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. There was a memorable concert at Town Hall several They took up a regular engagement at Kansas City's Reno Club, and broadcast a nightly radio show. The loss of key personnel (some to military service), the wartime ban on next five years. Basie was married in two occasions, first to Vivian Lee Winn from 1930 to 1935, and later to Catherine Morgan, from 1940 until her death in 1983. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. They were divorced sometime before 1935. 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 Performers of bebop left the traditional musical melody and played a song freely, with the music and rhythm that was felt at the time. It was a loose and swinging band, built around distinctively individualistic solos by Lester Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. "And that's when the whole fire started," said Mr. Alexander. Jazz Musician. 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. 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 at Doctors Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. 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. The couple had an only daughter, Diane Basie, who's now a 74-year-old disabled woman. William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader and composer. To go on the road, Mr. Basie expanded his nine-piece band to 13 pieces. [15], Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie gained his first steady job at Leroy's, a place known for its piano players and its "cutting contests". His home for many years was in Freeport, the Bahamas; he died of cancer at Doctors' Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. hired him. fast-paced tunes designed to excite the audience. His wife, Catherine, had died in 1983; they had one daughter. 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. [33] When he made the Vocalion recordings, Basie had already signed with Decca Records, but did not have his first recording session with them until January 1937. Basie, Count. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. band in America. During his last years he had difficulty walking and Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie. She was 67 years old. What was the greatest era of the Basie band? She was 67 years old. However, the man ended up betraying Basies trust, and he stole from Diane. [58] They played to a crowd of 15,000. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. 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 His mother paid 25 cents per piano lesson for him . a few moments before. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. New York: Random House, 1985. Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, including "Lil Darlin'". parents, Harvey and Lillian (Childs) Basie, were both musicians. He was 79 years old and lived in Freeport, the Bahamas. The NY Post reported a few years ago that Woodward was facing possible jail for stealing $70,000 from Diane. 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. It was on one of these broadcasts that Bill Basie became Count Basie. 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. For a while, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. As a result, the band got a date at the Grand Terrace in Chicago. 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. who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. William James "Count" Basie learned how to play the piano at an early age under his mothers instructions. Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times. [63] DownBeat magazine reported: "(Basie) has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this. Sinatra later said of this concert "I have a funny feeling that those two nights could have been my finest hour, really. What pianist lead the most successful band in Kansas City? He was a big force in music. Once the musicians found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their "head arrangements" and collective memory.[44]. [62] Soon, his band was touring and recording again. [53] Other minor movie spots followed, including Choo Choo Swing, Crazy House, Top Man, Stage Door Canteen, and Hit Parade of 1943. In 1949, the Basie family moved one of the premier neighborhoods open to African American families Addsleigh Park in St. Albans, Queens, New York. One Great Band.Count Basie will always be remembered..Too bad he passed away.. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. with trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his own death in 1986. While on one tour he became stranded in Kansas City, Missouri. Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the 1980s. A year later, Basie joinedBennie_Motens band, and played with them until Motens death in 1935. "When they let you in the door," Ralph Gleason, the jazz critic, reported, "it was like jumping into the center of a whirlwind. Press ESC to cancel. epitome of swing, of jazz that moved with a built-in flowing intensity. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz Their daughter, Iska, died at the age of 14 after a series . In 1950, financial restraints forced Basie to disband the orchestra. "He commented that Bill Basie was a rather ordinary name and that Which is correct poinsettia or poinsettia? Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. "He was the only leader in the business who ever went out of his way to help me," Mr. Basie said later. But by 1952 he reorganized the band, and the second Count Basie Orchestra was considered as exciting, vibrant and even more important than the first. Sometimes the arrangement The agent, Willard Alexander, said Mrs. On September 11, 1996, the U.S. Post Office issued a Count Basie 32 cents postage stamp. time!". [77][78], Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. His daughter, Diane Basie, now 71 and living in Florida with full-time caregivers, is severely retarded and only marginally communicative, according to court papers. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. Who taught Count Basie how do you play the piano? The sound was almost frightening. [31] Hammond first heard Basie's band on the radio and went to Kansas City to check them out. [28], At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City to Chicago, where they honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom. Famed record producer and journalist, John Hammond, heard the bands broadcast and began writing about the Orchestra to gain their attention. Dance, Stanley. on a motorized wheelchair which he sometimes drove with joyful abandon. He couldnt write music at the time, but his ear was perfect. 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. the band developed its own variation of the Kansas City swing 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 [40] His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Honeysuckle Rose". Their fame took a huge leap. 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. [45] In early 1938, the Savoy was the meeting ground for a "battle of the bands" with Chick Webb's group. A father of bebop, he influenced generations of musicians, and sparked the fire of one of the most important and successful American artistic movements. By 1937 Basie's band was, with the possible exception of Duke He and his band recorded with Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, Joe Williams, Oscar Peterson and Quincy Jones were among the stars to pay tribute. 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Count Basie was born on August 21, 1904 and died on April 26, 1984. for the next quarter of a century. His Family After a decade long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted. Released: 1955 . [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]. with Rutgers web sites to accessibility@rutgers.edu or complete the Report Accessibility Barrier or encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any accessibility issues [5][6], The best student in school, Basie dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by touring carnivals which came to town. Provide Feedback Form. His name was Louis Armstrong. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. band's achievements was its fifty-year survival in a culture that 1981 interview cited in "The Lester Young Story" (Properbox 16), pp. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[51]. However, throughout the 1940s, he maintained a big band that possessed an infectious rhythmic beat, an enthusiastic team spirit, and a long list of inspired and talented jazz soloists. Basie gave up her career to care for their daughter, who was mentally retarded, and their two adopted sons. The band survived Basie's death, with ex-Basie-ite trumpeter Thad Jones directing until his death in 1986. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. When the Page band broke up in 1929, Mr. The band survived Basie's death, Basie's band was sharing Birdland with such bebop musicians as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Ellington was a composer who played piano, but he really used the band as his expressive instrument. Basie's band regularly worked some of the better 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. William James "Count" Basie (/besi/; August 21, 1904 April 26, 1984)[1] was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several wealthy families in the area. [5] Greer and Basie played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. Jimmy Rushing sang with Basie in the late 1930s. Hammond introduced Helen Humes, whom Basie hired; she stayed with Basie for four years.