William James Basie's Biography
During the heyday of the swing era, many big bands flourished. Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, and Chick Webb fronted big bands that could swing, but none of these legends could swing like the Count Basie Orchestra. Count Basie proved that a big band could still swing, without losing the spontaneity so essential to jazz.
William James Basie was born August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey (Hare, par. 3). His father was a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge, and his mother took in laundry to help with the family's financial situation. Between the two of them, there was enough money to pay for piano lessons for young William (Morgenstern, pars. 1-2).
Young Basie longed for a life in showbiz. He quit school early on, and eventually wound up in New York City in 1924 (Murray 45-48). It was in Harlem where Basie met the great stride piano player Fats Waller (Biographies, par. 2). Waller informally taught Basie the intricacies of the organ and introduced him to other stride luminaries James P. Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith (Dance 9). These early influences would have a lasting impact on Basie, contributing a great deal to his distinctive minimalist style.
Basie began his professional music career in the vaudeville circuit within New York (Carattini, par. 2). He toured around the country for several years with various vaudeville acts. In 1927, while touring with the Theater Owners Booking Association or TOBA, under the leadership of Gonzell White, Basie ended up stranded in Kansas City, Missouri when W...
... middle of paper ...
..., and His Famous Piano Playing in the World of Jazz. 9 Nov. 2006 < http://de.essortment.com/biographywillia_rgyr.htm>.
Count Basie: The First Leader of a Kansas City Style Swing Band to Rise to National Fame. Swingmusic.net. 9 Nov. 2006 .
Dance, Stanley. The World of Count Basie. New York: Da Capo, 1980.
Hare, Glenn. "Grammy-Nominated Vocalist Nnenna Freelon to Sing, Count Basie Orchestra to Play Brooks Center." ClemsoNews. 6 Jan. 2005. 13 Nov. 2006 .
Jazz. Dir. Ken Jazz. Writ. Geoffrey Ward. Florentine, 2000.
Morgenstern, Dan. "A Tale of Three Cities: Red Bank, Kansas City and New York." One More Once': A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Music of Count Basie. 2004. Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers U. 9 Nov. 2006 .
Murray, Albert. Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie. New York: Random, 1985.
When he went with his brother to France he performed with an avant-garde musical theater group known as Le Grand Magic Circus. He then decided to travel through Ghana, Mali, and Upper Volta in Africa experiencing new musical styles that would influence his own style. While in Africa he contracted malaria. When he finally returned to the United States he began studying at CalArts even though he was not really a student there.
Eventually in 1937, Dizzy Gillespie decided to head out to New York to carry out his dream of becoming a famous jazz player. During his time at New York he talked with many different bands and earned a job with Teddy Hill’s band. Hill was very impressed with Gillespie’s unique playing style. The group went on a tour from Great Britain to France shortly after Gillespie had joined the band. After getting back from the tour G...
By the 1930’s the movement had shifted yet again and began to incorporate larger bands in what came to be known as “swing.” Broadcast radio was also an important factor by this time, giving swing music a far-reaching national influence. The size of the bands had a standardizing ...
Swing, the predecessor of bop, was big, sweet, and hot. The performers were big bands, fronted by a charismatic bandleader, yet the success of a piece depended mostly on the unity of the ensemble as a whole, rather than on the showcasing of prodigious individuals. The requisite instrument was the saxophone, which was often smooth and mellifluous. Songs were old favorites, or simple jazz standards, that had been arranged to suit a large ensemble. Swing bands played in large venues, such as ballrooms, and to large audiences, who seized the opportunity to not just tap their toes, but to "jump, jive, and wail." The swing era became the most popular form of jazz, as it catered to audiences as a form of social and interactive entertainment.
its abilities to bring people together and sometimes even make people happy. Although the jazz era ended almost a century ago, this time influenced by Louis Armstrong was a huge cultural shift that still remains in our society in which African-Americans are a vast part of our music industry amongst pop, rap, reggae, and more.
Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1898 to Morris and Rose Gershwin, Russian born Jewish immigrants who had come to America only a few years earlier. (Pollack) Gershwin had 3 siblings; an older brother names Israel, though he was later called Ira, a younger brother named Arthur and a younger sister named Frances. (Pollack)
...Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and the greatest jazz player of this decade. Wynton Marsalis. He treated them as equals, and always let them know how special they were. He liked to share experiences and story's with his bands. He played life by the rules and laid off the drugs and alcohol that cost so many jazz musicians before him their careers, and/or their lifers.
Goodman was perhaps the most recorded artist during the swing era, which helped make him a symbol of the swing era.
Teachout, Terry. "John Hammond's jazz." Commentary 122.3 (2006): 55+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
Louis Armstrong was known as the King of jazz, a trumpeter and singer who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Famous for his innovative methods of playing the trumpet and cornet, he was also a highly talented singer blessed with a powerful voice. Known for his skills on being able improvise, he would bend and twist the many lyrics and melody of a song with dramatic effect. As his popularity grew in the mid-20th century America when racism was more prevalent, he was one of the first African-American entertainers to be highly popular among both the white and the colored segments of the society. Fondly nicknamed Satchmo or Pops by his fans, he is often regarded to be the founding father of jazz as a uniquely American art form. Born into poverty in New Orleans, he had a very difficult childhood after his father abandoned the family. As a young boy, he
Carringer, Robert L.. The Jazz singer. Madison: Published for the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research by the University of Wisconsin Press, 1979. Print.
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
“His relaxed phrasing was a major change from the staccato style of the early 20’s and helped to set the stage for the Swing Era” (“Life & Legacy”). And as such a prominent artist, and in particular, jazz artist, Armstrong did not only change the perception of jazz and swing, but the views on African Americans and their culture. Armstrong and the Harlem Renaissance reflected black history and culture, and it became popular, even in white communities and clubs. Jazz as a whole genre helped further society’s views through the universal language of music, where any ethnicity could partake in it. And the revolution of jazz was lead by the stylings of Louis Armstrong. The duration of the jazz and swing era, lasting decades past the 1920s, symbolized the civil rights movement directly through the lyrics, sounds, and artists
Though Jelly Roll Morton began his career without formal training, he grew to live an influential life. His piano style, musical notations on paper, and creative compositions thrived in the 1910s and the 1920s and even weaved its way into the later eras as musicians used Morton’s music as the foundation for their own. Even past his death, Jelly Roll Morton remains a legendary figure. His works are meticulously preserved and displayed in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum and universities around the world continue his legacy by teaching students about Jelly Roll Morton and his influential career.
In the 1930s, Goodman gradually gained recognition at recording sessions and radio shows in New York City, where he later formed his first band and began performing weekly on NBC’s radio show Let’s Dance (Collier 89). Around this time, Goodman had his first number one hit “Moonglow,” clearly marking his progression as a bandleader (Collier 96). This exposure allowed Goodman to achieve greater national fame that provided the foundation for the beginning of the Swing Era. With a national audience building from his radio performances, Goodman’s upbeat, hot jazz swing style was gaining traction, leading up to a pivotal performance on his band’s tour in Los Angeles that marked the transition to a new era in jazz. At Palomar Ballroom, Goodman and his band performed their new swing music, which combined elements of jazz and popular American dance music (Firestone 204). The gig is generally accepted as the start of the Swing Era, as Goodman’s style of swing music gained overwhelming positive feedback from the audience. Since the performance was broadcasted on national radio, Goodman’s jazz music dominated headlines and catapulted jazz into the forefront of American popular music. As dancers craved the upbeat swing music, bands copied Goodman’s style, which led to the proliferation of swing music and the birth of the Swing Era (“Benny Goodman: