All That Jazz

Jazz Fest 2009 - The Top Jazz Festivals Throughout the US

2009-11-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

Jacksonville Jazz Festival

What started out as a one-day, free event in Florida in 1980 has turned into an impressive festival, one of the country's largest, almost 30 years later.

More than just strictly a jazz festival, this event also boasts the Great American Jazz Piano competition, which takes place at the start of the fest. The winner of that gets to play a featured set at the festival, held yearly in Jacksonville's Metropolitan Park.

Wine lovers also have the rare opportunity to not only sample some of the more than 50 featured wines at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, but also speak with representatives from the highlighted wineries. That makes it a double-bonus weekend for devotees of jazz and wine - always a winning combination, anyway. In addition to good drink and good music, good food is served as well at the festival's traditional Sunday morning brunch.

The Jacksonville Jazz Festivals has spotlighted a variety of categories from straight-up jazz - the Ramsey Lewis Trio and Chick Corea - to the smoother side of things with David Sanborn and Chris Botti.

Mt. Hood Jazz Festival

Now in its 28th year, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival offers jazz lovers a premier reason to travel to the beautiful state of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

Not too far out of Portland, the base of majestic Mt. Hood serves as setting for the festival, located in Gresham, Oregon, on the campus of Mt. Hood Community College.

Held in mid-August, the Mt. Hood Jazz festival has certainly seen its share of jazz legends take the stage. Those that have performed at the event that first started back in 1982 include: Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, The Crusaders and Buddy Rich, among others.

The Mt. Hood Adventures in Jazz series also brings in musicians from outside the region to play at various venues in Portland throughout the year.

Telluride Jazz Celebration

Talk about your scenic backdrops.

Located in the middle of the breath-taking San Juan Mountains, the Telluride Jazz Celebration cannot be matched in the landscaping department.

Mountain range above, gorgeous Beer Creek and San Miguel River below - that makes for an amazing setting to listen to jazz.

As such, this festival is definitely for the nature lover. Camping spots are available for those who really want to take advantage of all Telluride, now in its 33rd year of hosting a jazz fest, has to offer. Early June is usually when the Telluride Jazz Celebration is held. A jam-friendly jazz festival, Telluride welcomes an eclectic roster, featuring bands like Licorice, Ozomalti, Benvento-Russo Duo, Rebirth Brass Band and the Jimmy Herring Band.

The festival's Jazz after Dark series takes over the nearby Sheridan Opera House and Nugget Theater.

If the above captioned articles were found to be some interesting you can more such as Kansas City Jazz Fest by clicking here the link.

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Jazz Piano

2009-11-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Jazz piano is one of the most vibrant, energetic, specialized types of music. Famous jazz artists you may want to listen to are Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarret, Bill Evans, to name but a few. To learn jazz piano you need to take some time to listen to jazz CD's and maybe watch DVD's as well. To learn jazz piano, one needs to be very patient and dedicated to practicing the genre.

Jazz piano is characterized by a lot of improvisation. A jazz musician can be given a fake music sheet or chord chart and he can improvise on the spot over those chord progressions. It is recommended that a jazz musician know or have standard songs in their repertoire. Standard songs include songs like "Willow Weep for Me," "Summertime," and "Georgia on My Mind" to name but a few. Standard songs are songs that have been covered by many recording artists in the past, usually every year. For example one may consider the gospel song "Amazing Grace" a standard gospel song because a lot of artists have covered the song throughout the years.

Knowledge of scales and chords are essential tools needed to be a good jazz musician, let alone the technique needed to play this genre. As a jazz musician you will need to practice different types of scales, chords, arpeggios, staccato playing, legato playing, playing chords on the left hand while playing scales in the right hand at the same time.

To learn jazz you need to start with the basics: minor and major scales and minor and major chords. Once you master these then you can go forth to learning advanced chords(jazz chords) and scales. These chords include diminished, dominant, major nine, tritone chords, etc. Advanced scales will entail learning lydian, diminished, chromatic, melodic minor scales, for example.

You must remember that when it comes to playing the piano, it is not how you play but how you play is very essential as well. This is the reason why you need technique: how hard or soft do you play the notes, how you sit at the piano, breathing, how you position your hands and fingers on the piano, playing chords and scales, etc.

You will definitely need resources to play the piano, someone to hold you by the hand. The key to mastering jazz piano is to learn (get as much information as possible), patience and practice!practice!practice!

For more free information on how to play piano please visit: free piano lessons for beginners.

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Adding a Jazz Flavor to Your Piano Playing

2009-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

If you know your piano chords well, try this next step. Say the song you are playing asks for a C7 chord. That is called a dominant seventh. Here's what you do. With your left hand, play just the root and seventh of the chord, so that would be C with your pinky and Bb with your thumb.

Now for the right hand. Go up one half step from the C7 and play a minor chord. This would bring you to C#minor. The notes in a C#minor chord are C#-E-G#. By playing the C and Bb in the left hand, and the C#, E and G# in your right hand, you will be adding a flatted 9th and sharp 5th to the chord. Those chord alterations are very common in jazz and will add a beautiful sound to your chord - lots of flavor for sure!

Here is another way to jazz up a chord. When the required chord is a C, again, play the C and Bb in the left hand. Now with the right hand, go down one whole step from the C and you get Bb. Build a Bb major chord on the Bb. So in the right hand, you will now be playing Bb-D-F. What are those notes in the key of C? They are the 7th, 9th and 11th. Very dissonant but beautiful.

When you put one chord in the right hand and another in the left to achieve these tensions, these are called upper structure chords. Use them wisely. They won't always work for every chord in every song. It's a matter of taste so listen carefully and have fun with it!

Debbie Gruber is the author of many instructional piano CDs, books and DVDs. She operates a private teaching studio in Burlington, MA and holds a Master of Music degree. She is the Creator of http://www.EasyPianoStyles.com and she teaches at many Adult Education Centers in Massachusetts.

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Learn to Play Jazz Piano

2009-11-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

Imagine sitting down at a piano, fingers calmly hovering over the keys. You begin to play, not just any old tune: a jazz tune, a swing full of rhythm, full of improvisation, full of life. It would not be possible without your dedication, your devotion, your training.

Learning jazz piano is not an easy task. To become a jazz musician you must be able to improvise. You must be able to play by ear, take off in a solo, and play with the group. It is a demanding art form to say the least.

Jazz piano is taught to all ages. It is taught at all levels of difficulty. You should have no trouble finding lessons for your level of skill. If you cannot find lessons locally, look online.

There is a ton of Jazz piano music lessons online. There are systematic tutorials, DVDs, CDs, eBooks, videos and more. Some free, the rest ranging from a couple of dollars to hundreds or more.

If you are brand new to Jazz piano there are many beginner lessons available online for free. These free online tutorials are a way for you to break the ice, get down the basics, and begin on your journey to becoming a jazz pianist. You can build confidence, practice the basics, and start the important core work of improvisation all from the comfort of home.

When you begin your training, you should focus on the technical side of jazz first. Apply this to common jazz songs. As you get better, stronger, and more confident with the technical side, move forward with your own improv. Bring out your creativity and explore your senses.

The most important piece of advice is to embrace your jazz piano lessons, never give up. Keep focused. Have fun with it. If you find yourself getting frustrated, if you find yourself not enjoying your lessons, step back. Figure out what is bothering you. Find a way to make it fun, create excitement, and take the work out of it.

Read Aaron's article about jazz instrumental music.

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Jazz Piano Lessons - Jazzing it Up Online

2009-09-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

So you want to learn how to play jazz on the piano. This is really fun and exciting music to play, and there are courses available that can get you playing jazz in no time at all. You will need special instructions in order to learn how to play it, and by far the best place to find jazz piano lessons is online. Take a look at this article to find out why you need a course that includes jazz as part of its course outline, and why regular piano lessons are not good enough.

Jazz is fun

The difference between playing jazz and other forms of music is that you as a performer can interpret the song in your own individual way, and you can play the song a different way every time. There is a certain beat that can be found in jazz that you cannot find anywhere else, and this kind of beat is totally fun and alive. No wonder you have an interest in playing jazz!

The jazz mood

Jazz is so interesting because when you play it the songs will sound different every time based on your mood or the mood of the audience you are performing it to. Your performance of jazz will be directly influenced by your mood when you are playing. If you get together with a few people you will find that jazz takes on a life of its own, and the mood of every individual performer will help decide how a particular piece is performed.

Improvisation

With jazz you are given more freedom to improvise and create. You are able to change the harmonies, the timing and the melodies according to your own personal style and abilities. There is a lot of creativity involved when you play jazz, but the best thing about it is you can change the tone every time you play the same song.

Jazz piano lessons

In order to play jazz properly you will need to have a basic understanding of the piano and reading music. It is also important to learn how to play some music by ear to help you improvise. There are courses available that can instruct you on everything you need to know to become an incredible jazz player.

