Early life
Born Gayle Peck in Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a vaudeville song-and-dance team. When she was 14, the family moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, she began appearing in movies. She graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1945.
[edit]Marriages
In July 1947 she married actor Jack Webb (of Dragnet fame). Her widely regarded beauty and poise (she was a pinup girl prized by GIs during World War II) contrasted strongly with his pedestrian appearance and streetwise acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). This unlikely pairing arose from their mutual love for jazz music.[1] They had two daughters, Stacy and Lisa Webb. London and Webb divorced in November 1954. Daughter Stacy Webb was killed in a traffic accident in 1996.
In 1954, having become somewhat reclusive after her divorce from Webb, she met jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup at a club on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.[2] They married on December 31, 1959, and remained married until his death in February 1999. Together, they had one daughter, Kelly Troup and twin sons, Jody and Reese Troup.[3] Kelly Troup died in March 2002.
[edit]Later life
She suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health because of her long-term cigarette habit until her death on October 18, 2000, in Encino, California, at age 74, survived by four of her five children. London was interred next to Troup in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery, Los Angeles. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
[edit]Career
[edit]Singing
London began singing in public in her teens before appearing in a film. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (wife of actor Alan Ladd) while London was working as an elevator operator. Her early film career did not include any singing roles.
She recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles.[4] Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957 Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."
Julie London's debut recordings were for the Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded 4 tracks that would later be included on the compilation albums Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the dates, and London recorded the standards Don't Worry About Me, Motherless Child, A Foggy Day, and You're Blasé.
London's most famous single, "Cry Me a River", was written by her high-school classmate Arthur Hamilton and produced by Troup.[5] The recording became a million-seller after its release in December 1955 and also sold on re-issue in April 1983 from the attention brought by a Mari Wilson cover. London performed the song in the film The Girl Can't Help It (1956), and her recording gained later attention in the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006).
Other popular singles include "Hot Toddy," "Daddy" and "Desafinado." Recordings such as "Go Slow" epitomized her career style: her voice is slow, smoky, and sensual.
The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the HBO television series Six Feet Under and appears on its soundtrack album. Her rendition of "The Good Life" was featured in a 2008 British Airways dancing aquatic television advertisement for its new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom.
Her last recording was "My Funny Valentine" for the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds film Sharky's Machine (1981).[1]
[edit]Film
Primarily remembered as a singer, London also made more than 20 films. One of her strongest performances came in Man of the West (1958), starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann, in which her character, the film's only woman, is abused and humiliated by an outlaw gang.
[edit]Television
She performed on many television variety series and also in dramatic roles, including guest appearances on Rawhide (1960) and The Big Valley (1968). Her ex-husband Webb was executive producer for the series Emergency!, and in 1972 he hired both his ex-wife and her husband Troup for key roles. London played nurse Dixie McCall), while Troup was emergency-room physician Dr. Joe Early. She and her co-stars Kevin Tighe, Randolph Mantooth, and Robert Fuller also appeared in an episode of the Webb-produced series Adam-12, reprising their roles. London and Troup appeared as panelists on the game show Tattletales several times in the 1970's.
[edit]Albums
Bethlehem's Girlfriends (1955 - debut recordings)
Julie Is Her Name (1955, U.S. #2)
Lonely Girl (1956, U.S. #16)
Calendar Girl (1956, U.S. #18)
About the Blues (1957, U.S. #15)
Make Love to Me (1957)
Julie (1958)
Julie Is Her Name, Volume II (1958)
London by Night (1958)
Swing Me an Old Song (1959)
Your Number Please (1959)
Julie...At Home (1960)
Around Midnight (1960)
Send for Me (1961)
Whatever Julie Wants (1961)
The Best of Julie London (1962)
Sophisticated Lady (1962)
Love Letters (1962)
Love on the Rocks (1962)
Latin in a Satin Mood (1963)
Julie's Golden Greats (1963)
The End of the World (1963, U.S. #127)
The Wonderful World of Julie London (1963, U.S. #136)
Julie London (1964)
In Person at the Americana (1964)
Our Fair Lady (1965)
Feeling Good (1965)
By Myself (1965, produced exclusively for the Columbia Record Club)
All Through the Night: Julie London Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter (1965)
For the Night People (1966)
Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast (1967)
With Body & Soul (1967)
Easy Does It (1968)
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (1969)
The Very Best Of Julie London (1975)
[edit]Charted Recordings
"Cry Me a River" (U.S. #9, 1955)
"Blue Moon" (South Africa #7, 1961)
"Desafinado" (Slightly Out Of Tune)" (U.S. # 110, 1962)
