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Count Basie

File:Count_Basie_(1955_Kriegsmann_portrait_-_square_crop).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Count Basie

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Also known as William James "Count" Basie, William James Basie, William Basie

American jazz musician and composer (1904–1984)

AI overview

Count Basie was an American jazz musician and composer who lived from 1904 to 1984 and became one of the most influential figures in jazz history. He is significant because his innovative approach to jazz helped shape the genre and left a lasting impact on American music and culture.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1904
Died
1984
Works
15

Top works

  • Count Basie jam
  • Good Morning Blues
  • Super chief
  • Good Morning Blues
  • Best of Count Basie

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Red Bank, New Jersey, USA

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…

Known for

  • Rat Pack — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Self (voice) (archive sound)2022
  • Charlie Parker: Bird Songs — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes2020
  • Billie — self2020
  • Sid & Judy — Self (archive footage)2019
  • Jazz Legends in Their Own Words — Self (archive footage)2014
  • All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater — Self2011
  • Music Inn — Himself (archive footage)2007
  • Jazz Icons: Count Basie Live in '62 — Himself2006

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
714,049
Total plays
7,233,260

Tags

jazzswingBig Bandpianoblues

William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904– April 26, 1984) was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, and bandleader. As a pianist, he had a distinctive and influential style (the song title "Splanky" is an onomatopoetic reference to the sound of his playing), equally at home in the barrelhouse and the concert hall. Willie "The Lion" Smith, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller were among his influences. As a bandleader, he created an organization (built <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Count+Basie">R

via Last.fm · Count Basie

Quotes

  • I know this from somewhere—it seems as though every time I turn on the radio this seems to slip in; and I've always liked it. It's cute, real cute; and although it's sort of not in my department and I don't know too much about that type of music, I like it an awful lot. Wonderful piano; vibes sound like what's his name, [[w:Terry Gibbs|[Terry] Gibbs]], a little bit; and the alto, if it's not the Bird, he loves Bird. All the solos were wonderful. I've got to give it four stars.
  • It's the way you play that makes it. What I say is, for Christ's sake, you don't have to kill yourself to sing. Play like you play. Play like you think, and then you got it, if you're going to get it. And whatever you get, that's you, so that's your story.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Wikidata facts

Image
Count Basie (1955 Kriegsmann portrait - square crop).jpg
Show 10 more facts
Commons category
Count Basie
date of death
1984-04-26
Commons gallery
Count Basie
birth name
William James Basie
name in native language
Count Basie
pseudonym
Count Basie
start of work period
1924-00-00
date of birth
1904-08-21
social media followers
32900
end of work period
1984-00-00
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~32 min read

Article

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.

Gallery (8)

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