Jazz piano lessons can be found on the Internet at very affordable prices. Finding a teacher at a music school will be extremely costly, and it is difficult to find one that can teach jazz properly. Most of these instructors are highly qualified to teach classical and traditional music. Your best bet is to go online and find a great course so that you can play the jazz you've always wanted to play.

My name is Bryan and I have been playing the piano for over ten years. I personally know what it takes to become a good piano player. If you want to learn how to play the piano, visit http://www.lifesmusic.com

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Jazz Piano Lessons - A Whole New Approach

2009-09-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Jazz. Just the word alone sounds musical. If you're looking for jazz piano lessons and a new way to play jazz piano, read on!

For the most part, jazz piano lessons begin with the study of chords. And that's a good thing! But chords alone will not help you make music. Sure, chords are important. But so is the other half of learning piano improvisation and that has everything to do with TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION!

This is where the usual jazz piano lesson routine falls apart. You're taught chords yes. But what do you do with these chords? You create music with them.

Now, most jazz students have as their goal, the ability to comp. They want to be part of a trio or duo or some other combination of musical group. The most common of these is the jazz trio. Here we have keyboards, bass, and drums. And this makes a very nice combo. But if you're interested in playing solo, you have a different problem.

The solo jazz pianist has to not only know how to play chords, but how to read from a lead sheet. A lead sheet gives you the chord symbols and the melody line and that is all you need to create your own arrangements.

There are many fine books out there for the aspiring jazz pianist to learn the art of soloing. But one thing most of these books don't teach you is how to improvise and compose YOUR OWN MUSIC!

It's no surprise that there's a shortage on this kind of instruction. It's not in high demand. As I mentioned before, most jazz pianists in training want to learn how to play in a group setting. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to learn how to compose your own music?

If you understand and can play 4 and 8-bar phrases, you're already aware of the importance of repetition and contrast in music. Repetition and contrast are the cornerstones of composition.

Listen, if you're already taking jazz piano lessons and want to learn the art of composition on your own, study and learn how to play in 4 and 8-bar phrases. It will serve you well in the long run.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

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Learn Jazz Piano Voicings - The Key to Making Jazz Interesting For All Instrumentalists

2009-09-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Voicings are no doubt what have given all famous jazz pianists their identity. Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau all use unique, interesting voicings when making music. However, even though the idea of playing jazz is to create something unique and spontaneous, jazz is also a language, and in order to be effective at playing jazz piano, one must understand the standard set of jazz voicings, because there sure as heck is one!

Before we cut to the chase, I want to first identify the difference between a VOICING and a CHORD. A CHORD refers to a set of given CHORD TONES to be used. So a C chord contains the chord tones C, E, and G. BUT, I might VOICE the chord with E under C and G above C. Or E under G under C. So to VOICE the chord is to actively place the chord tones wherever you like.

1) SHELL VOICINGS: The name "shell voicing" speaks for itself. It is the basic framework of the given chord. Shell voicings are useful because they give off the color and characteristic of the chord with the least amount of notes. SO, if I wanted to play a Cmaj7 shell voicing, I might play, from bottom to top, C, B, and E. Try it for yourself. Sit down at the piano, and hold down these notes. It will sound the strongest if you play the C under middle C, B under middle C, and E above middle C.

The concept is that you are playing the ROOT, 3rd, and 7th of the CHORD. However, I VOICED the chord with the ROOT, 7th, THEN 3rd. This concept works with ALL chords. So if I wanted to play a Cmin7 shell instead, I would probably voice it with C, Bb, and Eb.

2) FOUR NOTE VOICINGS: I use these voicings all the time, especially with my left hand when I am taking a solo! So, with a Cmaj7 chord, the chord tones are C, E, G, and B. However, the D ABOVE B also sounds GREAT. So, in this case we have two options. We can either voice the chord using C, E, G, and B, OR we can voice it using E, G, B, and D. If we use the second option, we will stay out of the way of a bass player if we have one, because most likely HE'LL be playing C.

The great thing about four note voicings is that we can invert them! What this means is, if I were to use the second option, I could play it the way it is, or play G, B, D, E, or B, D, E, G, etc. That's a LOT of options! And once again this works with all minor chords and flat seventh chords, too!

Frankly, you ALREADY know enough to get on the bandstand and play voicings that fit behind the soloists and yourself! But, I'll give you one more, which is the bread and butter of modern jazz.

3) FOURTH VOICINGS: Sometimes people call this a "Quartal" voicing. McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea use these voicings ALL the time! The idea behind this is you can take any old scale, say Cmajor which is C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, and play a chord where each note is a fourth away from the next one, but ONLY using notes from that scale.

A fourth away from C is F, a fourth from D is G, etc. So if I have a Cmaj7 chord, one fourth voicing I can play is E, A, and D. I am only using notes in the C major scale, and they're all a fourth apart! But, I can completely do this randomly, with any group of notes, just as long as they're IN THE SCALE, and are each a FOURTH apart! This is the secret to achieving that "hip and modern" sound!

At this point I have given you enough information for you to REALLY start exploring jazz piano voicings over tunes. BUT, mastering jazz piano voicings is a process that takes time, energy, love for the music, and most importantly, the proper guidance. If you visit my blog at http://marksmusicreview.blogspot.com, I will tell you about my journey, and hopefully help you along with yours! Also, if you would like to hear my music, visit my brand new MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/markdanielsjazz

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Jazz Piano

2009-09-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

For more free information on how to play piano please visit: free piano lessons for beginners.

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Art Tatum - The Virtuoso of Jazz Piano

2009-09-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

Being born blind never proved to go against the music in Arthur Tatum Jr's heart. One of the most technically sound pianists, his technique and compositions manage to boggle musicians even in this advanced day and age.

Born on the 13th of October 1909, Arthur Tatum could barely see from one eye after having cataracts in one eye with the other having limited vision - a condition which he had from when he was just months old. A child prodigy, he started by learning how to play the piano rolls from recordings which his mother used to play at home. He slowly started playing duets not knowing that they were meant to be played as duets but playing both the parts himself.

Having learnt to play in this unusual manner, his playing style was very fast which he could surprisingly play with acute accuracy. While he was developing his talent, he also made sure that the piano was always tuned right and would insist that it be tuned right.

He underwent surgery to improve the condition of his eye which didn't give him relief for too long. In around 1930 when he was around 20 years old, he was inflicted which damaged his eye again. He started his career in Ohio where he was born. He later shifted base to New York in 1932.

His music influences grew over the years and he started taking after James P Johnson and Fats Waller who were considered the best stride piano players. His claim to fame was a cutting contest. A cutting contest was a contest between stride piano players in Harlem where one player would "cut" into the piece the other player was playing and in the process try to outdo him. In a cutting contest in 1933, he beat his heroes at the keys - Fats Waller.

At these contests, the standard songs that used to be played were Harlem Strut, Carolina Shout and Handful Keys - all of which were composed between Johnson and Waller. Tatum competed against them with his own arrangement of Tiger Rag - a tune originally composed by the Original Dixie Land Jazz Band. He out beat them and all the other competition making the event one that marked the phasing out of the stride era. After that, he became known to be the authority on the stride style of playing the piano. He held the record for being the best at the instrument only to be challenged by Donald "The Lamb" Lambert who came the closest to challenging Tatum at the instrument that he had come to master.

The immediate reaction of a pianist to one of Tatum's recording would leave him baffled at what he was doing where and how. His fingers flowed like water on the keys. He was consequently free stylist in his method of playing the piano. His mastery of being able to move his fingers fast over the keys of a piano with accuracy like as if one is listening to a sped up version of the player using the same techniques. This allowed him to fly like a breeze through a part that any other pianist would cringe to play because it was difficult.

The technique itself was not the complicated. Jimmy Rowles, an admirer and colleague, confessed that the despite slowing down the faster parts of his signature piece "Tiger Rag", you'd find a perfectly coherent, syncopated rhythm. Taking ground from his stride piano roots, he took the same genius to playing jazz like the good usage of pentatonic scales which allowed for jazz to grow a form of music which was ideal for solos. He influenced many jazz masters of the period like Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Billy Taylor, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea.

Another handy work of the genius that Tatum was is the introduction of swinging the beat of a jazz song. He was firm believer that melody was king which showed in his music. He never attempted going away from the original melody of the song and preferred working with the original melody of the tune innovating with the chord progressions to suit the melody.

The man was such a genius at the piano because most musicians couldn't keep up with his speed and extensive techniques. He will go down in history as the virtuoso of jazz piano.

A free email newsletter on exciting piano chords and chord progressions from Duane Shinn is available free at Exciting Piano Chords & Chord Progressions

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History of Jazz Piano

2009-09-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Jazz piano has been a part of jazz since its beginnings. Piano is one of the rare instruments in a jazz combo which can play chords, unlike saxophone or trumpet which can only play single notes. The early jazz piano was mainly stride. Stride is also known as New York ragtime is a pioneering jazz piano style. It was developed in Harlem during the World war one. As you can see from the name (New York ragtime) it was influenced by ragtime but it featured improvisations, blue notes and swing rhythms which were new in this type of music.

The great performers of that time were Earl Hines, James P. Johnson, Jelly Roll Morton, Willie "The Lion" Smith , Art Tatum, Thomas "Fats" Waller, Mary Lou Williams, Teddy Wilson and many others who often attended cutting contests (battles between stride piano players in the early 1920s) where they showed of their skills.

It continued to develop specially during the 50s and 60s with pianists like Red Garland and McCoy Tyner. In that time one of the most widely spread types of jazz called Free Jazz was becoming more and more popular. Some great works of art still reminds us of that time which surely was a gold age of jazz existence. The beginnings of free jazz can be set with recordings of Ornette Coleman for Contemporary and with the Jazz Advance and Looking Ahead, two great albums by Cecil Taylor.

Today jazz piano is still popular among many pianists just to mention few Michael Weiss, Bill Charlap, Geoffrey Keezer, Brad Mehldau, Mulgrew Miller, Danilo Perez and many others.

To learn more about jazz piano and how to play it visit Learn 2 play piano

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Learn How to Play Jazz Piano

2009-09-25T06:36:00.001-07:00

If you are looking for an instrument that is a little bit different but is still immensely fun to play then one of the best instruments could be the piano with all of its different styles. The piano is one of the most endearing and popular instruments of all time and knowing all about playing jazz piano provides many players with endless amount of fun and many great challenges. Whether it's to entertain friends and family with a unique style of playing or to join a band or ensemble, being able to offer piano improvisation ensures that this style of playing is one that appeals to many.

This means that whether jazz piano chords are what you learn first or you concentrate on building melodies, there are many great options to take your first steps into the world of jazz piano and all that it entails. This type of music may not be at the top of the charts but there has been resurgence in the popularity of jazz in recent years and many key artists of different styles have been known to introduce a jazz style or motif to their own songs. This creates a greater demand for musicians who can play jazz which makes it a useful skill for musicians to have and knowing how to play jazz piano could keep any budding musician busy.

Uncover the spirit of jazz - Learn how to play jazz piano

A major reason why so many people have a fondness of jazz is due to the way that it can take it change its style or speed dramatically and is not as stuck in a traditional style as some other musical styles. People who do not like to be constrained or tied to a generic style appreciate the freedom that jazz allows and piano improvisation is a skill that is greatly admired by many fans of the style. Jazz is becoming increasingly popular and whether it is being played live in a jazz club or on a CD at home, jazz music can bring people together. A lot of this is down to jazz piano chords and the spirit and energy they bring to songs.

The idea of a jazz club conjures up images of a bye gone era when cool people came together in small underground clubs to share the music they loved with people who held similar passions. Jazz may not belong to the mainstream like some musical forms but lovers of this genre are immensely proud and excited with the style of music available. This makes knowing how to play jazz piano an immensely enjoyable hobby for people to have.

Make it up as you go along

One of the best things about jazz music is that everyone can get involved and create their own style or take on a particular style of music that can please a great number of people. There are many instruments which can come together to make a fantastic piece of jazz music but one of the most vital is the piano. This means that piano improvisation skills are a vital part of any jazz musician or bands arsenal and it can really add a great touch to any piece of jazz music. It doesn't matter what type of jazz is your favorite to listen to or your favorite to play, the possibilities for making good jazz are almost limitless and learning the techniques of jazz can help you to create fantastic art forms. This means that having a firm understanding of jazz piano chords is a great way to improve your ability to make great jazz music.

Jazz is cool which makes jazz musicians extremely cool so it is easy to see why there are a great number of people who want to know how to play jazz piano Being able to indulge whilst imitating some of the greats is a fantastic past-time or hobby and a few jazz piano lessons are the ideal way to rekindle or begin a love affair with jazz music. To learn everything you need to know, please visit this website.

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Discover Popular Jazz Piano Chords Online

2009-09-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

A jazz piano chord is much the same as any other piano chord. This means that when you learn the basics of piano chords and theory, you’ll be able to play any type of music, be it gospel or jazz. Many people enjoy the jazz style of music and will benefit from learning those chords that are most often used in jazz music. Once you learn these chords, you’ll be able to play a wide variety of music because you will understand the backbone of notes and scales that are the key to playing music on any instrument.

Any pianist who wants to learn how to play jazz needs to have charts they can reference frequently. You’ll first learn the basic intervals and how chords are built. You’ll also learn how these chords are used differently in each song you play. Once you have mastered the basic intervals of jazz chords, you’ll then be able to move on to advanced chords such as 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, drop voicings, and blues chords.

An online piano course will teach you all the functions of chords including clusters, polytonal clusters, and substitutions. You’ll be provided with numerous charts that you can use for help during practice or when you need to quickly reference a certain jazz piano chord. When you learn to play these jazz chords, you’ll also learn how to play with more harmony, variety, and passion.

Learning online is a great option when you’re starting out on the piano. You can learn at your own pace without having to plan around the schedule of a piano teacher. Online lessons also challenge you at your own playing level. This means that when it’s time to learn those jazz chords, you master one before moving on to the next.

The piano is a wonderful instrument full of history and culture. If you are interested in learning to play the piano, look into taking some lessons to help you learn the basics of all chords, including the most popular jazz chords. No matter where you decide to play the piano, you’ll be ready to play any song once you have the theory basics solidly behind you. You may find that family and friends are asking you to play more often!

At Hear and Play, located at http://www.hearandplay.com, we offer you the programs you need to learn how to play jazz music on the piano. Our online courses are designed to move you along at your own playing level so that you can easily learn and master each jazz piano chord. Contact us today for more details.

Jimmy Rushing American blues shouter

2008-06-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

James Andrew Rushing born August 26, 1903 - died June 8, 1972. He was known to many as Jimmy Rushing. Jimmy was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he was famous and best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.

Jimmy Rushing was known as "Mr. Five by Five". He joined Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927, then moved on and joined Bennie Moten's band in 1929. When Moten died in 1935, Count Basie took over the band and Jimmy stayed until 1948.

Rushing was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on August 26, 1903, into a family with musical talent and accomplishments. His father, Andrew Rushing, was a trumpeter and Jimmy’s mother and brother were singers. Young Jimmy just followed in the family footsteps and was a success, touring the Mid-West and California as an itinerant blues singer in the years 1923 and 1924 before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he sang with Jelly Roll Morton. Rushing got a gig singing with Billy King before moving on to Walter Page's Blue Devils in 1927. He, along with other members of the Blue Devils, defected to the Bennie Moten band in 1929.

Moten died in 1935, and Rushing joined Count Basie for what would be a 13-year gig. Due to his tutelage under his mentor Moten, Rushing was a proponent of the Kansas City jump blues tradition, best evinced by his performances of "Sent For You Yesterday" and "Boogie Woogie" for the Count Basie Orchestra. After leaving Basie, his recording career soared, as a solo artist and a singer with other bands.

When the Basie band broke up in 1950 he briefly retired, then formed his own group. He also made a guest appearance with Duke Ellington for the 1959 album Jazz Party.

His build earned him a nickname and a signature song, "Mr. Five by Five" ("he's five feet tall and he's five feet wide"). His best known recordings are probably "Going to Chicago" with Basie, and "Harvard Blues", with a famous saxophone solo by Don Byas.

Rushing was a powerful singer who had a range from baritone to tenor. He could project his voice so that it soared over the horn and reed sections in a big-band setting. Count Basie claimed that Rushing "never had an equal" as a blues vocalist. George Frazier, author of "Harvard Blues", called Rushing's distinctive voice "a magnificent gargle".

After he became ill with leukemia in 1971, Rushing's performing career ended. He died on June 8, 1972, in New York City, and was buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, in Queens, New York.

A Video Of Count Basie's Take Me Back Baby Featuring Jimmy Rushing

The Count Basie Orchestra with Ledisi in Concert

2008-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Just browsing and found this amazing performance by the Count Basie orchestra, with vocals by Ledisi.
WBGO, January 7, 2008 - From the new Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco, the Count Basie Orchestra showcases its joyous swing sound, together with the big, resounding voice of Bay Area native Ledisi.

Bill Hughes leads the new Basie band, with its rhythmic intensity seeped in the blues. They're joined by a 2008 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist, Oakland's own Ledisi — her latest album Lost & Found has helped her achieve mainstream success. And after many midnights on Toast of the Nation from Yoshi's in Oakland, the expansion of this independent club into San Francisco was a major jazz story in 2007

The concert is presented with the help of KCSM San Mateo and KQED San Francisco, with host Jayne Sanchez.

CLICK HERE For An incredible performance, both by the Count Basie orchestra and Ledisi!

Michel Legrand's 'Watch What Happens'

2008-02-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally have my new piano, a Yamaha P151, it's great!
Below, is Watch What Happens' By Michel Legrand.
Michel Legrand has composed more than two hundred film and television scores, several musicals, and made well over a hundred albums. He has won three Oscars (out of 13 nominations), five Grammys, and has been nominated for an Emmy.
Hope you like it
Haydn
JazzUnleashed

oscar peterson history

2008-01-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (15 August 1925 – 23 December 2007)

Oscar Peterson, in my opinion, was the greatest jazz pianist of all time. Duke Ellington reffered to him as the "Maharaja of the keyboard". He will be dearly missed, but always remembered.

He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received hundreds of other awards and honours over throughout his 65 year + jazz career. Not just me, but many believed him to have been one of the greatest pianists of all time.

I have included some classic numbers in this post, hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

JazzUnleashed
Haydn Huckle

oscar peterson biography

Oscar Peterson grew up in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy, Montreal. It was in this predominantly black neighbourhood that he found himself surrounded by the jazz culture that flourished in the early 20th century. At the age of five, Peterson began honing his skills with the trumpet and piano. However, by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he directed all his attention to the piano. His father, Daniel Peterson, an amateur trumpeter and pianist, was one of his first music teachers, and his sister, Daisy, taught young Oscar the classical piano. Young Oscar was persistent at practicing scales and classical etudes daily, and thanks to such arduous practice he developed his astonishing virtuosity.

As a child, Peterson also studied with Paul de Marky, a student of Franz Liszt, so his training was predominantly based on classical piano school. Meanwhile he was captivated by the traditional jazz and learned several ragtimes and especially the boogie-woogie. At that time Oscar Peterson was called "the Brown Bomber of the Boogie-Woogie."

At age nine he played piano with control that impressed professional musicians. For many years his piano studies included four to six hours of practice daily (only in his later years did Oscar Peterson decrease his daily practice to just one or two hours). In 1940, at age 14 Oscar Peterson won the national music competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. After that victory, he dropped out of school and became a professional pianist working for a weekly radio show, and playing at hotels and music halls.

oscar peterson night train video

Oscar Peterson Influences
Some of the artists who influenced Oscar Peterson's musicianship during the early years were Teddy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, James P. Johnson and the legendary Art Tatum, to whom many have tried to compare Peterson in later years. One of his first exposures to the musical talents of Art Tatum came early in his teen years when his father played Art Tatum's Tiger Rag for him, and Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he became disillusioned about his own playing, in his own words "Tatum scared me to death" and Peterson was "never cocky again" about his mastery of the piano. Tatum was a model for Peterson's musicianship during the 1940s and 1950s. Tatum and Peterson eventually became good friends, although Peterson was always shy about being compared with Tatum, and rarely played the piano in Tatum's presence.

Oscar Peterson has also credited[citation needed] his sister Daisy Sweeney — a noted piano teacher in Montreal who also taught several other noted Canadian jazz musicians — with being an important teacher and influence on his career. Under his sister's tutelage, Oscar Peterson expanded into classical piano training and broadened his range while mastering the core classical pianism from rigorous scales to such staples of every pianist's repertoire as preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Building on Art Tatum's pianism and aesthetics, Oscar Peterson also absorbed Tatum's musical influences, notably from piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov's harmonizations as well as direct quotations from his second piano concerto, are thrown here and there in many recordings by Oscar Peterson, including his work with the Ray Brown and Herb Ellis trio, such as "When Your Lover Has Gone" and other pieces. During the 1960s and 1970s Oscar Peterson made numerous solo recordings that reveal more of his eclectic style that absorbed influences from various genres of jazz, popular and classical music.

oscar peterson girl from ipanema video

Norman Granz
An important step in his career was joining impresario Norman Granz's labels (especially Verve Records) and Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic project. Granz discovered Peterson in a peculiar manner: as the impresario was being taken to the Montreal airport by cab, the radio was playing a live broadcast of Oscar Peterson at a local night club. Granz was so smitten by what he heard that he ordered the driver to take him to the club so he could meet the pianist. So was born a lasting relationship, and Granz remained Peterson's manager for most of his career. In 1949 Granz introduced Peterson at a Carnegie Hall Jazz at the Philharmonic show in New York.

This was more than a managerial relationship. Oscar Peterson praised Granz for standing up for him (and other black jazz people) in the segregationist south of the 1950s and 1960s. For example, in the Canadian Broadcasting Company's two-part documentary video Music in the Key of Oscar, Peterson tells how Granz stood up to a gun-toting southern policeman who wanted to stop the trio from using "white-only" taxi cabs. The entire documentary is a fascinating account of Peterson's life from his Montreal childhood, to his career, to his family relations (with its ups and downs), and includes interviews with Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Ella Fitzgerald. Its narrative ends in 1993, just before Peterson's debilitating stroke.

In the course of his career, Peterson developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive jazz pianist, and became a regular on Canadian radio from the 1940s. His name was already recognized in the United States; however, his 1949 debut at Carnegie Hall, New York City, arranged by Norman Granz, was uncredited: owing to union restrictions his appearance could not be billed.[citation needed]

Through Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic he was able to play with the major jazz artists of the time: some of his musical associates included Ray Brown, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Stéphane Grappelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Anita O'Day, Fred Astaire, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz.

Duets
Peterson made numerous duo performances and recordings with bassists Ray Brown, Sam Jones, and Niels-Henning Pedersen, guitarists Joe Pass, Irving Ashby, Herb Ellis, and Barney Kessel, pianists Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Bennie Green, and Keith Emerson, trumpeters Clark Terry and Louis Armstrong, and many other important jazz players. His 1950s duo recordings with bassist Ray Brown mark the formation of one of the longest lasting partnerships in the history of jazz. Oscar Peterson's 1970's duo with guitarist Joe Pass has been considered one of the highest standards in the genre.

Some of Oscar Peterson's best playing was as an understated accompanist to singers Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and trumpeter Roy Eldridge.

A very young oscar peterson i got rhythm video showing out of this world stride piano playing.

oscar peterson trio
Oscar Peterson redefined the jazz trio by bringing musicianship of all three members to the highest level. The definitive trio with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis was, in his own words "the most stimulating" and productive setting for public performances as well as in studio recordings. In the early 1950s, Peterson began performing with Ray Brown and Charlie Smith as the Oscar Peterson Trio. Shortly afterward the drummer Smith was replaced by guitarist Irving Ashby, formerly of the Nat King Cole Trio. Ashby, who was a swing guitarist, was soon replaced by Barney Kessel. Kessel tired of touring after a year, and was succeeded by Herb Ellis. As Ellis was white, Peterson's trios were racially integrated, a controversial move at the time that was fraught with difficulties with segregationist whites and blacks.

"Oscar Peterson trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival" is widely regarded as the landmark album in Peterson's career, and one of the most influential trios in jazz. Their last recording, "On The Town with the Oscar Peterson trio", recorded live at the Town Tavern in Toronto, captured a remarkable degree of emotional as well as musical understanding between three players. All three musicians were equal contributors involved in a highly sophisticated improvisational interplay. When Herb Ellis left the group in 1958, Peterson and Brown believed they could not adequately replace Ellis.

In the 1970s Oscar Peterson formed another landmark trio with virtuoso guitarist Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass. This trio emulated the success of the 1950's trio with Brown and Ellis, gave acclaimed performances at numerous festivals, and made best-selling recordings, most notably the 1978 double album recorded live in Paris. In 1974 Oscar added British drummer, Martin Drew, and this quartet toured and recorded extensively worldwide.

Quartet
Quartet was a less permanent setting for Oscar Peterson, after the trio, or duo, as it was hard to find equally powerful musicians available for a tightly knit arrangement with him. After the loss of Ellis his next trio eventually turned into a quartet after he added a drummer — first Gene Gammage for a brief time, then Ed Thigpen. In this group Peterson became the dominant soloist. Later members of the group were Louis Hayes, Bobby Durham, Ray Price, Sam Jones, George Mraz and Martin Drew.

Oscar Peterson often formed a quartet by adding a fourth player to his existing trios. He was open to experimental collaborations with jazz stars, such as saxophonist Ben Webster, trumpeter Clark Terry, and vibraphonist Milt Jackson among others. In 1961 Peterson trio with Jackson recorded a highly praised album titled "Very tall."

Further career
From the late 1950s, when Oscar Peterson gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading pianists in jazz, he played in a variety of settings: solo, duo, trio, quartet, small bands, and big bands. However, his solo piano recitals, as well as his solo piano recordings were rare, until he chose to make a series of solo albums titled "Exclusively for my friends." These solo piano sessions, made for the MPS label, were Peterson's response to the emergence of such stars as Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner.

