William James Basie's Biography

1339 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Life story of Count Basie

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.

Show More
Related

  • The Mystic Knights Band and Daniel Robert Elfman

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • John Birk's Life and Accomplishments

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Bop Music in the 1950s

    2523 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Bebop and Cool Jazz Eras of the 40’s and 50’s

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • At the Sands with Count Basie and Frank Sinatra

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    The year was 1966 Frank Sinatra was at the peak of his career. There he stood on the stage in the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino in front of Count Basie and his Orchestra recording what is considered the best album of his career. The album “Sinatra at the Sands” would be his first album recorded live to be released and the album would achieve gold in sales. Sinatra was in his environment, a cozy salon style venue with an enthusiastic crowd in Las Vegas. The album was recorded by Reprise and the label engineer was Lowell Frank and produced by Sonny Burke. Reprise had formerly recorded two other albums: “Sinatra-Basie” and “It Might As Well Be Swing” with Sinatra and Count Basie, but it was their performance at the Sands Hotel that would promote both performers carriers beyond what either one of them were able to do on the own.

    Read More

  • Jelly Roll Morton, a Brief Biography

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, more commonly known as Jelly Roll Morton, was born to a creole family in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Morton lived with several family members in different areas of New Orleans, exposing him to different musical worlds including European and classical music, dance music, and the blues (Gushee, 394). Morton tried to play several different instruments including the guitar; however, unsatisfied with the teachers’ lack of training, he decided to teach himself how to play instruments without formal training (Lomax, 8). ...

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Louis Armstrong's Influence On American History

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Impact Of Benny Goodman And The Swing Era

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    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:

    Read More

  • Benny Goodman's Jazz, And The Swing Era

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    At one point during the fighting there were 39 band leaders in the army. Glen Miller, whose infectious hits like “In the Mood” epitomized the war years, disbanded his own hugely successful [jazz] orchestra, enlisted, and formed an all-star air force unit that some believe was the best band he ever had – and died in 1944 when his airplane disappeared over the English channel.” With the capitol of many bandleaders declining It became inevitable that in order to progress, the jazz ensemble would have to become smaller. Musicians that were not enlisted, but out of work, began to meet up at local clubs and perform, and were often unpaid, but happy to at least be able to play with other musicians. By this time a major change in jazz was afoot, and a young trumpet player named Dizzy Gillespie formed his own small prototype group at the Onyx Club in New York.

    Read More

  • Lewis Armstrong's Influence On Jazz Music

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    He left a rich Jazz heritage for people around the world. People can appreciate the excellence of a grand master from the following classic singles, West End Blues, Savoy Blues, Potato Head Blues, Weather Bird, I 'm Not Rough and Heebie Jeebies and so on. Not a jazz musician could be known to and win support from every family like him. His works has been reprinted several times in the past thirty years (Gourse and Louis 342). He had a large collection of his own and other recordings. He enjoyed listening to his own recordings, and comparing his performances musically.

    Read More

  • Duke Ellington

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edward Kennedy Ellington, American jazz composer, orchestrator, bandleader, and pianist, is considered to be the greatest composer in the history of jazz music and one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. He composed over 2000 works and performed numerous concerts during his musical career. A compilation of some of his most popular music is collected on a CD called &quot;The Popular Duke Ellington.&quot;

    Read More

  • The Jazz Singer

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Billie Holiday

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Teachout, Terry. "John Hammond's jazz." Commentary 122.3 (2006): 55+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.

    Read More

  • Impact of Music of the Harlem Renaissance Upon the Artists of Today

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Black Music in Toni Morrison's Jazz

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    The. The life and work of Toni Morrison. Retrieved on December 16, 2005 at. www.enotes.com/jazz. Glamour – Magazine review of Toni Morrison’s Jazz. Hitchcock, H. W. (2000) Music in the USA: A historical introduction.

    Read More

More about William James Basie's Biography

Open Document