Acting

Count Basie

Count Basie is vooral bekend van The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show en The Mike Douglas Show. Count Basie werd geboren op 21 augustus 1904. Count Basie overleed op 26 april 1984 op 79-jarige leeftijd.

Geboren: 21 augustus 1904
Geboorteplaats: Red Bank, New Jersey, USA
Overleden: 26 april 1984 (79 jaar)

Biografie

William James "Count" Basie (/ˈbeɪsi/; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. 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, his minimalist piano style, and others.

Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Dennis Rowland, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams.

As a composer, Basie is known for writing such jazz standards as "Blue and Sentimental", "Jumpin' at the Woodside" and "One O'Clock Jump".

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