"I'm Coming Back To You" (U.S. # 118, 1963)
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" (U.S. #125, 1968)
"Like To Get To Know You" (Easy Listening #15, 1969)
[edit]Filmography
Nabonga (1944)
Diamond Horseshoe (1945) (bit part)
On Stage Everybody (1945)
A Night in Paradise (1946) (bit part)
The Red House (1947)
Tap Roots (1948)
Task Force (1949)
Return of the Frontiersman (1950)
The Fat Man (1951)
The Fighting Chance (1955)
The Girl Can't Help It (1956)
Crime Against Joe (1956)
The Great Man (1956)
Drango (1957)
Saddle the Wind (1958)
Voice in the Mirror (1958)
Man of the West (1958)
Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
The Wonderful Country (1959)
A Question of Adultery (1959)
The Third Voice (1960)
The George Raft Story (1961)
[edit]Television Work
What's My Line? Mystery guests on September 29, 1957 (Episode # 382) (Season 9 Episode 5), (three episodes) (1957-1961)
Rawhide (one episode) (1960)
Dan Raven with Skip Homeier as June Carney in the episode "Tinge of Red" (1960)
The Barbara Stanwyck Show as Julie in "Night Visitors" (1961)
The Eleventh Hour as Joan Ashmond in the episode "Like a Diamond in the Sky") (1963)
The Big Valley (one episode) (1967)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (two episodes, "The Prince of Darkness Affair," Part 1, Part 2, (1967), re-released as the feature film, The Helicopter Spies (1968)
Emergency! (1972–1979) series regular
Adam-12 (one episode, Lost and Found) as Dixie McCall
Tattletales (game show hosted by Bert Convy, 1974–1978)
Emergency: Survival on Charter #220 (1978)
[edit]References
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Monday, 5 April 2010
Friday, 2 April 2010
THE 606 CLUB
The 606 Club has become one of London’s leading jazz venues over the last 30 years, run by musician Steve Rubie since 1976.
The Club currently books 2 bands a night on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and one Band a night from Thursday to Monday. With Sunday lunches (Big Bands and Gospel Choirs) and a special ‘Singers’ night on Sunday evenings the 606 Club is a major employer of British jazz and related music artists in the U.K.
The ‘606’ has a late night supper license, which requires non-members to eat a substantial meal in order to be served alcohol, so booking a table for dinner in advance is essential on Fridays and Saturdays. This basement Jazz Club has a reputation for great jazz and fine food with candle-lit tables and jazz murals adding to the relaxed ambiance.
Inside The 606 club
Founded as a small 30-seater venue at 606 Kings Road, it established a stellar reputation amongst musicians and audiences. Eventually it out grew the original Club and, although it retained the name 606 Club, moved in May 1988 to the present 165 capacity basement site at 90 Lots Road in Chelsea.
The Club originally established a policy of only booking U.K based musicians in order to support the local scene. In recent years this has changed with the Club’s new European Exchange initiative and support from Yamaha U.K. encouraging a rich cross cultural platform for British and Overseas musicians.
You can also book a table here.
For more information just visit their official website at www.606club.co.uk
The Club currently books 2 bands a night on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and one Band a night from Thursday to Monday. With Sunday lunches (Big Bands and Gospel Choirs) and a special ‘Singers’ night on Sunday evenings the 606 Club is a major employer of British jazz and related music artists in the U.K.
The ‘606’ has a late night supper license, which requires non-members to eat a substantial meal in order to be served alcohol, so booking a table for dinner in advance is essential on Fridays and Saturdays. This basement Jazz Club has a reputation for great jazz and fine food with candle-lit tables and jazz murals adding to the relaxed ambiance.
Inside The 606 club
Founded as a small 30-seater venue at 606 Kings Road, it established a stellar reputation amongst musicians and audiences. Eventually it out grew the original Club and, although it retained the name 606 Club, moved in May 1988 to the present 165 capacity basement site at 90 Lots Road in Chelsea.
The Club originally established a policy of only booking U.K based musicians in order to support the local scene. In recent years this has changed with the Club’s new European Exchange initiative and support from Yamaha U.K. encouraging a rich cross cultural platform for British and Overseas musicians.
You can also book a table here.
For more information just visit their official website at www.606club.co.uk
Sam Yahel
A distinctive voice among the new breed of Hammond B-3 organ players on the jazz scene, Sam Yahel has earned the top spot in Down Beat’s annual International Critics Poll as a Talent Deserving of Recognition for the past four consecutive years.
Yahel has worked with a string of notable jazz artists including tenor saxophonists Joshua Redman and Eric Alexander, former James Brown sideman and alto sax great Maceo Parker, guitarists Peter Bernstein and Bill Frisell, trumpeters Ryan Kisor and Jim Rotondi as well as having played on Norah Jones’ Grammy-winning Come Away With Me as well as on recordings vocalists Lizz Wright and Madeleine Peyroux.
Yahel has worked with a string of notable jazz artists including tenor saxophonists Joshua Redman and Eric Alexander, former James Brown sideman and alto sax great Maceo Parker, guitarists Peter Bernstein and Bill Frisell, trumpeters Ryan Kisor and Jim Rotondi as well as having played on Norah Jones’ Grammy-winning Come Away With Me as well as on recordings vocalists Lizz Wright and Madeleine Peyroux.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Trudy Kerr
BBC Review
A surprisingly satisfying listen.
