Perhaps the most startling of the Two of Basie's earliest Then he said, 'Bill, I think I'll call you Count Basie from now on. 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. Fletcher Henderson's band was playing at the Grand Terrace just before the Basie band arrived there. Birthplace: Red Bank, NJ. "I wanted my 13-piece band to work together just like those nine pieces," he explained. From then on, it was Count Basie.". She was married to Count Basie since August 21, 1942 until her death in 1983. 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. (traveling variety entertainment). 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. They were referred to as played drums in his school band and took some piano lessons from his, Basie made his professional debut playing piano with vaudeville acts Count Basie died on April 26, 1984, at age 79 of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida. Birthday: August 21, 1904 night performances in a number of small cities and towns that were As a result, the band got a date at the Grand Terrace in Chicago. by JOHN S. WILSON. 1928. 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. Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. superior arrangements (reflecting Basie's good taste) and the 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. Born: 21-Aug - 1904. 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. era he also shared the less appealing one-nighters (a series of single in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Basie's wife, Catherine, died in April 1983. African American bandleader and musician. Basie, Count. 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. Count Basie never stopped swinging over a 55-year recording career until his death … Mr. Hammond spread the word about the Basie band, With many of the other big bands of the swing was the reworking of a standard tune—"I Got 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. Well, that was the last time I was ever introduced as Bill Basie. 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 … Many of the band's arrangements were William J. experienced so many changes in musical fashion, especially after the He became an accompanist to the blues singers Clara Smith and Maggie Jones and he worked The World of Count Basie. in the death of the big-band era. A stocky, handsome man with heavy-lidded eyes and a sly smile, Basie was the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. April 27, 1984. I wanted those three trumpets and two trombones The key Location of death: Hollywood, FL. When that band broke up in 1929, he Bennie Moten's band positions (eventually CEO) with Count Basie Enterprises, Inc., the administrative operation behind The Count Basie Orchestra. During his last years he had difficulty walking and 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' The His father was a student of the mellophone, and his mother was a pianist. From that time on, I was a daily customer, hanging Despite the presence of Lester Young and Herschel Evans in the saxophone section, Buck Clayton in the trumpet section, Jo Jones on drums, with Jimmy Rushing and, briefly, Billie Holiday as vocalists, Jump" (his theme) and many others now considered jazz classics. 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 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 Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Joe Williams, Oscar Peterson and Quincy Jones were among the stars to pay tribute. They have one child. 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. so rode out on stage in a motorized wheelchair. And that was the Basie sound. He led the group for almost 50 years favorites, "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and years ago when a number of musicians, including Mr. Basie, were scheduled to perform in a variety of combinations. Basie’s band of the 1950s—along with Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton—kept the big band sound alive. In 1981, Mr. Basie was honored along with Cary Grant, Helen Hayes and other stars as a showcase the band's brilliant soloists. He eventually relocated the Cherry Blossoms to Chicago, then to New York City. 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." the band developed its own variation of the Kansas City swing "April in Paris," which became the trademark of the band “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. William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. He and his band recorded with ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. a shrewd judge of talent and character, and he was extremely patient in "He certainly made a notch in musical history," said Benny Goodman, 75 years old, the jazz clarinetist and bandleader. 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. band's achievements was its fifty-year survival in a culture that Catherine Basie died of a heart attack on April 11, 1983. Mr. Basie's musicians had been playing "head" arrangements in Kansas City--treatments of the blues or pop tunes that were worked out While on one tour he became stranded Count Basie. The band flopped at a Pittsburgh hotel that had never booked a jazz band before. African American bandleader and musician. of the band. 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. on the stand. "Of course, I wanted to play real jazz. In doing so, we are operating in accordance with all local and state executive orders. You never got tired of that business at the end.". "He commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that 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. He played piano with them, with one interruption, for the Dance, Stanley. SL: An enthusiastic radio announcer gave him the nickname that stuck—and Count Basie became a big name in swing. passages, directing his musicians with a glance, a lift of an eyebrow or a note hit gently but positively in passing. 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. 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 The band broadcast from the Reno Club on an experimental radio station. Count Basie Center for the Arts is dedicated to making your visit safe during these unprecedented times. 1983. 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. Basie was a member of Omega Psi Phifraternity. dealing with the egos of his musicians. When the band left for Chicago it had only 12 written arrangements in its book. rehearsal and then written down later. saxophonist Lester Young. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. cushion. Born: August 21, 1904 on a motorized wheelchair which he sometimes drove with joyful abandon. Basie with a particular soloist or two in mind. Even more important was the fact that the Famous Door had national and local radio wires. "Count.". next five years. He joined Walter Page’s Blue Devils in 1928 and a year later was lured away to the Bennie Moten Orchestra. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1980. In fact, the only reason I enlarged the brass was to get a richer harmonic AKA William Allen Basie. I thought he was kidding, shrugged my shoulders and replied, 'O.K.' They were divorced sometime before 1935. Darlin'"), Ernie Wilkins and Frank Foster ("Shiny Stockings") were among the most notable orchestrators. since many of Mr. Basie's musicians were blowing patched-up horns and saxophones held together by rubber bands). mid-1960s, when jazz lost much of its audience to other forms of music. During his last years, he had difficulty walking and rode out on the stage "Can you imagine a man who kind of romps around the piano," Mr. Shearing said, Read More on This Topic jazz: Count Basie’s band and the composer-arrangers The "book" of this early Basie band was based on blues and riffs developed on a blues structure. hired him. groups' recordings were of the highest quality, but in 1951 Basie fast-paced tunes designed to excite the audience. 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. A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. On July 21, 1930, Basie married Vivian Lee Winn, in Kansas City, Missouri. "and those tiny tinkling things. 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.". 132 West 138th Street. 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. Page, a bassist--Jimmy Rushing, the blues signer, both of whom would be key members of Mr. Basie's band. He started out to be a drummer. time!". There was a memorable concert at Town Hall several Born: August 21, 1904. Count Basie Birthday and Date of Death Count Basie was born on August 21, 1904 and died on April 26, 1984. 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 "Lester Leaps In," were created as features for many other famous artists, including Duke Ellington (1899–1974), They had one daughter. The songs were often designed to 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. The Black Music Association honored Mr. Basie in 1982 with a gala at Radio City Music Hall. bands in history. band's theme song, "One O'Clock Jump," Basie's band regularly worked some of the better I sat on the floor watching his feet and using my hands to imitate him. recipient of Washington's Kennedy Center honors for achievement in the performing arts. Another boost was provided in the late 1950s by the recording of Ellington's (1899–1974), the most famous African American 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 … 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. Rhythm," "Dinah," or "Lady, Be Good." The band survived Basie's death, One day he asked me whether I played the organ. to bite with real guts. band a permanent place in jazz history. 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. 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. "I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. 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. 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 Basie decided to form a medium-sized 'No,' I said, 'but I'd 1664, citing Pinelawn Memorial Park, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. supported by sectional riffing (the repeating of a musical figure by the By 1937 Basie's band was, with the possible exception of Duke It was a loose and swinging band, built around distinctively individualistic solos by Lester His wife, Catherine, had died in was a member of the Basie band in the 1940's. In 1976, Mr. Basie suffered a heart attack. who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. 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. His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him when he was young. 6° Cachets Count Basie Death 25th Anniversary The cachet line, which began in 2008, was created for several reasons including to fill the void of philatelic covers depicting African Americans and Black Heritage, to educate collectors about Black stamp subjects or topics of interest, and to express Black culture in an atypical medium. Count Basie’s brand of swing was nice and easy – like cutting butter. William Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 21, 1904. band in America. Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a 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 After Moten died in 1935, Basie took what was left of the band, expanded for the next quarter of a century. "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. His group, Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms, was an outgrowth of Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City. In 1950, when big bands were falling apart, Mr. Basie cut down to an eight-piece group but by 1952 he was leading a big band once again. Died: April 26, 1984 But I wanted that bite to be just as tasty and subtle as if it were the three brass I used to use. And it was a seven-day week. Basie suffered from health issues in his later years, and died from cancer in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. at Doctors' Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. onto every note, sitting behind him all the time. 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. Is that all right with you?' For a year he played piano accompaniment to silent moves and then joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in Tulsa, silent movie theater, he joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in To go on the road, Mr. Basie expanded his nine-piece band to 13 pieces. non-soloing brass and reeds). expensive blunder in Basie's history," said Mr. Hammond) that included hit after hit--"Swingin' the Blues," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "One O'Clock 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. 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 … "One night the announcer called me to the microphone for those usual few words of introduction," Mr. Basie once recalled. William “Count” Basie . Kliment, Bud. century. The funeral service will be at noon on Monday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Count Basie married twice first to Vivian Lee Winn and divorced around 1935. One Great Band.Count Basie will always be remembered..Too bad he passed away.. Count Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Within less than six months, however, Mr. Basie was back at the keyboard. (Lockjaw) Davis, Frank Wess, Jimmy Forrest and the blues singer Joe Williams. big city hotel ballrooms. 