During his career, Nestico composed, arranged, or conducted albums for musicians and singers including Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, Natalie Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Toni Tennille, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. Holiday broke new ground with Shaw, becoming one of the first female . based on information from your browser. The band itself carried on into the next century, with Thad Jones, Frank Foster, and Grover Mitchell each assuming leadership for various intervals. Young is described as playing the clarinet in a "liquid, nervous style. [17] Young's playing and health went into a crisis, culminating in a November 1955 hospital admission following a nervous breakdown. One night, while the band was broadcasting on a shortwave radio station in Kansas City, he was dubbed Count Basie by a radio announcer who wanted to indicate his standing in a class with aristocrats of jazz such as Duke Ellington. The resulting song then became both an elegy to Young, and, implicitly, Mingus as well. Allmusic's Scott Yanow, reviewing one of the albums, Pres and Teddy, commented: Although it has been written much too often that Lester Young declined rapidly from the mid-'40s on, the truth is that when he was healthy, Young played at his very best during the '50s, adding an emotional intensity to his sound that had not been present during the more carefree days of the '30s. In December 1943, Young returned to the Basie fold for a 10-month stint, cut short by his being drafted into the army during World War II. Jones also continued a ride rhythm on hi-hat, while it was continuously opening and closing instead of the common practice of only striking it while it was closed. Drag images here or select from your computer for Count Basie memorial. Sources:[22][23]. In contrast to many of his hard-driving peers, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using what one critic called "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike". His third wife was Mary Berkeley. Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.''. ''And that's when the whole fire started,'' said Mr. Alexander. Through Mr. Waller, Mr. Basie got a job as accompanist with a vaudeville act called Katie Crippen and Her Kids. One of jazz music's all-time greats, he won many other Grammys throughout his career and worked with a plethora of artists, including Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald. Count Basie was born in Red Bank. He originally wanted to be a drummer, but he grew up near Sonny Greer, who would become Duke Ellington s legendary drummer in 1919. Young did not fight the charges and was convicted. Meanwhile, keep on listening and tapping your feet. (Count Basie), Well, if you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night! (Count Basie), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. It continues . ''Can you imagine a man who kind of romps around the piano,'' Mr. Shearing said, ''and those tiny tinkling things. Young played clarinet as well as tenor in these sessions. Mr. Basie's musicians had been playing ''head'' arrangements in Kansas City - treatments of the blues or pop tunes that were worked out on the stand. One day he asked me whether I played the organ. After earning his degree, Nestico then returned to the military, where he arranged music for the United States Air Force Band (19501963), as well as leading the Glenn Miller Army Air Corps dance band, which would later become known as the Airmen of Note. He was famous for being a Pianist. Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Count Basie, Birth Year: 1904, Birth date: August 21, 1904, Birth State: New Jersey, Birth City: Red Bank, Birth Country: United States. Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 - March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. [12], Nestico married his second wife, Shirley, in 1995, and was married to her until his death. The pianist Count Basie died at the age of 79. Then he said, 'Bill, I think I'll call you Count Basie from now on. [1] He worked as a drummer and tap-dancer at carnival shows until joining Walter Page's band, the Blue Devils in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. ''He was the only leader in the business who ever went out of his way to help me,'' Mr. Basie said later. His father, Harvey Lee Basie, was a coachman and caretaker; his mother, Lillian Childs Basie, was a laundress, taking in washing and ironing. In 1958, Count Basie became the first African-American male recipient of a Grammy Award. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. [4][12], Nestico published nearly 600 numbers for school groups and many for professional big bands. As one critic put it, they ''put wheels on all four bars of the beat,'' creating a smooth rhythmic flow over which Mr. Basie's other instrumentalists rode as though they were on a streamlined cushion. A system error has occurred. From around 1951, Young's level of playing declined more precipitously as his drinking increased. He was sometimes known as Papa Jo Jones to distinguish him from younger drummer Philly Joe Jones. I sat on the floor watching his feet and using my hands to imitate him. In addition, he played trombone, in the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Despite the presence of Lester Young and Herschel Evans in the saxophone section, Buck Clayton in the trumpet section, Jo Jones on drums, with Jimmy Rushing and, briefly, Billie Holiday as vocalists, the Basie band struggled for a year after it left Kansas City. He began working as an arranger for Count Basie in 1967, and wrote and arranged all the music for Basie's 1968 LP Basie Straight Ahead. (William) Count Basie (1904-1984) was an extremely popular figure in the jazz world for half a century. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. This three-CD compilation celebrates the band's legendary Decca studio recordings made in New York when it was a hard-driving swing outfit on its way to becoming an American institution. The Blue Devils was the first big band I ever had a chance to get close to and really listen to, and it was the greatest thing I had ever heard. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Charles Mingus dedicated an elegy to Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", only a few months after his death. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. This stemmed primarily from the presence in the rhythm section, from 1937 to the present, of both Mr. Basie on piano and Freddie Green on guitar. I said the minute the brass got out of hand and blared and screeched instead of making every note mean something, there'd be some changes made. Jazz critic and record producer John Hammond heard the broadcasts and promptly launched the band on its career. [32] At Minguss request, Joni Mitchell wrote lyrics to Goodbye Pork Pie Hat which incorporated stories Mingus told Mitchell about Young; the song was featured on Mitchells 1979 album release, Mingus, a collaboration instigated by Mingus during the last year of his life as he struggled with the ALS that would kill him. While he recuperated his band continued to fulfill engagements, frequently with Nat Pierce taking Mr. Basie's place at the piano and sometimes with guest conductors such as the trumpeter Clark Terry, who was a member of the Basie band in the 1940's. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Death rate from chronic respiratory diseases. He recorded with trumpeter Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders in 1931, and later joined pianist Count Basie's band in 1934. "Sammy Nestico | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links", "How my father pursued the American Dream", "Sammy Nestico, 'the Rolls Royce of composers and arrangers' in big-band jazz, dies at 96", "Pittsburgh Native writer/arranger/bandleader Sammy Nestico has passed, weeks short of his 97th birthday", "Massillon Museum to offer virtual Q&A with filmmaker", "Sammy Nestico, prolific composer and arranger for Count Basie, dies at 96", "Dave's WOW: Beloved American composer and arranger Sammy Nestico dies at 96", "Count Basie arranger Sammy Nestico has died The Syncopated Times", "Sammy Nestico | Album Discography | AllMusic", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sammy_Nestico&oldid=1130442453, United States Army personnel of World War II, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 05:30. when asking how much a gig was going to pay.[31]. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Here is all you want to know, and more! A group that included some Basie sidemen was on stage, playing in a ragged, desultory fashion, when Mr. Basie arrived. We will continue to update information on Count Basies parents. Unlike many white musicians, who were placed in band outfits such as the ones led by Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw, Young was assigned to the regular army where he was not allowed to play his saxophone. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [8] He became a member of the Bostonians, led by Art Bronson, and chose tenor saxophone over alto as his primary instrument. The family always owned a piano, and Lilly Ann paid twenty-five cents per lesson to . "[12] As well as the Kansas City Sessions, his clarinet work from 193839 is documented on recordings with Basie, Billie Holiday, Basie small groups, and the organist Glenn Hardman. Basie studied music with his mother and was later influenced by the Harlem pianists James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, receiving . Add to your scrapbook. Young left the Basie band in late 1940. Discography. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Jazz Musician. The pianist in the combo gave up his seat to Mr. Basie who sat down, tinkled a few introductory notes, looked up at the drummer, nodded at the rest of the group and, when the combo took off, the musicians were playing as brilliantly and cleanly as they had been disheveled only a few moments before. This effort eventually resulted in the release of 63 albums by Time Life. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. During his last years, he had difficulty walking and rode out on the stage on a motorized wheelchair which he sometimes drove with joyful abandon. Jones performed regularly in later years at the West End jazz club at 116th and Broadway in New York City. On a flight to New York City, he suffered from internal bleeding due to the effects of alcoholism and died in the early morning hours of March 15, 1959, only hours after arriving back in New York, at the age of 49.[26]. standing for detention barracks).