Kathryn Shackleton 2009-03-12
Australian singer Trudy Kerr headlines on Like Minds, but this is really a duo gig with legendary pianist Michael Garrick. Sometimes called 'the English Ellington', Garrick has been a prolific composer since the 60s, so it's fitting that Like Minds explores the essence of Ellington's music.
Garrick’s gentlemanly-but-maverick playing characterises the album. He paws at the keys on Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me, and Prelude To A Kiss features a solo that sounds like swarming bees. Ponderous chords anticipate the melody in Mood Indigo and Trudy feeds on this to paint a poignant picture of depression.
These interpretations of Ellington delight in exploring moods and emotions. Bassless and drumless, Don't Get Around Much Anymore is on the suicidal side of wistful, with Kerr’s exposed vocals supported by solid piano chords, while I'm Beginning To See The Light is gleefully intimate, Garrick's fingers falling over themselves in an exuberant solo.
Paul Moylan's double bass edges in on the action for a few numbers and a typically lush passage on In A Sentimental Mood sees Trudys Golden Syrup voice backed by a deep, rich bass that stretches out to take in the vocal line too.
A few Garrick pieces nestle between the Ellington standards. October Woman features a Satie-like piano solo, and on the swelling Song By The Sea piano and voice soar over bowed bass, brought back to earth with clunky chords.
Although most of Like Minds features introspective ballads, there's an individual craftsmanship in each phrase that makes this a surprisingly satisfying listen.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you choose to use this review on your site please link back to this page.
Comments
A surprisingly satisfying listen.
Kathryn Shackleton 2009-03-12
Australian singer Trudy Kerr headlines on Like Minds, but this is really a duo gig with legendary pianist Michael Garrick. Sometimes called 'the English Ellington', Garrick has been a prolific composer since the 60s, so it's fitting that Like Minds explores the essence of Ellington's music.
Garrick’s gentlemanly-but-maverick playing characterises the album. He paws at the keys on Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me, and Prelude To A Kiss features a solo that sounds like swarming bees. Ponderous chords anticipate the melody in Mood Indigo and Trudy feeds on this to paint a poignant picture of depression.
These interpretations of Ellington delight in exploring moods and emotions. Bassless and drumless, Don't Get Around Much Anymore is on the suicidal side of wistful, with Kerr’s exposed vocals supported by solid piano chords, while I'm Beginning To See The Light is gleefully intimate, Garrick's fingers falling over themselves in an exuberant solo.
Paul Moylan's double bass edges in on the action for a few numbers and a typically lush passage on In A Sentimental Mood sees Trudys Golden Syrup voice backed by a deep, rich bass that stretches out to take in the vocal line too.
A few Garrick pieces nestle between the Ellington standards. October Woman features a Satie-like piano solo, and on the swelling Song By The Sea piano and voice soar over bowed bass, brought back to earth with clunky chords.
Although most of Like Minds features introspective ballads, there's an individual craftsmanship in each phrase that makes this a surprisingly satisfying listen.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you choose to use this review on your site please link back to this page.
Comments
Saturday, 24 October 2009
THE COUNT
[edit] Early life
William James Basie was born to Harvey Lee Basie, and Lillian Ann Childs, who lived on Mechanic Street in Red Bank, New Jersey.[1][2] His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several families in the area.[3] His mother, a piano player who gave William his first piano lessons, took in laundry and baked cakes for sale and paid 25 cents a lesson for piano instruction for him.[4][5]
Basie was not much of a scholar and instead dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by the carnivals which came to town. He only got as far as junior high school.[6] He would hang out at the Palace theater in Red Bank and did occasional chores for the management, which got him free admission to the shows. He also learned to operate the spotlights for the vaudeville shows. One day, when the pianist didn’t arrive by show time, Basie took his place. Playing by ear, he quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to silent movies.[7]
Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. However, the obvious talents of another young Red Bank area drummer, Sonny Greer (who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951), discouraged Basie and he switched to piano exclusively by age 15.[4] They played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then Basie was playing with pick up groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson’s “Kings of Syncopation”.[8] When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs in Asbury Park, playing at the Hongkong Inn, until a better player took his place.[9]
[edit] Early career
Around 1924, he went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, living down the block from the Alhambra Theater. Early after his arrival, he bumped into Sonny Greer, who was then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington’s early band.[10] Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were making the scene, including Willie “the Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson.
Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies as part of the Hippity Hop show; on the Keith, the Columbia Burlesque, and the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singers Katie Krippen and Gonzelle White[11][12]. His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. Throughout his tours, Basie met many great jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong.[13]
Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie got his first steady job at Leroy’s, a place known for its piano players and its “cutting contests”, The place catered to “uptown celebrities”, and typically the band winged every number without sheet music (using “head” arrangements).[14] He met Fats Waller, who was playing organ at the Lincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City).[15] As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie “the Lion” Smith helped Basie out during the lean times arranging gigs at house-rent parties, introducing him to other top musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.[16]
In 1928 Basie was in Tulsa and heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, which featured Jimmy Rushing on vocals.[17] A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).[18]
[edit] Kansas City years
The following year, Basie became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten’s ambition to raise his band to the level of Duke Ellington’s or Fletcher Henderson’s.[19] Where the Blue Devils were ”snappier” and more “bluesy”, the Moten band was classier and more respected, and played in the “Kansas City stomp” style.[20] In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with Eddie Durham, who actually did the notating.[21] During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted.[22] The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of sax man Ben Webster.
