Members of count basie orchestra christmas

Website EPK. In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold out concerts all over the world, with members personally chosen by him, for nearly 40 years after his passing. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for Kings, Queens, and other world Royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world.

This great member orchestra is still continuing the excellent history started by Basie of stomping and shouting the blues, as well as refining those musical particulars that allow for the deepest and most moving of swing. InBennie Moten died, and it was left to Basie to take some of the musicians from that orchestra and form his own, The Count Basie Orchestra, which is still alive and well today some 86 years later.

The Basie orchestra evolved into one of the most venerable and viable enterprises in American music with the highest levels of continued productivity rivaling any musical organization in history. With the April In Paris recording inthe orchestra began to set standards of musical achievement that have been emulated by every jazz orchestra since that time.

One of the things that set Mr. Current members include one musician hired by Basie himself: Trombonist Clarence Banks It went to 1 on the charts. The Count Basie Orchestra is a to piece big bandone of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing erafounded by Count Basie in and recording regularly from Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the s, the band survived long past the big band era itself and the death of Basie in It continues under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart.

Originally including such musicians as Buck Clayton and Lester Young in the line-up, the band in the s and s made use of the work of the arrangers Neal Hefti and Sammy Nestico with featured musicians such as Thad Jones and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Upon Moten's death inBasie left the group to start his own band, taking many of his colleagues from the Moten band with him.

With this band, then named The Barons of Rhythm, Basie brought the sound of the famous and highly competitive Kansas City " jam session " to club audiences, coupling extended improvised solos with riff -based accompaniments from the band. When music critic and record producer John Hammond heard the band on a radio broadcast, he sought them out and offered Basie the chance to expand the group to the standard piece big band line-up.

He also offered to transfer the group to New York City in order to play at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom. Basie agreed, hoping that member of count basie orchestra christmas this new band, he could retain the freedom and spirit of the Kansas City style of his nine-piece group. The band, which now included Buck Clayton on trumpet and the famous blues "shouter" Jimmy Rushingdemonstrated this style in their first recordings with the Decca label in January in pieces such as "Roseland Shuffle", the soloists are at the foreground, with the ensemble effects and riffs playing a strictly functional backing role.

Following the first recording session, the band's line up was reshuffled, with some of players being replaced on the request of Hammond as part of a strengthening of the band. In March the guitarist Freddie Green arrived, replacing Claude Williams and completing what became one of the most respected rhythm sections in big band history.

Hits such as " One O'Clock Jump " and " Jumpin' at the Woodside " from andrespectively helped to gain the band, now known as the Count Basie Orchestra, national and international fame. These tunes were known as "head-arrangements"; not scored in individual parts but made up of riffs memorized by the band's members. Although some of the band's players, such as trombonist Eddie Durhamcontributed their own written arrangements at this time, the "head-arrangements" captured the imagination of the audience in New York and communicated the spirit of the band's members.

InHelen Humes joined the group, replacing Billie Holiday as the female singer. The band became increasingly dependent on arrangers to provide its music. These varied from players within the band, such as Eddie Durham and Buck Claytonto professional arrangers from outside the group, who could bring their own character to the band with each new piece.

External arranger Andy Gibson brought the band's harmonic style closer to the music of Duke Ellington, with arrangements from such as "I Never Knew" and "Louisiana" introducing increased chromaticism to the band's music. Tab Smith contributed important arrangements at this time, such as "Harvard Blues", and others including Buster Harding and veteran arranger Jimmy Mundy also expanded the group's repertoire.

Members of count basie orchestra christmas

He returned to the Carlton in — then known as the Monmouth Arts Center. InBasie returned to the Monmouth Street theater, in a benefit for the A. Zion Church on Shrewsbury Avenue. I just worry about getting work. Musicians, singers, composers and arrangers came and went over many years and over many ensembles, grouping and regrouping like the audience in a club.

Some dropped by for just a night. Some stayed for years. Some came and went and came again. His orchestra was a unique band during a unique time in the history of jazz and American music.