who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. And that was the Basie sound. SL: An enthusiastic radio announcer gave him the nickname that stuck—and Count Basie became a big name in swing. Count Basie. Count Basie died on April 26, 1984, at age 79 of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida. Dance, Stanley. and Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990). 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 group, Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms, was an outgrowth of Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City. Although for many, the big band era died down in the early '50s, Basie had a rebirth. Location of death: Hollywood, FL. to bite with real guts. 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. next five years. ', "The next day he invited me to sit in the pit and start working the pedals. "I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. half a year later. '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 … groups' recordings were of the highest quality, but in 1951 Basie His father was a student of the mellophone, and his mother was a pianist. Red Bank, New Jersey "He was the only leader in the business who ever went out of his way to help me," Mr. Basie said later. By 1937 Basie's band was, with the possible exception of Duke 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. A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. on the stand. I sat on the floor watching his feet and using my hands to imitate him. showcase the band's brilliant soloists. The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra with special guest Joey DeFrancesco at New Trier's 36th Annual Jazz Festival New York: Random House, 1985. He married Catherine Morgan on July 13, 1940 in the King County courthouse in Seattle, Washington. To help it through the Grand Terrace engagement, Fletcher Henderson, who had provided Benny Goodman with Perhaps the most startling of the Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.". Through Mr. Waller, Mr. Basie got a job as an accompanist with a vaudeville act called Katie Crippen and Her Kids. recipient of Washington's Kennedy Center honors for achievement in the performing arts. A stocky, handsome man with heavy-lidded eyes and a sly smile, Basie was Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. Red Bank, New Jersey. 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. Within less than six months, however, Mr. Basie was back at the keyboard. 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. Among his band's best-known numbers were "One O'Clock Jump," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Li'l Darlin'" and "April in Paris.". 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