When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months as Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms until the band folded, when he returned to Moten's newly re-organized band.[23] When Moten died in 1935 after a surgical procedure, the band unsuccessfully attempted to stay together. Then Basie formed a new band, which included many Moten alumni, with the important addition of tenor saxophone player Lester Young. They played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump".[24] According to Basie, “we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F”. It became his signature tune.[25]
[edit] Hammond and first recordings
Basie and band, with vocalist Ethel Waters, from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City and honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom in Chicago.[26] Right from the start, Basie’s band was noted for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Lester Young complained of Herschel Evans' vibrato, the two were split apart and placed one on each side of the alto players, and soon Basie had the tenor players engaged in “duels”. Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.[27]
In that city in October 1936, members of the band participated in a recording session which producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with".[28] Hammond, according to Basie, had heard Basie’s band over short-wave radio, then he went to Kansas City to check them out.[29] It was Lester Young’s earliest recordings. Those four sides were released under the name Jones-Smith Incorporated because Basie had already signed with Decca Records but had not started recording for them (his first Decca session was January 1937). The sides included: "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Oh, Lady Be Good".[30]
By now, Basie's sound was characterized by his trademark "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Walter Page (bass), Earle Warren (alto sax), Buck Clayton and Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Morton and Dickie Wells (trombone).[31] Lester Young, known as “Prez” by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. Basie became known as “Holy Man”, “Holy Main”, and just plain “Holy”.[32]
Basie favored blues, and he showcased some of the most notable blues singers of the era: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such as Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.
[edit] New York City and the Swing years
When they arrived in New York, they made the Woodside Hotel their base (where they often rehearsed in the basement). Soon, they were booked at the famed Roseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which in his words was something like, “We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing”.[33] Compared to the reigning band of Fletcher Henderson, Basie’s band lacked polish and presentation.[34] Hammond advised and encouraged them, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, more standards, and saving their hottest numbers for later in the show to give the audience a chance to warm up.[35] His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including Pennies from Heaven and Honeysuckle Rose.[36]
Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday and soon she sang with the band. (Holiday didn’t record with Basie, however, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos).[37] The band’s first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with vocalists Holiday and Rushing getting the most attention.[38] Eddie Durham came back to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part their numbers were worked out in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings, and the results written out little if at all. Once they found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their collective memory.[39]
Next, Basie played at the Savoy, which was noted more for jitterbugging, while the Roseland was more of a place for fox-trots and congas.[40] In early 1938, the Savoy was the meeting ground for a “battle of the bands” with Chick Webb’s group. Basie had Holiday and Webb countered with Ella Fitzgerald. As Metronome magazine proclaimed, “Basie’s Brilliant Band Conquers Chick’s”, then it went on in detail,
“Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick’s forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick’s brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick’s thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary”.[41]
The publicity over the battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a big boost and they gained wider recognition, as evidenced by Benny Goodman’s recording of One O'Clock Jump shortly thereafter.[42]
A few months later, Holiday left for Artie Shaw’s band, and was replaced by Helen Humes; she was also ushered in by John Hammond, and stayed with Basie for four years.[43] Co-arranger and trombone player Eddie Durham left for Glenn Miller’s orchestra and was replaced by Dicky Wells. Basie’s 14-man band began playing at the Famous Door, a mid-town nightspot, with a CBS network feed and air conditioning. Their fame took a huge leap.[44] Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from Jimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and Earl Hines) particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief".[45] In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[46]
In 1942, Basie moved to Queens with Catherine Morgan, after being married to her for a few years. On the West Coast, the band did a spot in Reveille With Beverly, a musical starring Ann Miller, and also a "Command Performance" for Armed Forces Radio with Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, Jerry Colonna, and singer Dinah Shore.[47] Other minor movie spots followed including Choo Choo Swing, Crazy House, Top Man, and Hit Parade of 1943.[48] They also started to record with RCA.[49] The war years caused a lot of turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply as swing began to fade, the bebop revolution began, and the era of the pop singer was about to take hold.
[edit] Post war and later years
The big band era appeared to be over after the war (c. 1946), and Basie disbanded the group. For awhile, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined the Universal-International short film 'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. He re-formed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. Basie credits Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band and Norman Granz for getting him into the Birdland club and promoting the new band through recordings on the Mercury, Clef, and Verve labels.[50] The jukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on “head” and more on written arrangements.
Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New JerseyBasie added touches of bebop “so long as it made sense”, and he required that “it all had to have feeling”. Basie’s band was sharing Birdland with bebop greats Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Behind the occasional bebop solos, though, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, “so it doesn’t matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat”.[51] Basie also added flute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied.[52] Soon, they were touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell, Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Letman, and Idris Sulieman, Joe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee (trombone); Paul Quinichette and Floyd Johnson (tenor sax); Marshall Royal and Ernie Wilkins (alto sax); and Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax).[53] Down Beat said, Basie “has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this”.[54]
In 1954, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially strong in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950’s; These countries were the stomping grounds for many ex-patriate jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, notably "Lil Darlin'". By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the pre-eminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the “Birdland Stars of 1955”, whose lineup included Sarah Vaughan, Erroll Garner, Lester Young, George Shearing, and Stan Getz.[55]
In 1957, Basie released the live album At Newport. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album.[56] The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Judy Garland, Vera Lynn, and Mario Lanza.[57] In 1959, Basie’s band recorded a “greatest hits” double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger) and
William James Basie was born to Harvey Lee Basie, and Lillian Ann Childs, who lived on Mechanic Street in Red Bank, New Jersey.[1][2] His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several families in the area.[3] His mother, a piano player who gave William his first piano lessons, took in laundry and baked cakes for sale and paid 25 cents a lesson for piano instruction for him.[4][5]
Basie was not much of a scholar and instead dreamed of a traveling life, inspired by the carnivals which came to town. He only got as far as junior high school.[6] He would hang out at the Palace theater in Red Bank and did occasional chores for the management, which got him free admission to the shows. He also learned to operate the spotlights for the vaudeville shows. One day, when the pianist didn’t arrive by show time, Basie took his place. Playing by ear, he quickly learned to improvise music appropriate to silent movies.[7]
Though a natural at the piano, Basie preferred drums. However, the obvious talents of another young Red Bank area drummer, Sonny Greer (who was Duke Ellington's drummer from 1919 to 1951), discouraged Basie and he switched to piano exclusively by age 15.[4] They played together in venues until Greer set out on his professional career. By then Basie was playing with pick up groups for dances, resorts, and amateur shows, including Harry Richardson’s “Kings of Syncopation”.[8] When not playing a gig, he hung out at the local pool hall with other musicians where he picked up on upcoming play dates and gossip. He got some jobs in Asbury Park, playing at the Hongkong Inn, until a better player took his place.[9]
[edit] Early career
Around 1924, he went to Harlem, a hotbed of jazz, living down the block from the Alhambra Theater. Early after his arrival, he bumped into Sonny Greer, who was then the drummer for the Washingtonians, Duke Ellington’s early band.[10] Soon, Basie met many of the Harlem musicians who were making the scene, including Willie “the Lion” Smith and James P. Johnson.
Basie toured in several acts between 1925 and 1927, including Katie Krippen and Her Kiddies as part of the Hippity Hop show; on the Keith, the Columbia Burlesque, and the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuits; and as a soloist and accompanist to blues singers Katie Krippen and Gonzelle White[11][12]. His touring took him to Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Chicago. Throughout his tours, Basie met many great jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong.[13]
Back in Harlem in 1925, Basie got his first steady job at Leroy’s, a place known for its piano players and its “cutting contests”, The place catered to “uptown celebrities”, and typically the band winged every number without sheet music (using “head” arrangements).[14] He met Fats Waller, who was playing organ at the Lincoln Theater accompanying silent movies, and Waller taught him how to play that instrument (Basie later played organ at the Eblon Theater in Kansas City).[15] As he did with Duke Ellington, Willie “the Lion” Smith helped Basie out during the lean times arranging gigs at house-rent parties, introducing him to other top musicians, and teaching him some piano technique.[16]
In 1928 Basie was in Tulsa and heard Walter Page and his Famous Blue Devils, one of the first big bands, which featured Jimmy Rushing on vocals.[17] A few months later, he was invited to join the band, which played mostly in Texas and Oklahoma. It was at this time that he began to be known as "Count" Basie (see Jazz royalty).[18]
[edit] Kansas City years
The following year, Basie became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City, inspired by Moten’s ambition to raise his band to the level of Duke Ellington’s or Fletcher Henderson’s.[19] Where the Blue Devils were ”snappier” and more “bluesy”, the Moten band was classier and more respected, and played in the “Kansas City stomp” style.[20] In addition to playing piano, Basie was co-arranger with Eddie Durham, who actually did the notating.[21] During a stay in Chicago, Basie recorded with the band. He occasionally played four-hand piano and dual pianos with Moten, who also conducted.[22] The band improved with several personnel changes, including the addition of sax man Ben Webster.
