Which orchestra leader was famous in the 1960s for his Kansas City style big band?
Count Basie
His orchestra epitomized Kansas City Swing and along with the bands of Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Lunceford, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, Basie’s orchestra would define the big band era. While the media of the period crowned Benny Goodman the “King of Swing”, the real King of Swing was undoubtedly Count Basie.
Who played in Count Basie’s band?
Count Basie Orchestra
Oklahoma City Blue Devils
Count Basie/Music groups
Who was the trombone player that joined the Count Basie Orchestra?
Al Grey
The trombonist Al Grey, a member of the Count Basie band through various stretches from 1957 to 1977 and a strong, humorous improviser, died on Friday at a hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 74 and lived in Great Neck, N.Y.
Who was Count Basie’s male vocalist?
He reformed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. This group was eventually called the New Testament band. Basie credited Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band.
Does the Count Basie Orchestra still exist?
Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 1950s, the band survived long past the Big Band era itself and the death of Basie in 1984. It continues under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart.
What was Count Basie best known for?
Count Basie, byname of William Basie, (born August 21, 1904, Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.—died April 26, 1984, Hollywood, Florida), American jazz musician noted for his spare, economical piano style and for his leadership of influential and widely heralded big bands.
Who played saxophone for Count Basie?
Frank Wess
Frank Wess, who helped anchor the saxophone section of the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1950s and ’60s and who pioneered the use of the flute in jazz during a career that spanned more than 70 years, died Oct. 30 in New York.
Who played drums for Count Basie?
Sonny Payne (May 4, 1926 – January 29, 1979) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Count Basie and Harry James….
| Sonny Payne | |
|---|---|
| Instruments | Drums |
| Associated acts | Count Basie Harry James |
Who played trumpet for Count Basie?
Mike Williams
Mike Williams is an American jazz and big band trumpeter residing in Lapeer, Michigan. He is most noted as the lead trumpeter for the Count Basie Orchestra, an esteemed chair which he held without interruption for more than 21 years.
Who was the star saxophonist in the Basie band?
Frank Foster, a Grammy Award-winning musical arranger and jazz saxophonist who wrote one of the Count Basie Orchestra’s classic tunes of the 1950s and later became the band’s leader, died July 26 at his home in Chesapeake, Va.
Did Count Basie have a wife?
Catherine MorganCount Basie / Wife (m. 1942–1983)
After a decade-long courtship, Basie married dancer Catherine Morgan, his second wife, on his birthday in 1942. They had one daughter, Diane, in 1944. The couple were true socialites – often gathering with friends including celebrities Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Basie protégé Quincy Jones.