Some cognoscenti assert[citation needed] that Peterson's best recordings were made for the MPS label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. For some years subsequently he recorded for Granz's Pablo Records after the label was founded in 1973. In the 1990s and 2000s he recorded several albums accompanied by a combo for the Telarc label.

In the 1980s he played successfully in a duo with pianist Herbie Hancock. In the late 1980s and 1990s, after the stroke, Peterson made performances and recordings with his protégé Benny Green.

Composer and teacher
Oscar Peterson wrote pieces for piano, for trio, for quartet and for big band. He also wrote several songs, and made recordings as a singer. Probably his best-known composition is "Canadiana Suite."

Oscar Peterson taught piano and improvisation in Canada, mainly in Toronto. He also published his original jazz piano etudes for practice. However, he asked his students to study the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Well Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and the The Art of Fugue, considering these piano pieces essential for every serious pianist. Pianists Benny Green and Oliver Jones were among his students.[15]

Stroke and later years
Peterson had arthritis since his youth, and in later years could hardly button his shirt. Never slender, his weight increased to 125 kg (275 pounds), hindering his mobility. He had hip replacement surgery in the early 1990s. Although the surgery was successful, his mobility still was not good. Somewhat later, in 1993, Peterson suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. Also in 1993 incoming Prime Minister and longtime Peterson fan and friend Jean Chrétien offered Peterson the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, but according to Chrétien he declined, citing the health problems from his recent stroke.

After the stroke, Peterson recuperated for about two years. He gradually regained mobility and control of his hand. However, his virtuosity was never restored to the original level. In 1995 he returned to public performances on a limited basis, and also made several live and studio recordings for the Telarc label. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award, another indication that Peterson continued to be regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to play.

In 2003, Peterson recorded the DVD A Night in Vienna for the Verve label, with Niels Pedersen, Ulf Wakenius and Martin Drew. He continued to tour the U.S. and Europe, though maximally one month a year, with a couple of days' rest between concerts to recover his strength. His accompanists consisted of Ulf Wakenius (guitar), David Young (bass) and Alvin Queen (drums), all leaders of their own groups.

Peterson's health declined rapidly in 2007. He had to cancel his performance at the 2007 Toronto Jazz Festival and his attendance at a June 8, 2007 Carnegie Hall all-star performance in his honour, owing to illness. On December 23, 2007, Oscar Peterson died of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, a western suburb of Toronto. He leaves seven children, his fourth wife (Kelly, several decades younger than him), and their 16-year-old daughter, Celine.

Awards and recognition

Musical awards and recognition
Begone Dull Care is an abstract film presentation of Oscar's music, released in 1949.

His work earned him seven Grammy awards over the years and he was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1978. He also belongs to the Juno Awards Hall of Fame and the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame.

Peterson received the Roy Thomson Award (1987), a Toronto Arts Award for lifetime achievement (1991), the Governor General's Performing Arts Award (1992), the Glenn Gould Prize (1993), the award of the International Society for Performing Artists (1995), the Loyola Medal of Concordia University (1997), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1997), the Praemium Imperiale World Art Award (1999), the UNESCO Music Prize (2000), and the Toronto Musicians' Association Musician of the Year award (2001).

In 1999, Concordia University in Montreal renamed their Loyola-campus concert hall Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in his honour.[19]

In 2005, Peterson celebrated his 80th birthday at the HMV flagship store in Toronto, where a crowd of about 200 gathered to celebrate with him. Diana Krall sang happy birthday to him and also performed a vocal version of one of Peterson's songs "When Summer Comes". The lyrics for this version were written by Elvis Costello, Krall's husband. Canada Post unveiled a commemorative postage stamp in his honour. The event was covered by a live radio broadcast by Toronto jazz station, JAZZ.FM.

Peterson received the BBC-Radio Lifetime Achievement Award, London, England.

"Technique is something you use to make your ideas listenable," he once told jazz writer Len Lyons. "You learn to play the instrument so you have a musical vocabulary, and you practice to get your technique to the point you need to express yourself, depending on how heavy your ideas are."

"Some may criticize Peterson for not advancing, for finding his niche and staying with it for an entire career, but while he may not be the most revolutionary artist in jazz, [the documentary] Music in the Key of Oscar demonstrates that breaking down barriers can be accomplished in more ways than one."

Ray Charles, in Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues - Piano Blues (2003), said "Oscar Peterson is a mother fucking piano player!"

"Miles Davis once commented, 'Nearly everything Peterson plays, he plays with the same degree of force. He leaves no holes for the rhythm section.' But this merely describes the difference between the two players; Davis did not have Peterson's powerful technique, and found a different kind of expression."

Recognition in Canada

Stamp issued by Canada Post in 2005While Oscar Peterson was recognized as a great jazz pianist throughout the world, in Canada he was also seen as a leading personage and statesman. This can be seen in the acclaim and awards he received, especially in the last twenty or so years of his life.

He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, and promoted to Companion, its highest rank, in 1984. He was also a member of the Order of Ontario, a Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec, and an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

From 1991 to 1994 Peterson was chancellor of York University in Toronto. The chancellor is the titular head of the university.

He received honourary doctorates from many Canadian universities: Carleton University, Queen's University, Concordia University, McMaster University, Mount Allison University, the University of Victoria, the University of Western Ontario, York University, the University of Toronto, and the Université Laval, as well as from Northwestern University in the United States.

In 2004 the City of Toronto named the courtyard of the Toronto-Dominion Centre "Oscar Peterson Square".

In 2005, the Peel District School Board (in suburban Toronto) opened the Oscar Peterson school in Mississauga, Ontario. Peterson said, "I must tell you that this is a most unexpected and moving tribute.... I wish to offer thanks for this unexpected honour."

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien wanted to appoint Peterson to the titular post of Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario in 1993, but Peterson felt that his health could not stand up to the many ceremonial duties that this position would require. "He was the most famous Canadian in the world," said Chrétien. Chrétien also said that Nelson Mandela glowed when meeting Peterson: "It was very emotional. They were both moved to meet each other. These were two men with humble beginnings who rose to very illustrious levels."

(http://en.wikipedia.org)

I hope you enjoyed this post and videos, may the name Oscar Peterson live on for ever more!
RIP Oscar Peterson

jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, has died aged 82

2007-12-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

It is with deep sadness that I post this message. One of the worlds greatest jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, has died aged 82.

The legendary jazz musician died on Sunday from kidney failure at his home near Toronto.

In a career spanning decades, Peterson performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and he found himself playing many of the artists he first heard as a kid, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young and Dizzy Gillespie.

His awards and honours include a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 1997 and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. Canada had also bestowed upon him a Companion of the Order of Canada, his country's highest civilian award.

Oscar Pterson, You will be dearly missed
R.I.P. Oscar Peterson 1925 - 2007

ronnie scott club

2007-11-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

Born Ronald Schatt in East London, Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of sixteen. he toured with Johnny Claes, the trumpeter, from 1944 to 1945, and with Ted Heath in 1946, as well as working with Ambrose, Cab Kaye, and Tito Burns. He was involved in the short-lived musicians' co-operative Club Eleven band and club (1948–1950), with Johnny Dankworth and others, and was a member of the generation of British musicians who worked on the Cunard liner Queen Mary (intermittently 1946–c. 1950) in order to visit New York and hear the new music directly.

In 1952 Scott joined Jack Parnell's orchestra, then led his own nine-piece group and quintet featuring among others, Pete King, with whom he would later open his jazz club, Victor Feldman, Hank Shaw and Phil Seamen from 1953 to 1956. He co-led The Jazz Couriers with Tubby Hayes from 1957 to 1959, and was leader of a quartet including Stan Tracey (1960–1967).

From 1967–69, Scott was a member of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band which toured Europe extensively and which also featured fellow tenor players Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, at the same time running his own octet including John Surman and Kenny Wheeler (1968–1969), and a trio with Mike Carr on keyboards and Bobby Gien on drums (1971–1975). He then went on to lead various groups, most of which included John Critchinson on keyboards and Martin Drew on drums.