When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months as Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms until the band folded, when he returned to Moten's newly re-organized band.[23] When Moten died in 1935 after a surgical procedure, the band unsuccessfully attempted to stay together. Then Basie formed a new band, which included many Moten alumni, with the important addition of tenor saxophone player Lester Young. They played at the Reno Club and sometimes were broadcast on local radio. Late one night with time to fill, the band started improvising. Basie liked the results and named the piece "One O'Clock Jump".[24] According to Basie, “we hit it with the rhythm section and went into the riffs, and the riffs just stuck. We set the thing up front in D-flat, and then we just went on playing in F”. It became his signature tune.[25]
[edit] Hammond and first recordings
Basie and band, with vocalist Ethel Waters, from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)At the end of 1936, Basie and his band, now billed as Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm, moved from Kansas City and honed their repertoire at a long engagement at the Grand Terrace Ballroom in Chicago.[26] Right from the start, Basie’s band was noted for its rhythm section. Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. When Lester Young complained of Herschel Evans' vibrato, the two were split apart and placed one on each side of the alto players, and soon Basie had the tenor players engaged in “duels”. Many other bands later adapted the split tenor arrangement.[27]
In that city in October 1936, members of the band participated in a recording session which producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with".[28] Hammond, according to Basie, had heard Basie’s band over short-wave radio, then he went to Kansas City to check them out.[29] It was Lester Young’s earliest recordings. Those four sides were released under the name Jones-Smith Incorporated because Basie had already signed with Decca Records but had not started recording for them (his first Decca session was January 1937). The sides included: "Shoe Shine Boy", "Evening", "Boogie Woogie", and "Oh, Lady Be Good".[30]
By now, Basie's sound was characterized by his trademark "jumping" beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. His personnel around 1937 included: Lester Young and Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), Walter Page (bass), Earle Warren (alto sax), Buck Clayton and Harry Edison (trumpet), Benny Morton and Dickie Wells (trombone).[31] Lester Young, known as “Prez” by the band, came up with nicknames for all the other band members. Basie became known as “Holy Man”, “Holy Main”, and just plain “Holy”.[32]
Basie favored blues, and he showcased some of the most notable blues singers of the era: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. He also hired arrangers who knew how to maximize the band's abilities, such as Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.
[edit] New York City and the Swing years
When they arrived in New York, they made the Woodside Hotel their base (where they often rehearsed in the basement). Soon, they were booked at the famed Roseland Ballroom for the Christmas show. Basie recalled a review, which in his words was something like, “We caught the great Count Basie band which is supposed to be so hot he was going to come in here and set the Roseland on fire. Well, the Roseland is still standing”.[33] Compared to the reigning band of Fletcher Henderson, Basie’s band lacked polish and presentation.[34] Hammond advised and encouraged them, and they soon came up with some adjustments, including softer playing, more solos, more standards, and saving their hottest numbers for later in the show to give the audience a chance to warm up.[35] His first official recordings for Decca followed, under contract to agent MCA, including Pennies from Heaven and Honeysuckle Rose.[36]
Hammond introduced Basie to Billie Holiday and soon she sang with the band. (Holiday didn’t record with Basie, however, as she had her own record contract and preferred working with small combos).[37] The band’s first appearance at the Apollo Theater followed, with vocalists Holiday and Rushing getting the most attention.[38] Eddie Durham came back to help with arranging and composing, but for the most part their numbers were worked out in rehearsal, with Basie guiding the proceedings, and the results written out little if at all. Once they found what they liked, they usually were able to repeat it using their collective memory.[39]
Next, Basie played at the Savoy, which was noted more for jitterbugging, while the Roseland was more of a place for fox-trots and congas.[40] In early 1938, the Savoy was the meeting ground for a “battle of the bands” with Chick Webb’s group. Basie had Holiday and Webb countered with Ella Fitzgerald. As Metronome magazine proclaimed, “Basie’s Brilliant Band Conquers Chick’s”, then it went on in detail,
“Throughout the fight, which never let down in its intensity during the whole fray, Chick took the aggressive, with the Count playing along easily and, on the whole, more musically scientifically. Undismayed by Chick’s forceful drum beating, which sent the audience into shouts of encouragement and appreciation and casual beads of perspiration to drop from Chick’s brow onto the brass cymbals, the Count maintained an attitude of poise and self-assurance. He constantly parried Chick’s thundering haymakers with tantalizing runs and arpeggios which teased more and more force from his adversary”.[41]
The publicity over the battle, before and after, gave the Basie band a big boost and they gained wider recognition, as evidenced by Benny Goodman’s recording of One O'Clock Jump shortly thereafter.[42]
A few months later, Holiday left for Artie Shaw’s band, and was replaced by Helen Humes; she was also ushered in by John Hammond, and stayed with Basie for four years.[43] Co-arranger and trombone player Eddie Durham left for Glenn Miller’s orchestra and was replaced by Dicky Wells. Basie’s 14-man band began playing at the Famous Door, a mid-town nightspot, with a CBS network feed and air conditioning. Their fame took a huge leap.[44] Adding to their play book, Basie received arrangements from Jimmy Mundy (who had also worked with Benny Goodman and Earl Hines) particularly for "Cherokee", "Easy Does It", and "Super Chief".[45] In 1939, Basie and his band made a major cross-country tour, including their first West Coast dates. A few months later, Basie quit MCA and signed with the William Morris Agency, who got them better fees.[46]
In 1942, Basie moved to Queens with Catherine Morgan, after being married to her for a few years. On the West Coast, the band did a spot in Reveille With Beverly, a musical starring Ann Miller, and also a "Command Performance" for Armed Forces Radio with Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Carmen Miranda, Jerry Colonna, and singer Dinah Shore.[47] Other minor movie spots followed including Choo Choo Swing, Crazy House, Top Man, and Hit Parade of 1943.[48] They also started to record with RCA.[49] The war years caused a lot of turn over, and the band worked many play dates with lower pay. Dance hall bookings were down sharply as swing began to fade, the bebop revolution began, and the era of the pop singer was about to take hold.
