He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz bands in history. But it sure sounds good.. We will continue to update information on Count Basies parents. His experience inspired his composition "D.B. With vocals by Jimmy Rushing, the band set up shop to perform at Kansas City's Reno Club. Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 - March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. It was a reunion with Holiday, with whom he had lost contact over the years. This account has been disabled. 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. Beware, the Count is Here. The funeral service will be at noon on Monday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, 132 West 138th Street. Count Basie was born in Red Bank. Another milestone came with the 1956 album April in Paris, whose title track contained psyche-you-out endings that became a new band signature. Basie decided to form a medium-sized band in 1950, juggling combinations of all-star . Whereas other pianists were noted for technical flash and dazzling dexterity, Basie was known for his use of silence and for reducing his solo passages to the minimum amount of notes required for maximum emotional and rhythmic effect. Basie was born William James Basie (with some sources listing his middle name as "Allen") on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey. In 1981, Mr. Basie was honored along with Cary Grant, Helen Hayes and other stars as a recipient of Washington's Kennedy Center honors for achievement in the performing arts. He later worked for a few years with a band led by Bennie Moten, who died in 1935. In 1976, Mr. Basie suffered a heart attack. Pop Tunes With a Kick, ''Of course, I wanted to play real jazz. Your IP: The best-known of these appearances is the July 1957 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, with a line-up including many of his 1940s colleagues: Jo Jones, Roy Eldridge, Illinois Jacquet and Jimmy Rushing. Mr. Basie's musicians had been playing ''head'' arrangements in Kansas City - treatments of the blues or pop tunes that were worked out on the stand. Basie benefited greatly from his association with Granz and made several recordings during the 70s that rank among his best work. There was a memorable concert at Town Hall several years ago when a number of musicians, including Mr. Basie, were scheduled to perform in a variety of combinations. Zodiac Sign: Count Basie was a Leo. "[4][9], After leaving the military, Nestico became a freelance arranger. One of Kansas City's own, Ronald McFadden, 66, who together with his brother Lonnie, is well known for entertaining audiences in Kansas City and worldwide, died unexpectedly Monday evening. In addition to his artistry on the drums, Jones was known for his irascible, combative temperament. 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. After Young's clarinet was stolen in 1939, he abandoned the instrument until about 1957. Then he joined a touring show headed by one Gonzel White, playing piano in a four-piece band. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In December 1943, Young returned to the Basie fold for a 10-month stint, cut short by his being drafted into the army during World War II. Jones also continued a ride rhythm on hi-hat, while it was continuously opening and closing instead of the common practice of only striking it while it was closed. Young was the subject of an opera, Prez: A Jazz Opera, that was written by Bernard Cash and Alan Plater and broadcast by BBC television in 1985. Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 September 3, 1985)[1] was an American jazz drummer. Count Basies mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. But I wanted that bite to be just as tasty and subtle as if it were the three brass I used to use. Search above to list available cemeteries. Some of their notable songs included "One O'Clock Jump"the orchestra's signature tune which Basie composed himself and "Jumpin' at the Woodside.". He went on to join Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1928, which he would see as a pivotal moment in his career, being introduced to the big-band sound for the first time. Young did not fight the charges and was convicted. He thought he could never outmatch Greers talent, so he took up piano at 15. There was a problem getting your location. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. Count Bill Basie . Death rate from Alzheimer's. Death rate from cancer. He began working as an arranger for Count Basie in 1967, and wrote and arranged all the music for Basie's 1968 LP Basie Straight Ahead. From then on, it was Count Basie.''. Name: Count Basie Birth Year: 1904 Birth date: August 21, 1904 Birth State: New Jersey Birth City: Red Bank Birth Country: United States Gender: Male Best Known For: One of jazz music's all-time. His playing showed reliance on a small number of clichd phrases and reduced creativity and originality, despite his claims that he did not want to be a "repeater pencil" (Young coined this phrase to describe the act of repeating one's own past ideas). There are no volunteers for this cemetery. You never got tired of that business at the end.'' William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. He directed music programs at Los Angeles Pierce College, Woodland Hills, California, Westinghouse Memorial High School, and Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. [2][3] Nestico joined the Oliver High School beginner orchestra in 1937 as a trombonist. 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 Gonsalves and Clark Terry. The Count Basie Theatre in Redbank, New Jersey. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Count Basie Birth Name: William James Basie Occupation: Pianist Place Of Birth: Red Bank Date Of Birth: August21, 1904 Date Of Death: April 26, 1984 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Black Nationality: American Count Basie was born on the 21st of August, 1904. In a partnership with Billy May, Nestico was involved in the transcription, arranging, and re-recording of 630 big band songs originally recorded in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1958, Basie became the first African American male recipient of a Grammy Award. To help it through the Grand Terrace engagement, Fletcher Henderson, who had provided Benny Goodman with the arrangements that enabled his band to break through a year earlier, lent Mr. Basie some of his arrangements. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? His studio recordings are relatively sparse during the 1942 to 1943 period, largely due to the recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians. Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. I mean, he'll concert you all, and then he'll swing you all, too, you understand, when he's ready to. 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. I sat on the floor watching his feet and using my hands to imitate him. Basie then formed the Barons of Rhythm with some of his bandmates from Moten's group, including saxophonist Lester Young. Young's playing style influenced many other tenor saxophonists, including Stan Getz, as well as Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Warne Marsh, as well as baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and alto saxophonists Lee Konitz, and Paul Desmond. Drummer of the Count Basie Orchestra Passed Away, Obituary - YouTube 0:00 / 0:36 Butch Miles Cause of Death? He was sometimes known as Papa Jo Jones to distinguish him from younger drummer Philly Joe Jones. The band flopped at a Pittsburgh hotel that had never booked a jazz band before. A pianist, Count Basie played vaudeville before eventually forming his own big band and helping to define the era of swing with hits like "One O'Clock Jump" and "Blue Skies." [3], For the fictional television character, see, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 08:43, The Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Pete Brown, Jo Jones All Stars at Newport, Mae Barnes, Jo Jones, Buck Clayton, Ray Bryant, The Oscar Peterson Trio with Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge and Jo Jones at Newport, Sonny Stitt Plays Arrangements from the Pen of Quincy Jones, Jazz Icons: Coleman Hawkins-Live in 62 & 64, "Book Review: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones", "Jo Jones, 73, A Jazz Drummer Influential in Swing Era, Dies", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jo_Jones&oldid=1141690806, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 08:43. . Basie studied music with his mother and was later influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, receiving . In 1981 OyamO (Charles F. Gordon) published the book The Resurrection of Lady Lester, subtitled "A Poetic Mood Song Based on the Legend of Lester Young", depicting Young's life. [30] Another slang term he is rumoured to have popularized was the term "bread" for money. Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he is sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones. Drag images here or select from your computer for Count Basie memorial. It was on one of these broadcasts that Bill Basie became Count Basie. With the group becoming highly distinguished for its soloists, rhythm section and style of swing, Basie himself was noted for his understated yet captivating style of piano playing and precise, impeccable musical leadership. He started out to be a drummer. He married Catherine Morgan on August 21, 1942, with whom he had one child. It continues . [29], Lester Young is said to have popularized use of the term "cool" to mean something fashionable. Beginning in Vaudeville. During the 1960s and '70s, Basie recorded with luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him when he was young. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Then he said, 'Bill, I think I'll call you Count Basie from now on. [9] One of Young's key influences was Frankie Trumbauer, who came to prominence in the 1920s with Paul Whiteman and played the C-melody saxophone (between the alto and tenor in pitch).[10]. The pianist Count Basie died at the age of 79. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. The Basie band kept working into the 1970s, with the Count in his yachting cap that he had adopted in the 1960s, but his age and changing fashion eventually caught up with him. [4][7], Beginning in 1982, Nestico began releasing solo albums, with Dark Orchid" as his debut album. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Jones died of pneumonia in New York City at the age of 73. For many of the other participants, the photo shoot was the last time they saw him alive; he was the first musician in the famous photo to pass away. Many of Basies albums of the 70s were Grammy Award winners or nominees. ''He commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that there were a couple of well-known bandleaders named Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. Jones performed regularly in later years at the West End jazz club at 116th and Broadway in New York City. Sources:[22][23]. So he called the pianist "Count," with Basie not realizing just how much the name would catch on as a form of recognition and respect in the music world. [7] Young left the family band in 1927 at the age of 18 because he refused to tour in the Southern United States, where Jim Crow laws were in effect and racial segregation was required in public facilities. Resend Activation Email. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. That year Norman Granz gave him one and urged him to play it (with far different results at that stage in Young's lifesee below).