Scott was among the earliest British musicians to be influenced in his playing style by Charlie Parker and other bebop musicians. His playing was much admired on both sides of the Atlantic, Charles Mingus saying of him in 1961: "Of the white boys, Ronnie Scott gets closer to the negro blues feeling, the way Zoot Sims does."[1]

Despite his central position in the British jazz scene, Scott recorded infrequently during the last few decades of his career. He suffered periods of depression and, while recovering slowly from surgery for tooth implants, died accidentally from a mixture of brandy and prescription sleeping tablets - at the age of sixty-nine. At the subsequent inquest into his death, the coroner's verdict was "death by misadventure". (Wikipedia)

Video Of The Victor Feldman Trio featuring Ronnie Scott ~ Summer Love

Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club

2007-11-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

An incredible recording of Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra, made in 1929. It recreates the atmosphere of a real concert situation at the Cotton Club. The band plays a medley, including:
1. Cotton Club Stomp
2. Misty Morning
3. Goin' To Town
4. Freeze And Melt

duke ellington it don't mean a thing

2007-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974)
The Duke was a jazz composer, pianist, and band leader, heo has been one of the most influential figures in jazz. Duke Ellington's reputation has increased since his death and now more than ever, with youtube, people who would never have heard of duke ellington. There are of course many albums by duke ellington but one of the biggest duke ellington hits has to be 'it don't mean a thing'

So below is a true duke ellington classic jazz video.
it don't mean a thing by duke ellington

Cleveland "Cleve" Eaton With The Count!

2007-11-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

Cleveland Josephus "Cleve" Eaton II was raised with an intense comprehensive musical background. He was playing his mother’s piano at the age of five, and turned his efforts toward the saxophone by the time he was eight. Eaton took up the trumpet two years later, and when he reached the age of fifteen, music teacher John Springer introduced him to the tuba and string bass.

Cleve played in a jazz group in college at Tennessee A & I State University (now Tennessee State University), where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music in 1960. He then moved to Chicago and toured with the Ike Cole Trio. He later performed memorable concert tours with top-notch jazz bands led by Larry Novak, Ramsey Lewis, and the legendary Count Basie.

Over the years, Cleveland Eaton became a consummate bassist, producer, composer, publisher, arranger, and head of his own Birmingham-based record company. As a recording artist, Mr. Eaton’s version of Bama Boogie Woogie became a phenomenal best seller in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Australia.

Honors

Cleveland Eaton is scheduled to be inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame on February 22, 2008. He was nominated to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and has a Bronze Star in the Walk of Fame. Eaton’s other numerous honors include his induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, the Playboy Jazz Poll, Canada’s Cultural Enhancement Award and the Achievement Award at the Count Basie Tribute Concert. He received the Governor’s Arts Award 1995 (Alabama) and the Don Redman Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Cleve Eaton is a recognized name in the jazz world, as a producer, composer, arranger, and for his incredible performances with the Ike Cole Trio, Donald Byrd-Pepper Adams Quintet, the Larry Novak Trio, and over thirty recordings in his ten years with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, which included four gold singles, including Hang on Sloopy and Wade in the Water. There were four gold albums, including Solar Wind and Sun Goddess. (extract from Wikipedia.com)

Below~ A video of Cleavland Eaton, with Count Basie , Roy Eldrige, Duffy Jackson and Zoot Sims from the 1979 Kansas City 5 Special

Bassist Cleveland Eaton To Be Inducted Into The Alabama Music Hall Of Fame

2007-11-16T02:57:00.000-08:00

Cleveland Eaton In my Opinion Is The Worlds Best Jazz Double Bassist In the World

Jazz bassist Cleveland Eaton, a veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra, the Ramsey Lewis Trio and innumerable sessions with other artists, will be inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in February.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame induction banquet and awards show for Eaton and four other nominees will take place on Friday, February 22, 2008, at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama. For more information about the ceremony: 256-381-4417 or www.alamhof.org.

A native of Fairfield, Alabama, Eaton now lives in Birmingham, where he performs with his group, Cleve Eaton and the Alabama All Stars. He began playing piano at age five, took up the bass at fifteen, and after earning a degree in music from Tennessee State University, he embarked on a career that has spanned more than four decades.

Eaton was nicknamed “The Count’s Bassist” during his six-year stint with the Basie band. He joined Lewis in the 1960s and appeared on 30 of the band’s recordings, including hits like “Hang On Sloopy” and “Wade in the Water.” Eaton’s own recording of “Bama Boogie Woogie” became a major hit in Europe and Australia. He has accompanied scores of other performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Minnie Riperton, Bunky Green, the Ike Cole Trio, and the Donald Byrd-Pepper Adams Quintet.

Eaton is also known as a producer, arranger, composer, publisher, and head of his own Birmingham-based record company. His other honors include: the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, the Playboy Jazz Poll, Canada’s Cultural Enhancement Award, and the Don Redman Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information about Cleveland Eaton, visit http://www.clevelandeaton.com

Below is an awesome performance with legends, Cleveland Eaton, William Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. Enjoy!

The Power Of Count Basie

2007-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, has to be william count basie.

His music lives on with the count basie orchestra,I have added a recent video of the count basie orchestra, playing the beautiful, april in paris.

The video is very recent, it isn't the best, but it just amazes me what Count Basie has left behind.

The history of count basie has always fascinated me and i'm finding more and more information on the life of count basie.

My New Jazz Piano!

2007-10-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

I finally got my new jazz piano!

It's a Yamaha digital YDP151, great sound.

I can't wait to get the piano set up, so I can start playing my jazz.

I'm probably going to redo some of my old jazz pieces, that i have on youtube.

Have a great weekend
Haydn Huckle

Jazz Unleashed

Jazz Piano For Sale!

2007-10-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally selling my old piano that I have been playing for 55 years!

It's been in my family for about 100 years! My grandfather brought the piano from new, it's first home was, westbury Avenue, Wood Green, London, from there it went to Aberdeen, Scotland, finally it came to Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England and its been here ever since.

I love this old piano, but it's gotta go.

Although it sounds and looks good, I have been advised to get an digital keyboard, because I'm about to produce my own jazz piano improvisation video tutorials and the sound quality is perfect.

The new piano may not have the character of my hold piano, but hopefully I can attach myself to the digital piano, in the same way I did my old jazz piano.

Yours In Jazz
Haydn Huckle

PS Check the video Below and have a listen to my old faithful jazz piano
PPS CLICK HERE For My Ebay Piano Listing

Cole Porter's, "Night And Day"

2007-07-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

Below, is my jazz piano improvised version of Cole Porter's, "Night And Day", probably Cole Porter's best known piece. I love jazz piano improvisation, hope you like the number.

Best Regards
Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson,jaz musicians, jaz music, jaz piano, jaz piano improvisation

My Version Of Henry Mancini's, Days Of wine And Roses

2007-06-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at the amount of viewings my version of Henry Mancini's Days Of wine And Roses has had on youtube.

Several people have left some lovely comments and also reminded me how bad my piano is, it really is out of tune, as soon as I can afford a new piano, I will get one.

I have been looking on ebay, but they're so expensive, I know if I keep looking, I will eventually find one.

Thanks again for all kind words, I am only now realizing how fantastic the Internet really is, someone has offered to let me have a go on their grand piano, I can't wait .

Been looking all over the internet at some great, count basie, duke ellington and oscar peterson videos, jazz improvisation at its best, awesome jazz piano from all three of these jazz legends.

Anyway, enough rambling, speak soon.

Best Regards
Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson,jaz musicians, jaz music, jaz piano, jaz piano improvisation

Jazz Piano Improvisation

2007-06-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here's my Jazz piano improvised version of the music number, ' The Second Time Around' hope you like it, my piano is sounding a bit flat and I intend to buy a better one, as soon as I can afford it. bye for now.
Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Duke Ellington's, "C Jam Blues" (12 bar Blues)

2007-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

My jazz improvised version of Duke Ellington's, "C Jam Blues" (12 bar Blues).

"C Jam Blues" (12 bar Blues) is a jazz standard composed in 1942 by
Duke Ellington and performed by hundreds of other jazz musicians
around the world. C Jam Blues could have originally come from Barney
Bigard,a clarinetist in Duke Ellington's Orchestra, in 1941.

Hope you enjoy this jazz piano number.

Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Tags ~ Duke Ellington,C Jam Blues,12 bar Blues,
Jazz piano,Jazz musician,Barney Bigard,Duke Ellington's Orchestra,Jazz blues,Jazz band,Jazz music,Jazz improvisation,
jazz Piano improvisation.

Cole Porter's, "Night And Day"

2007-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

My jazz piano improvised version, of Cole Porter's, "Night And Day", probably Cole Porter's best known piece.

I love jazz improvisation, jazz piano to me is 'improvisation'. Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson are three of the greatest jazz improvisation musicians ever.

Once again the emphasis is on Jazz improvisation, Chords, Harmony and the use of a lot of chord substitutes.I hope you like the my Jazz piano version of Cole Porter's, "Night And Day".

Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson are three of my favourite Jazz musicians.

Jazzunleashed is for Jazz musicians and jazz enthusiasts alike. I hope you like my blog.