[edit] Post war and later years
The big band era appeared to be over after the war (c. 1946), and Basie disbanded the group. For awhile, he performed in combos, sometimes stretched to an orchestra. In 1950, he headlined the Universal-International short film 'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. He re-formed his group as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952. Basie credits Billy Eckstine, a top male vocalist of the time, for prompting his return to Big Band and Norman Granz for getting him into the Birdland club and promoting the new band through recordings on the Mercury, Clef, and Verve labels.[50] The jukebox era had begun, and Basie shared the exposure along with early rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues artists. Basie's new band was more of an ensemble group, with fewer solo turns, and relying less on “head” and more on written arrangements.
Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New JerseyBasie added touches of bebop “so long as it made sense”, and he required that “it all had to have feeling”. Basie’s band was sharing Birdland with bebop greats Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Behind the occasional bebop solos, though, he always kept his strict rhythmic pulse, “so it doesn’t matter what they do up front; the audience gets the beat”.[51] Basie also added flute to some numbers, a novelty at the time that became widely copied.[52] Soon, they were touring and recording again. The new band included: Paul Campbell, Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Letman, and Idris Sulieman, Joe Newman (trumpet); Jimmy Wilkins, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee (trombone); Paul Quinichette and Floyd Johnson (tenor sax); Marshall Royal and Ernie Wilkins (alto sax); and Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax).[53] Down Beat said, Basie “has managed to assemble an ensemble that can thrill both the listener who remembers 1938 and the youngster who has never before heard a big band like this”.[54]
In 1954, the band made its first European tour. Jazz was especially strong in France, The Netherlands, and Germany in the 1950’s; These countries were the stomping grounds for many ex-patriate jazz stars who were either resurrecting their careers or sitting out the years of racial divide in the United States. Neal Hefti began to provide arrangements, notably "Lil Darlin'". By the mid-1950s, Basie's band had become one of the pre-eminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. They also toured with the “Birdland Stars of 1955”, whose lineup included Sarah Vaughan, Erroll Garner, Lester Young, George Shearing, and Stan Getz.[55]
In 1957, Basie released the live album At Newport. "April in Paris" (arrangement by Wild Bill Davis) was a best-selling instrumental and the title song for the hit album.[56] The Basie band made two tours in the British Isles and on the second, they put on a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, along with Judy Garland, Vera Lynn, and Mario Lanza.[57] In 1959, Basie’s band recorded a “greatest hits” double album The Count Basie Story (Frank Foster, arranger) and
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Thursday, 8 October 2009
à´¬്à´°്à´°ുà´¸് Eskovitz.
bruceeskovitz.com > bio
Jazz Composer/Saxophonist, Dr. Bruce Eskovitz was eleven years old when he fell in love with the sound of the tenor saxophone, and by the age of thirteen had begun his professional playing career. While other Southern California teenagers tuned in to rock n' roll, Bruce hung out with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Stan Getz records until he could play their sound. By the age of twenty, Bruce was composing music for "The Merv Griffin Show." He remembers handing Plas Johnson and Ray Brown his tunes and was encouraged by their positive reaction.
Today Dr. Bruce resides in Culver City, CA and has been busy in 2008 promoting his fifth jazz album, Invitation (Pacific Coast Jazz), performed by the Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra (BEJO), an exciting nine-piece ensemble featuring some of the best jazz musicians in Los Angeles. Previous albums include: Regions, again with the Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra, Bruce Eskovitz/Bill Mays, Conversations (Azica), One for Newk (KOCH Jazz), a tribute to Sonny Rollins which received a 5 star rating. Newk (KOCH Jazz), a tribute to Sonny Rollins which received a 5 star rating in The All Music Guide to Jazz (www.allmusic.com).
received a 5 star rating. Today he is promoting Album #6, One For Newk II (Pacific Coast Jazz), a technically updated version of the 1995 album. One For Newk (original and II) features some of the most respected musicians in the jazz arena today: Bill Mays on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, Larance Marable on drums, Charlie Shoemake on vibes, and a guest appearance by saxophone great Ernie Watts on the classic "Tenor Madness.”