[16]. JUMP TO: Count Basies biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. [2][3] Nestico joined the Oliver High School beginner orchestra in 1937 as a trombonist. Their famously empathetic classic recordings with Teddy Wilson date from this era. 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. The 1994 documentary about the 1958 Esquire "A Great Day in Harlem" photograph of jazz musicians in New York, contains many remembrances of Young. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". For a smaller band, the Savoy Sultans had a great swing thing going. I mean, he'll concert you all, and then he'll swing you all, too, you understand, when he's ready to. He left home permanently in 1932 when he became a member of the Blue Devils led by Walter Page. [1] Jones took a brief break for two years when he was in the military, but he remained with Basie until 1948. You can't have a Count Basie collection without going back to the beginning. William Basie was born at 229 Mechanic Street on August 21, 1904. Page, Mr. Basie and Mr. Rushing all joined Bennie Moten's orchestra, the leading big band in the Southwest, which became even stronger with their presence. She was also in physical decline, near the end of her career, yet they both gave moving performances. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? One of Kansas City's own, Ronald McFadden, 66, who together with his brother Lonnie, is well known for entertaining audiences in Kansas City and worldwide, died unexpectedly Monday evening. His daughter, Diane Basie, now 71 and living in Florida. [4][17], Nestico also had a career in music education, teaching at the University of Georgia from 1998 to 1999, where he taught orchestration and conducted the studio orchestra; after which he retired to Carlsbad, California, near San Diego. These performances were generally well attended by other drummers such as Max Roach and Roy Haynes. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Peter Jennings (who was a jazz an) introduces a short feature on the career of Count Basie who died earlier in the day of pancreatic cancer. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? [8] 1956 was a relatively good year for Lester Young, including a tour of Europe with Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet and a successful residency at Olivia Davis' Patio Lounge in Washington, DC, with the Bill Potts Trio. I wanted those three trumpets and two trombones to bite with real guts. His father was a student of the mellophone, and his mother was a pianist. [9] One of Young's key influences was Frankie Trumbauer, who came to prominence in the 1920s with Paul Whiteman and played the C-melody saxophone (between the alto and tenor in pitch).[10]. . When we played pop tunes - and, naturally, we had to - I wanted those pops to kick! With the group becoming highly distinguished for its soloists, rhythm section and style of swing, Basie himself was noted for his understated yet captivating style of piano playing and precise, impeccable musical leadership. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. [19][20][4], Nestico received honorary Doctor of Music degrees from Duquesne University and in 2005 from Shenandoah University. Samuel Louis Nistico (February 6, 1924 January 17, 2021), better known as Sammy Nestico, was an American composer and arranger. During this period Young accompanied the singer Billie Holiday in a couple of studio sessions (19371941) and also made a small set of recordings with Nat "King" Cole (their first of several collaborations) in June 1942. When we played pop tunesand, naturally, we had toI wanted those pops to kick! Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. He was a fine pianist and leader of one of the greatest jazz bands in history. William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Early "in person" recordings. Nestico continued to provide arrangements for Basie until Basie's death in 1984, and four of Nestico's collaborations with Basie earned Grammy . Birth and Death Data: Born August 21st, 1904 (Red Bank . In 2009, Nestico said in an interview "I didn't answer, although I didn't think [Johnson's] concept of music was worth a damn. One of jazz music's all-time greats, bandleader-pianist Count Basie was a primary shaper of the big-band sound that characterized mid-20th century popular music. He made many studio recordings under Granz's supervision as well, including more trio recordings with Nat King Cole. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. When the Page band broke up in 1929, Mr. 208.109.12.159 The story of Count Basie is very much the story of the great jazz band that he led for close to 50 years (1935-1984), an orchestra with a distinctive . Especially noteworthy were the albums featuring the duo of Basie and Oscar Peterson, with Basies economy and Petersons dexterous virtuosity proving an effective study in contrasts. Who are the richest people in the world? Swing-era bandleader noted for his theme songs One OClock Jump from 1937 and April in Paris from 1932. The initials "G.I." All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Corrections? If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. At age 17, Nestico joined the ABC radio station WCAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a trombonist. ''I wanted 13 men to think and play the same way. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Live. The jazz pianist George Shearing said that Mr. Basie's greatest trademark was the three sweet, soft notes that ended many of his great swing-era compositions. He recorded less often with his big band during this era (although when he did, the results were outstanding), concentrating instead on small-group and piano-duet recordings. [12] The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the USAF, sponsor an annual competition, the "Sammy Nestico Award" for composers and arrangers of big band music, named in his honor. Here is all you want to know, and more! Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. After leaving the military, Nestico became a freelance arranger. They were considered a model for ensemble rhythmic conception and tonal balancethis despite the fact that most of Basies sidemen in the 1930s were poor sight readers; mostly, the band relied on head arrangements (so called because the band had collectively composed and memorized them, rather than using sheet music). Count Basies mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. [29], Lester Young is said to have popularized use of the term "cool" to mean something fashionable. Biography - A Short Wiki Swing-era bandleader noted for his theme songs One O'Clock Jump from 1937 and April in Paris from 1932. From 2020 to 2021, the age-adjusted death rate (AADR) increased by 0.7%, from 835.4 to 841.6 per 100,000 standard population. ''He was a wonderful man. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Whereas other pianists were noted for technical flash and dazzling dexterity, Basie was known for his use of silence and for reducing his solo passages to the minimum amount of notes required for maximum emotional and rhythmic effect. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. He would ask, "How does the bread smell?" Discover what happened on this day. Basie was born William James Basie (with some sources listing his middle name as "Allen") on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey. He became an accompanist to the blues singers Clara Smith and Maggie Jones and he worked in a 14th Street dance hall. Instrument (s) Drums. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Stranded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1927, Basie remained there and eventually (in 1935) assumed the leadership of a nine-piece band composed of former members of the Walter Page and Bennie Moten orchestras. [4] In 1939, he wrote his first arrangement. Count Basie. His solo albums eventually earned him four Grammy Award nominations, besides the awards he earned with Count Basie: in 2002 for his album This Is The Moment and for the arrangement "Kiji Takes A Ride"; in 2009 for his album Fun Time; and in 2016 for his arrangement "Good 'Swing' Wenceslas". Finally, Willard Alexander, a booking agent, in an effort to get the band on 52d Street, then the jazz center of New York, made a deal with the Famous Door, a shoebox of a room, 25 feet wide and about 50 feet long, which was having trouble doing business in the summer because it had no air-conditioning. Basie suffered from health issues in his later years, and died from cancer in Hollywood, Florida, on April 26, 1984. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. The funeral service will be at noon on Monday at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, 132 West 138th Street. Nestico is best known for his arrangements for the Count Basie orchestra. [7] Young left the family band in 1927 at the age of 18 because he refused to tour in the Southern United States, where Jim Crow laws were in effect and racial segregation was required in public facilities. During a radio broadcast of the band's performance, the announcer wanted to give Basie's name some pizazz, keeping in mind the existence of other bandleaders like .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Duke Ellington and Earl Hines. 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. During childhood, Sammy Americanized his name to Samuel Louis Nestico. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Is that all right with you?' Jazz Musician. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Fresh out of Kansas City, the Basie band took Manhattan by storm in 1937. Death Year: 1984, Death date: April 26, 1984, Death State: Florida, Death City: Hollywood, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Count Basie Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/count-basie, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: April 14, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. In 1981, Mr. Basie was honored along with Cary Grant, Helen Hayes and other stars as a recipient of Washington's Kennedy Center honors for achievement in the performing arts. According to jazz critic Leonard Feather, who rode with Holiday in a taxi to Young's funeral, she said after the services, "I'll be the next one to go. The pianist Count Basie died at the age of 79. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. He was soon court-martialed. But it sure sounds good.. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Young's career after World War II was far more prolific and lucrative than in the pre-war years in terms of recordings made, live performances, and annual income.

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