Haydn
Jazz Piano

Jazz Piano Caravan, written by Juan Tizol, performed by Haydn Huckle

2007-03-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Caravan, written by Juan Tizol, performed by Haydn Huckle. Juan Tizol (31 December 1900 - 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to the mainland United States in 1920. He worked with duke Ellington from 1929 to 1944 and it was during this period that he composed Caravan and "Perdido". After that he worked with the Harry James orchestra in California which allowed him to see his wife more often. In 1957 he was a guest on The Nat King Cole Show. He died in Inglewood, California on April 23, 1984.
Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson are three of the greatest jaz musicians ever. I listen to the jazz greats all the time, the way to learn how to play jaz piano is to take piano lessons, learn the basic piano chords, play piano scores, practice piano, then practice piano some more!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this number.
Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Jazz Piano Imoprovisation 'Days of wine And Roses'

2007-03-26T04:06:00.000-07:00

"THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES"
I have put together this rendition of Henry Mancini's "The days Of Wine And Roses" which should appeal to Jazz musicians and enthusiasts alike.
Once again the emphasis is on Jazz improvisation, Chords, Harmony and the use of a lot of chord substitutes.I hope you like the Jazz piano piece.

Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson are three of my favourite Jazz musicians. They are probably three of the greatest jazz pianists ever. I'm going to film a rarley played Count Basie number, called 'Blue and Sentimental' Written by Basie but not often heard.

Jazz Piano. Nice Work if You can Get It

2007-03-16T02:25:00.000-07:00

George Gershwin's,' "Nice Work if You can Get It", lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

This is my version of Gershwin's "Nice Work If You Can Get it". Lots of improvisation,hopefully not too much!!! chords and harmony and again
lots of chord substitutes.I hope this rendition will appeal to Jazz Musicians and enthusiasts alike.

Haydn
Jazz Unleashed

Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson are three of the greatest Jazz musiciansever. They certainly didn't play easy piano and it's most definitely not,' beginner piano!

The way to learn how to play Jazz piano is to take piano lessons,' learn the basic piano chords, play piano scores,' practice piano, then practice piano some more!
One day soon you could teach piano, develop your own piano course, you could even be the next Oscar Petersen!
If it's blues you like, there's no better instrument to play blues, than the blues piano.

Jazz Chords, Harmony and Improvisation

2007-03-10T12:35:00.001-08:00

For anyone who plays piano and would like get into playing Jazz piano, here are a few pointers which, hopefully will help you to achieve the aim of playing Jazz by finding lots of nice chords and harmony, and being able to apply these chords and harmony to tunes.

Having played Jazz for around forty five years I have found many nice chords which I have been able to apply to tunes with harmonic
structures.

Always remember that IF THE CHORD OR HARMONY SOUNDS OK TO YOUR EAR---THAT'S FINE!!!!

It took me a long time many years ago to realize that I had to Orchestrate a tune rather than play the tune straight.

One good exercise is for you to is for you to sit at the piano and see what chords you can find and apply them.

Always remember a tune has to have a good front and back and take care of the middle.

Making a number swing is a different matter, but when it does happen it is the most wonderful thing.

One of the best examples of SWING that I have ever heard is the video clip of the Count Basie Orchestra at Montreaux 1979
featuring Ella Fitzgerald along with Eric Dixon and booty Wood playing " A TISCET A TASKET". THE ULTIMATE IN SWING!!!!!

This is one of a number of Jazz music articles that I will be posting and which I hope will be of some help to you and I will be pleased to answer
any questions on this subject that you may ask.

Happy Jazz playing to everyone and thanks for the nice comments on my video postings.

Haydn.

Jazz Blues. Haydn's Blues

2007-03-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

I hope you like this piece. I've called it, 'Haydn's Blues'

This is a Jazz piano number, which I have enjoyed playing for many, many years.

With this Jazz piece I try and get as near as posible to the big band sound, through the piano.

I hope you like this Jazz piano number.

Haydn Huckle
JazzUnleashed

PS I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying sharing my piano with Jazz musicians and Jazz enthusiasts around the world.

PPS Thankyou for all the kind emails. It just makes me want to practice and produce more Jazz numbers.

Getting Sentimental Over You Performed by Haydn Huckle

2007-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi

Here's my rendition of 'Getting sentimental over you'.

You may notice that when I play Jazz I use a lot of chord substitutes or putting it another way, my own chords. As you probably know, it takes many years of practice to discover and tweek your own chord substitutes and way of playing.

I discovered my own way of playing Jazz piano through lots of hard practice and many years of gigging.

I'm enjoying sharing my piano with Jazz musicians and Jazz enthusiasts around the world.

I hope you enjoy the piece.

Haydn

Jazz Unleashed

Cleveland Eaton Probably The Greatest Jazz Bassist Ever!

2007-02-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

One of the true greats! Cleveland 'Cleve' Eaton

What can I say about this wonderful bassist except to say that I consider "Cleve" to be one of the greatest Jazz bassist ever.

His wonderful timing and swinging driving bass and improvisation are just mind blowing. Jazz bass at it's absolute best!

To illustrate his superb talent take a look at "Cleve" with Count Basie at Carnegie Hall March 20 1981 playing Bootie"s Blues featuring the great Booty Wood,and also the Kansas City Five clip working with Count Basie Zoot Sims and Roy Eldridge.

I would give my right arm to have the chance to play Jazz with this wonderful bassist and it must have been the ultimate honour for him to be asked to join the Count Basie Orchestra.

Cleveland Eaton was born August 31 1939 in Fairfield Alabama.He played many giggs with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and later with the Count Basie Orchestra.His entertaining style has earned him great respect in the jazz community.

Cleveland Eaton was raised with an intensive comprehensive musical background.He was playing his mother's piano at the age of 5. He then turned to Saxaphone by the time he was 8. Eaton took up the trumpet two years later and when he reached the age of 15,music teacher John Springer introduced him to the Tuba and string bass.

Cleveland played in a jazz group in college at Tennessee A&I State University(now Tennessee State University)where he earnrd his Batchelor's degree in music in 1960.

He then moved to Chicago and toured with the Ike Cole Trio. He later performed memorable concert tours with bands led by Larry Novac,Ramsey Lewis and the legendary Count Basie.

Over the years Cleveland Eaton became a consumate bassist, producer, composer, publisher, arranger and head of his own Birmingham based record company.

As a recording artist Cleveland's version of Bama Boogie Woogie became a phenominal best seller in the United Kingdom,Germany,Switzerland,France,and Australia.

Eaton's numerous honours include his induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall Of Fame, The Playboy Jazz Poll, Canada's Cultural Enhancement Award and the achievement award at the Count Basie Tribute concert.

He was nominated to the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame in 1993 and has a bronze star in the Walk Of Fame.

He received the Govenor's Arts Award in 1995(Alabama) and the Don Redman Lifettime Achievement award in 2004.

Eaton has played on notable recording sessions with nearly all genres,jazz with John Klemmer and Bunky Green, R&B with the Dells and Bobby Rush, pop with Minnie Riperton, Jerry Butler and Rotary Connection, big band with George Benson, Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstein and Ella Fitzgerald.

Eaton was dubbed "The Count's Bassist" during his 6 year stint and over 10 recordings with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Cleveland returned after 17 years on the road to Birmingham Alabama where he now teaches music and Jazz at the UAB's music department.

Still going strong, but Cleveland Eaton will go down in jazz bass history and indeed, jazz history as one of the greatest jazz musician's ever!

Haydn Huckle

Buddy Rich The Worlds Greatest Drummer

2007-02-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

Buddy Rich was born in 1917 Brooklyn New York and was without doubt the worlds greatest drummer,known
for for his vituoso technique,power,speed,and ability to improvise.

Buddy Rich was born to Jewish parents.His talent for rhythm was first noticed at the age of one keeping a steady beat with spoons.

He began playing drums in vaudeville when he was 18 months old and at the peak of Rich's childhood career he was reportedly the second highest paid child entertainer in the world after Jackie Coogan.

At 11 he was performing as a bandleader.He received no formal drum tuition and went so far as to claim that tuition would only degrade his musical talent.He also never admitted to practising claiming to play the drums only during performances.

He expressed great admiration for,and was influenced by the playing of Chick Webb,Gene Krupa,and Jo Jones,among others.

He first played jazz in 1937 with Joe Marsala,and then played with Bunny Berigan in 1938 and Artie Shaw in 1939.

In addition to Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich also played with Benny Carter, Harry James, Les Brown, Charlie Ventura and the jazz band, jazz at the Philharmonic.

For most of the period from 1966 until his death he led a hugely successful big band.

Buddy Rich remained active until the end of his life.
Prior to heart surgery, when asked by a nurse if he was allergic to anything, he replied "YES-----COUNTRY MUSIC".

The great Buddy Rich, one of the greatest jazz musicians ever! died in 1987.

Count Basie

2007-02-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

William "Count" Basiewas born in Red Bank New Jersey in 1904 and took piano lessons from his mother.When he was in his late teens he moved to Harlem where he met Fats Waller, who taught Basie informally.
In 1924Basie toured the vaudeville circuit as a soloist and accompanist to blues singers.