Dr. Bruce Eskovitz is in demand as a jazz artist on the L.A. jazz club scene where he appears regularly at Catalina Bar and Grill, Charlie O’s, Steamers, Jax Bar and Grill, The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival, Beverly Hills Affaire in the Garden, The Lighthouse, Café 322, Industry Café & Jazz and Cava.
Dr. Bruce has performed and recorded with many great and diverse artists, including Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen, Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Webb, Bill Watrous, Elliot Smith, Dwight Yoakum, Jane Monheit, The Fifth Dimension, Rita Moreno, Jack Jones, Bobby Vinton, Shari Lewis, Ernie Watts, and many other celebrities. He plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, flutes and clarinets. Some of his other compositional and performance credentials include the Los Angeles productions of "Beatlemania" and "Timbuktu," countless records and jingles, The John Davidson Show, The Danny Gans Show, The Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase, the ABC TV show Santa Barbara, Ollie Mitchell's Sunday Band, Frank Capp’s Juggernaut, and "The New American Orchestra." He is currently fronting his band BEJO (Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra) featuring some of the best jazz musicians in Los Angeles.
Dr. Bruce’s career as an educator boasts several major accomplishments: he is Director of the Instrumental Music Program at the prestigious Windward School in West Los Angeles. Previously he was a full time lecturer at The University of Southern California where he directed the Jazz Ensemble Program, taught jazz theory, as well as saxophone and jazz improvisation; he founded the award winning Jazz Music Studies Program at Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, CA, where he maintains his role as Artist-in-Residence. Dr. Bruce is also active as a clinician and soloist.
Dr. Bruce holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in Jazz Composition, a Masters degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Music from California State University Northridge.
For booking information, please email Dr. Bruce at drbruce@bruceeskovitz.com.
Design by Gary Oberparleiter
Jazz Composer/Saxophonist, Dr. Bruce Eskovitz was eleven years old when he fell in love with the sound of the tenor saxophone, and by the age of thirteen had begun his professional playing career. While other Southern California teenagers tuned in to rock n' roll, Bruce hung out with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Stan Getz records until he could play their sound. By the age of twenty, Bruce was composing music for "The Merv Griffin Show." He remembers handing Plas Johnson and Ray Brown his tunes and was encouraged by their positive reaction.
Today Dr. Bruce resides in Culver City, CA and has been busy in 2008 promoting his fifth jazz album, Invitation (Pacific Coast Jazz), performed by the Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra (BEJO), an exciting nine-piece ensemble featuring some of the best jazz musicians in Los Angeles. Previous albums include: Regions, again with the Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra, Bruce Eskovitz/Bill Mays, Conversations (Azica), One for Newk (KOCH Jazz), a tribute to Sonny Rollins which received a 5 star rating. Newk (KOCH Jazz), a tribute to Sonny Rollins which received a 5 star rating in The All Music Guide to Jazz (www.allmusic.com).
received a 5 star rating. Today he is promoting Album #6, One For Newk II (Pacific Coast Jazz), a technically updated version of the 1995 album. One For Newk (original and II) features some of the most respected musicians in the jazz arena today: Bill Mays on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, Larance Marable on drums, Charlie Shoemake on vibes, and a guest appearance by saxophone great Ernie Watts on the classic "Tenor Madness.”
Dr. Bruce Eskovitz is in demand as a jazz artist on the L.A. jazz club scene where he appears regularly at Catalina Bar and Grill, Charlie O’s, Steamers, Jax Bar and Grill, The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival, Beverly Hills Affaire in the Garden, The Lighthouse, Café 322, Industry Café & Jazz and Cava.
Dr. Bruce has performed and recorded with many great and diverse artists, including Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen, Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Jimmy Webb, Bill Watrous, Elliot Smith, Dwight Yoakum, Jane Monheit, The Fifth Dimension, Rita Moreno, Jack Jones, Bobby Vinton, Shari Lewis, Ernie Watts, and many other celebrities. He plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, flutes and clarinets. Some of his other compositional and performance credentials include the Los Angeles productions of "Beatlemania" and "Timbuktu," countless records and jingles, The John Davidson Show, The Danny Gans Show, The Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase, the ABC TV show Santa Barbara, Ollie Mitchell's Sunday Band, Frank Capp’s Juggernaut, and "The New American Orchestra." He is currently fronting his band BEJO (Bruce Eskovitz Jazz Orchestra) featuring some of the best jazz musicians in Los Angeles.
Dr. Bruce’s career as an educator boasts several major accomplishments: he is Director of the Instrumental Music Program at the prestigious Windward School in West Los Angeles. Previously he was a full time lecturer at The University of Southern California where he directed the Jazz Ensemble Program, taught jazz theory, as well as saxophone and jazz improvisation; he founded the award winning Jazz Music Studies Program at Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, CA, where he maintains his role as Artist-in-Residence. Dr. Bruce is also active as a clinician and soloist.
Dr. Bruce holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in Jazz Composition, a Masters degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Music from California State University Northridge.
For booking information, please email Dr. Bruce at drbruce@bruceeskovitz.com.
Design by Gary Oberparleiter
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