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Count Basie
artist

Count Basie

Count Basie is a jazz artist from United States. 113 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Jazz · United States · Best jazz albums

113
Releases
1957–1984
Active years
1984
Died

Discography

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Our Shining Hour cover

Most popular

Our Shining Hour

1991 · 12 tracks

Live & compilations

14

Credits

1

Records Count Basie worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Collaborators

3

Community

More about Count Basie

Count Basie at a glance

Born in
Red Bank
From
United States
Active since
1924
Instruments
organ, piano, Hammond organ, jazz piano
Member of
Count Basie Orchestra
Labels
Mercury Records, RCA Records, Decca, Apex
Spouse
Catherine Basie

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. His mother first taught him piano and he started performing in his teens. Dropping out of school, he learned to operate lights for vaudeville and to improvise accompaniment for silent films at a local movie theater in his town of Red Bank, New Jersey. By 16, he increasingly played jazz piano at parties, resorts and other venues. In 1924, he went to Harlem, where his performing career expanded; he toured with groups to the major jazz cities of Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City. In 1929 he joined Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City, and played with them until Moten's death in 1935.

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That year Basie formed his own jazz 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, and others. Many notable 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 and singers Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams. Basie's theme songs were "One O'Clock Jump," developed in 1935 in the early days of his band, and "April In Paris".

Count Basie in brief

How many Count Basie releases are on Riffiter?
113 releases are catalogued, spanning 1957 to 2024.
What genre is Count Basie?
Count Basie is catalogued under Jazz, Swing.
What is the most recent Count Basie release on Riffiter?
The Complete Clef & Verve Fifties Studio Recordings, released in 2024.
Who is Count Basie married to?
Count Basie is married to Catherine Basie.

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