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To Count Basie

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To Count Basie DOWN BEAT NEWS Chicago, November 17, 1950 Chi Beat' Selects Bill Basie As Seventh In Bouquets To Living' Series * Bea thei New Swe< Eun colle turni the then folio the venu «choi Tl Chicago—More picture* proving that Bill Basie got photo are Axel Slordahl, Benny Goodman, and Mel PoweU. the time the third picture was taken. Hammond of course around First shows drummer Buddy Rich leaning on the Two men in the front shouldn’t be hard to recognise either, had a great hand in bringing the Basie band from Kansa Count, while, back towards the left can be seen the Beat's Frank Sinatra and Basie. John Hammond, Count, and BiUy City aa Ralph Gleason’s story in this issue will teU you i> Mike Levin. Left to right in the back row of the second Eckstine shared a table at the Yacht dub on 52nd St. at detail. White” that brought Basie to Kan­ a drummer in St. Louis who was bands. That’s what we had to play E sas City. He had been touring the really cutting it up, so Basie sent œ8ite. We’d never played a snow Royal To France 'Bouquets’ To Keith Circuit for a couple of years for Jo Jones. “Jo just came in and re, but we had a two-day re­ New York—Ernie Royal, hig manj with the act when they were took the job,” Count remembers. hearsal and everyone was in our note trumpeter last with Duke El recor stranded in K.C. Basie got himself Then he added alto Buster Smith corner.” lington, has left for France, wher ish M Sei Count Basie a job in the Avalon theater and and brought in Lester Young from After the Grand Terrace the he will front a group of Frenc musicians. Corte (Jumped from Page One) then started the assembly of the Minneapolis. group hit Pittsburgh, the first band that made Kansas City a ut I Men Joined colored band to play a hotel there, Swed with aspirations to be a drummer. household word in jazz. and then came into New York to graved the style and the legem That ia until he ran into Sonny That band had three brass, three cially Heard the Gang reeds, and three rhythm. Buck the Roseland. on the face of America. Basie was be ol Greer, another Jerseyite. “Sonny Their first records, the Jones- it, and his sidemen were it, and hii discouraged me on drums, so I got While on tour with the Gonzel Clayton joined them, coming in the S Smith, Inc., date for Vocalion, had records were it for a long time. tors off them and onto piano.” White show, Basie was in a hotel from L.A., and Lips used to emcee, in Tulsa, Okla., one morning when sing, and occasionally sit in the been cut in Chicago and in Jan­ Broke It Up sourc A Red Bank teacher—“a won­ he heard “music that sounded like trumpet section. They broadcast uary, 1937, while at the Roseland, to all derful German lady named Hollo­ they started the great Decca series. The war broke up the Basi Louis and the gang. I went from regularly over a local station and band. Most of them were drafted An way”—was his first teacher at the room to room to see who had those got 921 a week for seven nights’ At the Roseland they were studi< good old price of a quarter a les­ scared. Woody’s band had good ar­ and although he had good bi| records and I found it was coming work, starting at 10 p.m. and go­ bands after that, they neve good son ! Obviously Count was more from the street. Out there, on a ing on until 4 or 5 in the morning. rangements and “all we could do durin interested in ragtime than in Bach was to do it the way it ought to seemed to click. Finally the roat wagon advertising a dance that And the Sunday breakfast dances got to be too tough to operate. Th U.SJ and Chopin, so he branched out on night, was the most wonderful swing and that’s what we tried jazz i his own. His mother (he was an lasted till 8, 9, or 10 in the morn­ to do.” Basie band, like so many others trumpet and band I had heard ing, Basie recalls. “Yeah, 92.50 a simply couldn’t make it on th infon only child) played a little piano, since I left New York. It was Lips Started at Door leagu and ragtima was the jazz of the night. You were happy when you road. Page and Walter Page and the Actually nothing happened day. got one of those good 94 gigs at a much This year. Count scrapped hit Blue Devils. I followed that wagon club!” with the band at that point, Basie big unit and concentrated on hit all over town.” says, not even when they went up Th< That was the band John Ham­ small group. Aftei working tha' have Aside fropi some gigs around the A few days later, both groups mond heard on the radio which so to that historic date at the Ritz- out to his satisfaction and notini Carlton in Boston which the Back tance home town, Basie’s first profes­ were in Oklahoma City, and the excited him he determined to do the current trends in music, h< war sional experience was with vaude­ pianist of the Blue Devils, a dimly something about them. “John said Bay will never forget. It wasn’t has decided to come back with 1 ville acts in New York. He took remembered man named “T.B.” got until they hit the Famous Door Carte we had to enlarge the group,” big band. With that unit as 1 gar 1 Fats Waller’s place in an act called sick and Basie took his place for Basie recalls, so they added Her­ that anything started. It waa an center to build on he can’t mis? “Katie Crippen & Her Kids’’ and a breakfast dance. innovation, child of the brains of and 1 schel Evans, that marvelous tenor having a swinging, jumping band Don in another show called “Hippity That did it. He never got those destined to die so soon. Herschel Willard Alexander and John Ham­ and that’s what he wants. Hop.” On this latter deal, young guys out of his mind—and still mond, who felt something had to Byas had been with Basie in the Moten There’s a Future Glenn Basie and the two other members hasn’t So when he was working a band and came on from Los An­ be done. They took over the club for the There’s a future in music, Basit by Ri of his trio, Elmer Williams, tenor, single in K.C., he wrote to Walter geles to join. Jacks and Freddy Douglas, trumpet, in­ ana they sent for Basie. For about Basie date tfnd anyone who was believes, though just what will hap Three trombones, George Hunt, big bt sisted they wouldn’t go on the road a year he was with that group, Dan Minor, and Eddie Durham fortunate enough to hear the in­ pen next is anybody’s guess. “Sonu for less than 940 a week, so they “The happiest band I’ve ever been credible sound that band made, kid will come along with something Sidne were added, as well as Claude Wil­ and < got it for a season. in.” liams, who doubled on guitar and stacked in tiers at the end of that that will sound weird to everybody After that came Benny Moten, elongated club and blasting away, at first, but it will catch on.” Elling Came time for the contract re­ fiddle. Jimmy Rushing, of course, Ver newal, and the agent, with a burst and when Benny died, Basie took a was on vocals. will never forget it. Believe me, I What that will be, he doesn’t of kind heartedness, told them they combo into the Reno club in 1934, can remember it yet. When they know. But you can count on one tion o really should get the salary they a group of local youngsters. When To Chicago let you in that door, it was like thing; the Count will be right there Amer Basie had the job set, he sent for Booking agents, interested in jumping into the center of a whirl­ when it happens and will personal throu, Walter Page, Jack Washington, the band by Hammond, got them wind. That sound was almost ly see to it that it swings. Because Gilles time round except they insisted on and Teddy Smith, a trumpeter a date at the Grand Terrace in frightening. “if it don’t swing, you know it come taking 946! from the Blue Devils. Chicago. “Fletcher had a crack The Famous Door date started don’t mean anything!,” Basie smil­ so ma It waa an act called “Gonzel Word had gotten to K.C. about band, one of those good Henderson the Basie romp to the top that en- ingly reiterates. sic th sorbec little 1947. In i Jazz Royalty Seen Backstage At The Apollo, Among Other Places treme: those Chicago — The Count and the King (of Swing) col­ shot are, from the left, Milt Ebbins, Basie, Lynne Sher­ Jacquet at a jam session on a wartime Command Perform­ laborated on a number of musical efforts, which may be man, Goodman, Sonny Burke, and Charlie Christian.
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