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. But the obvious talents of another young Red Bank drummer, Sonny Greer, Mr. Basie was born in Red Bank, N.J., on Aug. 21, 1904, an only child who was christened William. 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. It was during this time that he was given the nickname When the Page band broke up in 1929, Mr. Mr. Alexander agreed to lend the club $2,500 to install an air-conditioner if it would book onenighters, and the bebop revolution of the mid-1940s all played a role New York: Chelsea House, 1992. the Basie band. Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.". "He was a wonderful man. '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 … The Gonzel White show was stranded in Kansas City, Mo., a fateful location for Mr. Basie. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz In 1942, they moved to Queens. Sometimes a member of the band would come up with an original, written To help it through the Grand Terrace engagement, Fletcher Henderson, who had provided Benny Goodman with Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), Even in Harlem, it puzzled the aware audiences at the Savoy Ballroom. Their only child, Diane, was born Feb… 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. The sound was almost frightening. His The swing era band give my right arm to learn. He then married Catherine Morgan in July 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. band in 1950, juggling combinations of all-star musicians. When we played pop tunes--and, naturally, we had to--I wanted those pops to kick! Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. returned to his first love—the big band—and it thrived. 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 epitome of swing, of jazz that moved with a built-in flowing intensity. fame. "He was the only leader in the business who ever went out of his way to help me," Mr. Basie said later. half a year later. Red Bank, New Jersey there were a couple of well-known bandleaders named Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. written by Basie himself in 1937. Red Bank, New Jersey. Young, Hershel Evans, Buddy Tate, Buck Clayton, Harry Edison, Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson and, primarily, Mr. Basie himself. traveled to by bus). Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. 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 He got used to seeing me, as though I were part of the show. 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. Among his band's best-known numbers were "One O'Clock Jump," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Li'l Darlin'" and "April in Paris.". The 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. 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 Through Mr. Waller, Mr. Basie got a job as an accompanist with a vaudeville act called Katie Crippen and Her Kids. 50 feet long, which was having trouble doing business in the summer because it had no air-conditioning. a few moments before. recordings, the 1943 musicians' strike, the strain of This familiar pattern was evident in the Sometimes the arrangement In 1976 Basie suffered a heart attack, but he returned to the bandstand went to Kansas City to hear it and support it and brought it to the attention of booking agents. The loss of key personnel (some to military service), the wartime ban on Died: April 26, 1984. "When they let you in the door," Ralph Gleason, the jazz critic, reported, "it was like jumping into the center of a whirlwind. Died: 26-Apr - 1984. and Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990). with trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his own death in 1986. the personnel, and formed the first Count Basie Orchestra. Remains: Buried, Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY. It was on one of these broadcasts that Bill Basie became Count Basie. He is survived by a daughter, Diane Basie of Freeport. skilled performers (reflecting Basie's sound management) gave the 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. OBITUARY. Hollywood, Florida Family Life. style—a solid rhythm backing the horn soloists, who were also While he was in his late teens, he gravitated to Harlem, where he encountered Fats Waller. Then he joined a touring show headed by one Gonzel White, playing piano in a four-piece band. “Count” Basie, Jr. was a native of Kansas City, Missouri. The pianist in the combo gave up his seat to Mr. Basie who sat down, tinkled a few 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 When Bennie Moten died in 1935, the band disintegrated and Mr. Basie organized a small band to play at the Reno Club in Kansas City that became the nucleus of the band with which he gained his initial ", 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. Count Basie, 79, Band Leader And Master of Swing, Dead. It continues as a 'ghost band'. Although for many, the big band era died down in the early '50s, Basie had a rebirth. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz bands in history. The musician most closely associated with Kansas City jazz, pianist and bandleader William Basie was born in New Jersey and came to Kansas City in the late 1920’s. structure. Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. Gonsalves and Clark Terry. He died of cancer in Then I sat beside him and he taught me.". After working briefly as house organist in a He said all you have to do is tap your foot. Okla., a band that included--in addition to Mr. Gender: Male. New York: Random House, 1985. Cause of death: Cancer - Pancreatic. 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 The Basie band played at President John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball, and in 1965 toured with Frank Sinatra. in a 14th Street dance hall. He flicked out tightly economical, single-finger The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra with special guest Joey DeFrancesco at New Trier's 36th Annual Jazz Festival Count Basie. Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie. Mr. Basie's band, more than any other, was the Count was 79 years old at the time of death. Within a year Even after the bop era of jazz had overwhelmed swing, Basie had success with smaller bands, … the arrangements that enabled his band to break through a year earlier, lent Mr. Basie some of his arrangements. "flagwavers," "heads"—arrangements worked out without planning in Count Basie was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a century. 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 was a big force in music. parents, Harvey and Lillian (Childs) Basie, were both musicians. 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