri, where he met many jazz musicians in the area.He started his own band in 1934, but eventually returned to Moten's band.At the end of 1936, Bill Basie moved his band from Kansas City; they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom in Chicago.By the end of 1936 the Count Basie Orchestra began playing in New York City, where they remained until 1950.Basie's music was characterized by his trademark "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano.Basie also showcased some of the most notable blues singers of the era: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams.More importantly, Count Basie was a highly successful bandleader who was able to hold onto some of the most notable jazz musicians of the 1930s and early 1940s: Buck Clayton, Reunald Jones, Herschel Evans, Lester Young, and the band's rhythm section, including Walter Page, Freddie Green, and Jo Jones.He was also able to hire arrangers who knew how to accentuate the band's abilities, such as Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.Basie remained faithful to the Kansas City Jazz style and helped keep big bands alive with his distinctive style of piano playing.Joe Williams was featured on the 1957 album One O'Clock Jump, and 1956's Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings.Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr.In 1942 Basie moved to Queens, New York with Catherine Morgan after being married for a few years.Basie and for a second studio album on 1964's It Might as Well Be Swing, which was arranged by Quincy Jones.Jones also arranged and conducted 1966's live Sinatra at the Sands.Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour really.It went so well; it was so thrilling and exciting".Las Vegas and Strike Up the Band, a studio album.Basie was also known for his band's version's of "April in Paris" and "Lil' Darlin."In the early 1980s, Lewis revived the routine during the live broadcast of one of his Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons.Basie and his band made a cameo appearance in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles, playing his arrangement of "April in Paris (song)".Count Basie, considered one of the greatest jazz musicians in musical history, was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame October 21, 2007.The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey was named in his honor.Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie.Paladin Grafton Books, 79, 119.The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol.Postal Service Biography
Downbeat Magazine
BBC Profile of Count Basie
Basie biography at swingmusic.This page was last modified 20:57, 10 January 2008.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.See Copyrights for details.Top 10 Hits "Lady", "Come Sail Away", "Babe", "The Best of Times" and "Too Much Time On My Hands."Returning to the Basie for its 4th consecutive year, The Elvis Birthday Bash is always one of the most fun nights of the year!Come dressed as your favorite Elvis!Little Silver native Red Grammer, "The best voice in children's music."Please check your order carefully before finalizing your purchase as there are no refunds or exchanges.In Person:
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Count Basie Theatre Box Office, 99 Monmouth Street.The Box Office entrance is the first door to the right of the theatre's main entrance.Mastercard, VISA, American Express, or Discover card.To order by mail (with your check or credit card information), send the completed Ticket Order Form to Count Basie Theatre Box Office, 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701.If we receive your check without the phone number and drivers license number, we will be forced to return your check to you so you can add the information and send it back.All mail orders are filled on a first come, first serve basis with whatever is best available in the price range you've selected.Checks require a preprinted name and address and a valid driver's license.Tickets cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.Give the Gift of Entertainment
Count Basie Theatre gift certificates are available in any amount and have no expiration date.Gift certificates are valid for Count Basie Theatre presented events and make great gifts.Privacy Policy
Privacy Pledge: The Count Basie Theatre respects the privacy and confidentiality of its customers and donors.The Count Basie Theatre is a wheelchair accessible space.Programs and other publications can be provided on request in alternative formats such as Braille, audiotape or computer disc.Vaudeville Circuits, establishing himself as a player in the jazz game.Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra.Count Basie and the era in which he lived.STILL the GENUINE ARTICLE"
The Basie Orchestra is one of the most thriving big bands in history With 17 Grammy awards, our musicians have grown up with the Kansas City Swing style of Count Basie and add their own voice to the band.Our Orchestra celebrates the big band experience through the completely original and identifiable Count Basie repertoire.You can then say, " I came back to Basie.Copyright 2006, The Count Basie Orchestra.Sign in to get personalized recommendations.Use fewer keywords to find more results.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.Powered by Oxford University Press.Count Basie was a leading figure of the swing era in jazz and, alongside Duke Ellington, an outstanding representative of big band style.Johnson, Fats Waller (with whom he studied informally), another pianist of the Harlem stride school.This provided an early training that was to prove significant in his later career.Later that year, he joined Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, as did the other key members of the Blue Devils shortly after.The NPR 100: "One O'Clock Jump"
Tom Vitale has the story behind Count Basie's signature tune, a selection from National Public Radio's list of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th Century.The same year, with Buster Smith and several other former members of Moten's orchestra, Basie organized a new, smaller group of nine musicians, which included Jo Jones and later Lester Young, and as the Barons of Rhythm began a long engagement at the Reno Club in Kansas City.The contract expanded and within a year the Count Basie Orchestra, as it had become known, was one of the leading big bands of the swing era.As the
Countsmen, a number of his former sidemen have also reconvened occasionally for concerts and tours.Copying or other reproduction is prohibited.Related ItemsJazzoverview of American musical expressionmore...American jazz pianist and bandleader, a leading musician of the swing era (1930s and early 1940s).Basie led one of the foremost jazz big bands, which featured a number of outstanding soloists and arrangers and became an enduring musical institution.Born William Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey, he played drums as a child before taking up piano.In 1924 Basie moved to New York City.When a tour collapsed in 1927, stranding him in Kansas City, Missouri, Basie secured work there playing theater organ for silent movies.In 1929 Basie joined the Kansas City Orchestra of pianist Bennie Moten, the leading jazz band in the region at that time.In 1936 the band moved to New York City, and a year later began recording as Count Basie and His Orchestra.By 1939 the band was made up of 15 instrumentalists and 2 singers, Helen Humes and Jimmy Rushing.Get homework help now from Tutor.Autumn quizWhat's with all the whirling leaves?Get to the bottom of autumn.This time, written arrangements were the norm, and the band had a different sound and style than it had in the 1930s and 1940s.Basie band could swing at a very slow tempo.From 1954 to 1961 singer Joe Williams performed with the band.Basie continued to lead his band in the 1970s and 1980s, although he sometimes did so from a wheelchair in his later years.Basie and his orchestra won numerous Grammy Awards.In 1981 Basie won a Grammy Trustees Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).In 1983 the National Endowment for the Arts named Basie a recipient of an American Jazz Masters award.After his death, the band continued to tour, first under the leadership of Thad Jones, then from 1986 to 1995 under Foster.Editor, Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music. |
