Don Byron recorded the album Ivey-Divey in gratitude for what he learned from studying Lester Young's work, modeled after a 1946 trio date with Buddy Rich and Nat King Cole. He became an accompanist to the blues singers Clara Smith and Maggie Jones and he worked in a 14th Street dance hall. She gave Lester the nickname "Prez" after President Franklin Roosevelt, the "greatest man around" in Billie's mind. Young played clarinet as well as tenor in these sessions. Small record labels not bound by union contracts continued to record, and Young recorded some sessions for Harry Lim's Keynote label in 1943. [17] Young's playing and health went into a crisis, culminating in a November 1955 hospital admission following a nervous breakdown. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. 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 since many of Mr. Basie's musicians were blowing patched-up horns and saxophones held together by rubber bands). Family members linked to this person will appear here. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. According to jazz critic Leonard Feather, who rode with Holiday in a taxi to Young's funeral, she said after the services, "I'll be the next one to go. His first marriage was to Beatrice Tolliver, in Albuquerque, on 23 February 1930. Failed to report flower. 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 Orchestra had a slew of hits that helped to define the big-band sound of the 1930s and '40s. It was a reunion with Holiday, with whom he had lost contact over the years. The band flopped at a Pittsburgh hotel that had never booked a jazz band before. In contrast to many of his hard-driving peers, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using what one critic called "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike". He rose to fame after taking over Bennie Moten's band in 1935. His experience inspired his composition "D.B. Death rate from cardiovascular disease. Young joined Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic troupe in 1946, touring regularly with JATP over the next 12 years. First commercially issued collection of Young as band leader. Try again later. Death rate from chronic respiratory diseases. Jones's style influenced the modern jazz drummer's tendency to play timekeeping rhythms on a cymbal, that is now known as the ride cymbal. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This account has been disabled. 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. 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 cushion. From 1935 to his death in 1984, pianist and bandleader Count Basie led one of the most important jazz institutions of the 20th century, in the process forging a distinctive sound that changed the . (Fans distinguish the two major eras in Basie bands as the Old Testament and New Testament.) The Basie orchestra of the 1950s was a slick, professional unit that was expert at sight reading and demanding arrangements. Breakthrough on 52d Street. [4][12], Nestico published nearly 600 numbers for school groups and many for professional big bands. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Holiday toured with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1937. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. William James " Count " Basie ( / besi /; August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984) [1] was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. For a year he played piano accompaniment to silent movies and then joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in Tulsa, Okla., a band that included, in addition to Mr. By the time he was ten, he had learned the basics of the trumpet, violin, and drums, and joined the Young Family Band touring with carnivals and playing in regional cities in the Southwest[6][2], In his teens he and his father clashed, and he often left home for long periods. Mr. Basie's wife, Catherine, died in April 1983. 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 expensive blunder in Basie's history,'' said Mr. Hammond) that included hit after hit - ''Swingin' the Blues,'' ''Jumpin' at the Woodside,'' ''One O'Clock Jump'' (his theme) and many others now considered jazz classics. He subsequently led a number of small groups that often included his brother, drummer Lee Young, for the next couple of years; live and broadcast recordings from this period exist. The Sun is about vitality and is the core giver of life. After leaving the military, Nestico became a freelance arranger. Updates? "[27] Holiday died four months later on July 17, 1959 at age 44. He also starred in several films, most notably the musical short Jammin' the Blues (1944). Young's career after World War II was far more prolific and lucrative than in the pre-war years in terms of recordings made, live performances, and annual income. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. He left home permanently in 1932 when he became a member of the Blue Devils led by Walter Page. In 1979, Jones was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for his contribution to the Birmingham, Alabama musical heritage. Is that all right with you?' You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Beginning in Vaudeville. Many of the members, like Lester "Prez" Young, drifted into Basie's orbit around the time of Moten's death in 1935. Count was 79 years old at the time of death. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 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. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. ). ''When they let you in the door,'' Ralph Gleason, the jazz critic, reported, ''it was like jumping into the center of a whirlwind. In addition, he played trombone, in the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Try again later. Even more important was the fact that the Famous Door had national and local radio wires. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. With vocals by Jimmy Rushing, the band set up shop to perform at Kansas City's Reno Club. 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. To go on the road, Mr. Basie expanded his nine- piece band to 13 pieces. Mr. Basie was born in Red Bank, N.J., on Aug. 21, 1904, an only child who was christened William. [8] He became a member of the Bostonians, led by Art Bronson, and chose tenor saxophone over alto as his primary instrument. A few of his songs were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as well, including "April in Paris" and "Everyday I Have the Blues.". cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. cemeteries found in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He left the world an almost unparalleled legacy of musical greatness, having recorded or been affiliated with dozens upon dozens of albums during his lifetime. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. After Young's clarinet was stolen in 1939, he abandoned the instrument until about 1957. As a pianist Basie was equally great and was intensely rhythmic, using as few notes as possible. Mausoleum, South Forsythia Court, Row 57, Tier D, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1664/count-basie. Foster asked the drummer to come back for another audition in six months after the young man had listened to every recording he could find of Sonny Payne drumming with Count Basie. [1] He worked as a drummer and tap-dancer at carnival shows until joining Walter Page's band, the Blue Devils in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. [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]. Some of their notable songs included "One O'Clock Jump"the orchestra's signature tune which Basie composed himself and "Jumpin' at the Woodside.". [4][7], Beginning in 1982, Nestico began releasing solo albums, with Dark Orchid" as his debut album. [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. ''I wanted my 13-piece band to work together just like those nine pieces,'' he explained. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. He was 67. The legendary Billie Holiday was a vocalist with Basie for a short stint (193738), although she was unable to record with the band because of her contract with another record label; mostly, vocals were handled by Jimmy Rushing, one of the most renowned blues bawlers. The rhythm unit for the bandpianist Basie, guitarist Freddie Green (who joined the Basie band in 1937 and stayed for 50 years), bassist Walter Page, and drummer Jo Joneswas unique in its lightness, precision, and relaxation, becoming the precursor for modern jazz accompanying styles. Basie ultimately earned nine Grammy Awards over the course of his career, but he made history when he won his first, in 1958, as the first African American man to receive a Grammy. People who are born with the Sun as the ruling planet are courageous, self-expressive and bold.