He eventually arrived in Kansas City.

In 1928 he joined Walter Pages Blue Devils and the following year he became the pianist with the Benny Motem band.

Count Basie started his own band in 1935 after Moten died.This band included a number of Moten's band members.

In 1936 he moved the band from Kansas City to Chicago where the band did a recording session in association with John Hammond, and with the help of this gentleman, by the end of 1936 the band was playing in New York City where the band remained until 1950.

Many jazz musicians know the Basie Band as"The band that swings".

The reputation that followed the Count Basie orchestra was helped very much by Count Basie's selected accents of his own jazz piano.

"He never wasted a note!!!!!

Basie also showcased some of the best blues singers of the era Billie Holiday,Jimmy Rushing,Big Joe Turner,Helen Humes and Joe Williams.

Count Basie was able to hold on to his musicians for lengthy periods.
During the 1930s and 1940s musicians like Buck Clayton,Herschel Evans, Lester Young and the bands great rhythm section Walter Page, Freddie Greene and Joe Jones.

During the late 1940s Basie was forced to reduce the size of the band for a short while, when it seemed the Big Band Era had come to an end, but Basie reformed his 16 piece orchestra in 1952 and led it until his death in 1984.

The legendaryElla Fitzgeraldalso toured with the band and is well remembered for the 1963 album Ella and Basie.This is remembered as as one of Ella Fitzgerald's greatest recordings.

Basies band of the 1960s was helped by the wonderful arrangements of Quincey Jones.
Frank Sinatraalso had a fruitful association with Basie. Quincy Jonesprovided the punchy arrangements for the Basie band on Sinatras biggest selling album, Sinatra Live At The Sands.

I personally first saw the band in concert during the Bands tours of England during the 1960s
and I will list some of the band members that I can remember.The first tour of England included the wonderful Sarah Vaughn and Joe Williams.

Later tours were with 'Lamberts Hendricks And Ross' and on a third tour I remember Jimmy Rushing.

I appologise if I have missed anyone, but the main band members I remember were Frank Wess,Frank Foster,Marshall Royal, Charlie Fowlkes, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Al Grey,Bill Hughes,Thad Jones,Snooky Young, Don Rader, Freddie Greene, Eddie Jones, Sonny Payne and Sonny Cohn. Sonny Cohn played lead trumpet for many years and later went on to manage the band.

Count Basie died of Pancreatic Cancer in Hollywood, Florida on April 26th 1984.
We are left to celebrate a wonerful man and his superb Orchestra and hope the Orchestra will go on for another 50 years.

Bill Hughes is now directing the Orchestra and we wish him and the Orchestra every success for the future.

Haydn Huckle

Jazz Piano

2007-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

What is Jazz piano?

Having played Jazz piano for the last 45 years, I can only describe Jazz piano as a matter of improvisation of any tune, in other words being able to play a tune a hundred different ways. Not everyone can play Jazz.

You first learn to play piano by taking basic music lessons, and learning to read music, then progress into Jazz piano.

Probably the worlds greatest ever jazz pianist, is the wonderful Oscar Peterson. Improvisation and Swinging piano at its very best.

The amazing Count Basieis another example of a great improvisor and swinger, working a wonderful Orchestra.

Having been taught piano with a classical grounding, I found I was Jazz orientated from an early age. I was soon Jazzing up my classical pieces which I was given to do, much to the consternation of my music teacher.

After just 5 years of tuition, I found myself in a position to go out gigging, first on drums, as I was also learning this instrument. Later on, I started gigging on piano with my trio.

I have now been playing for 45 years as a jazz musicianwith combinations from trio to big band.
For anyone thinking of getting into playing Jazz piano I can highly recommend the life.

I have played just about every type of gig you can think of including my time on the road with various big bands. I have had a wonderful time, having been associated with hundreds of musicians, including some of the great jazz musicians.

Haydn

Count Basie

2007-02-13T02:09:00.000-08:00

Count Basie

His Early life

William James “Count” Basie was born on August 21,1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey to Harvey Lee Basie, and Lillian Ann Childs who lived on Mechanic Street. He had a brother, LeRoy Basie. His father worked as coachman for a wealthy family. After automobiles replaced horses, his father became a groundskeeper and handyman for several families in the area. His mother took in laundry, and was Basie’s first piano teacher when he was a child. He started out to be a drummer. But the obvious talents of another young Red Bank drummer, Sonny Greer, who was Duke Ellington’s drummer from 1919 to 1951, discouraged young Basie and he switched to piano. While he was in his late teens, he gravitated to Harlem, where he encountered Fats Waller who he was taught informally. [1] The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank was named in his honor.

Basie toured the Theater Owners Bookers Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuit, starting in 1924, as a soloist and accompanist to blues singers. His touring took him to Kansas City, Missouri, where he met many jazz musicians in the area. In 1928 he joined Walter Page’s Blue Devils, and the following year became the pianist with the Bennie Moten band based in Kansas City. It was at this time that he began to be known as “Count” Basie (see Jazz royalty).
He started his own band in 1934, but eventually returned to Moten’s band. After Moten died in 1935, the band unsuccessfully attempted to stay together. Basie formed a new band, which included many Moten alumni.

New York City, and later years

Basie and band, with vocalist Ethel Waters, from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
At the end of 1936 he moved his band from Kansas City. They honed their repertoire at a long engagement at a Chicago club. 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”. By the end of 1936 they began playing in New York City where the Count Basie Orchestra remained until 1950.
Basie’s music was characterized by his trademark “jumping” beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. Basie also showcased some of the best blues singers of the era: Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Helen Humes, and Joe Williams. More importantly, Count Basie was a highly successful band-leader who was able to hold onto some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 1930s and early 1940s: Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, Lester Young, and the band’s brilliant rhythm section, Walter Page, Freddie Green, and Jo Jones. He was also able to hire great arrangers that knew how to use the band’s abilities, like Eddie Durham and Jimmy Mundy.
The big band era appeared to be at an end, but Basie reformed his as a 16-piece orchestra in 1952 and led it until his death. Basie remained faithful to the Kansas City Jazz style and helped keep jazz alive with his distinctive piano playing.

Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, New Jersey
By the mid 1950s, Basie Band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for the finest jazz vocalists of the time. Joe Williams was spectacularly featured on the 1957 album One o’Clock Jump, and 1956’s Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings. In 1942 Basie moved to Queens New York with Catherine Morgan after being married for a few years. He appeared as himself (along with his band) in the Jerry Lewis film Cinderfella (1960) and in the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles (1974).
Ella Fitzgerald is sometimes referred to as the quintessential swing singer, and her meetings with the Count Basie Orchestra are highly regarded by critics. Fitzgerald’s 1963 album Ella and Basie! is remembered as one of Fitzgerald’s greatest recordings. With the ‘New Testament’ Basie band in full swing, and arrangements written by a youthful Quincy Jones, this album proved a swinging respite from the ‘Songbook’ recordings and constant touring that Fitzgerald was engaged in during this period. She toured with the Basie Orchestra in the mid-1970s and Fitzgerald and a much tamer Basie band also met on the 1979 albums Digital III at Montreux, A Classy Pair, and A Perfect Match.
Frank Sinatra had an equally fruitful relationship with Basie, 1963’s Sinatra-Basie and 1964’s It Might As Well Be Swing (the latter arranged by Quincy Jones) are two of the highest points at the peak of Sinatra’s artistry. Jones provided the punchy arrangements for the Basie band on Sinatra’s biggest selling album, the live Sinatra at the Sands.
Count Basie died of pancreatic cancer in Hollywood, Florida on April 26, 1984 at the age of seventy-nine.

Legacy

One O’Clock Jump and Jumpin’ at the Woodside were among Count Basie’s more popular numbers. Basie was also known for his band’s version’s of April in Paris and Lil’ Darlin.
Jerry Lewis used Blues in Hoss’ Flat, from Basie’s Chairman of the Board album, as the basis for his own “Chairman of the Board” routine in the movie The Errand Boy, in which Lewis pantomimed the movements of a corporate executive holding a board meeting. (In the early 1980s, Lewis revived the routine during the live broadcast of one of his Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons.) Blues in Hoss’ Flat, composed by Basie band member Frank Foster, was also the longtime theme song of San Francisco and New York radio DJ Al “Jazzbeaux” Collins.
Basie and his band made a cameo appearance in Mel Brooks‘ 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles.
He received one of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1981.
Basie was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Basie is one of the producers of the “world’s greatest music” that Brenda Fricker’s “Pigeon Lady” character claims to have heard in Carnegie Hall in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Count Basie, being one of the greatest jazz musicians in musical history, will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Basie was also a world-renowned member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.