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Prime Time (Count Basie Album)
''Prime Time'' is an album by Count Basie that won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band in 1978. Track listing All music composed by Sammy Nestico, except where noted. #"Prime Time" – 7:33 #"Bundle O'Funk" – 5:16 #"Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard) – 3:34 #"Featherweight" – 4:52 #"Reachin' Out" – 6:36 #"Ja-Da" (Bob Carlton) – 5:45 #"The Great Debate" – 4:48 #"Ya Gotta Try" – 4:00 Personnel * Count Basie – piano * Lin Biviano – trumpet * Sonny Cohn – trumpet * Pete Minger – trumpet * Bobby Mitchell – trumpet * Curtis Fuller – trombone * Al Grey – trombone * Bill Hughes (musician), Bill Hughes – trombone * Mel Wanzo – trombone * Bobby Plater – alto saxophone * Eric Dixon – tenor saxophone * Jimmy Forrest (musician), Jimmy Forrest – saxophone * Danny Turner – saxophone * Charles Fowlkes – baritone saxophone * Freddie Green – guitar * John ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams. Biography Early life and education William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lin Biviano
Franklin "Lin" Biviano is an American jazz trumpeter best known for his powerful lead trumpet playing with Buddy Rich, Count Basie, and Maynard Ferguson. He has also played and recorded with Hoagy Carmichael, Jo Ann Castle, Bill Chase, Buddy DeFranco, Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, Milt Jackson, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Steve Smith, Mel Tormé, Sarah Vaughan, Fats Waller, and Lawrence Welk, mostly playing lead trumpet. From 1974-1976 he led his own big band; they toured the East Coast and recorded the single ''L.A. Expression'' with ''Love Is Stronger Far Than We'' on the flipside. From 1964-1965, he attended Berklee School of Music (now Berklee College of Music), and in 2002 he was asked to return as a teacher; as of 2017 he is still on the faculty, teaching mainly ensembles and private lessons. Discography With Buddy Rich *'' A Different Drummer'' (RCA, 1971) *'' Rich in London'' (RCA, 1971) *''Stick It'' (RCA, 1972) With Maynard Ferg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Butch Miles
Butch Miles (born Charles J. Thorton, Jr. on July 4, 1944) is an American jazz drummer. He has played with the Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett Career Miles, who cites Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Jo Jones as favorite drummers, began playing snare drum at the age of nine and majored in music at West Virginia State University (1962–1966). After receiving his degree, he went on tour with the Iris Bell Trio. He was Mel Torme's drummer for 3 1/2 years and it was Torme and Buddy Rich who recommended Miles to Count Basie when a drummer was needed. Miles was with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1975 to 1979, returning for ten years from 1997 to 2007. From Count Basie’s autobiography (published in 1985): “Butch came to us from Mel Torme’s outfit. He was a real crowd pleaser, like Buddy Rich and Sonny Payne, and he picked up on things very nicely, and he was also interested in sticking around for a whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nat Pierce
Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 1951 to 1955. Pieces by Pierce were predominantly created for use in big bands. Biography Pierce was born in Somerville, Massachusetts. United States. Following schooling at the New England Conservatory and working as an amateur musician in the Boston area, Pierce then led his own band which featured Charlie Mariano from 1949 to 1951. After working with Woody Herman from 1951 to 1966 as chief arranger and assistant road manager, Pierce took residence in New York City and freelanced with musicians such as Pee Wee Russell, Lester Young, Emmett Berry and Ruby Braff. From 1957 to 1959, Pierce led a band off and on which featured Buck Clayton, Gus Johnson and Paul Quinichette. He recorded with a number of other well-known musicians as well, inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freddie Green
Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist who played rhythm guitar with the Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Early life and education Green was born in Charleston, South Carolina on March 31, 1911. He was exposed to music from an early age, and learned the banjo before picking up the guitar in his early teenage years. A friend of his father by the name of Sam Walker taught a young Freddie to read music, and keenly encouraged him to keep up his guitar playing. Walker gave Freddie what was perhaps his first gig, playing with a local community group of which Walker was an organizer. Another member of the group was William "Cat" Anderson, who went on to become an established trumpeter, working with notable figures such as Duke Ellington. Career It was around this time that Green's parents died, and he moved to New York City to live with his aunt and continue his education. The move opened up a new musical world t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Fowlkes
Charles Baker Fowlkes (February 16, 1916 – February 9, 1980) was an American baritone saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra for over twenty-five years. Early life Fowlkes was born in New York City on February 16, 1916. He studied alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, and violin before settling on the baritone saxophone (he occasionally played flute). Later life and career Fowlkes spent most of his early career in New York. He played with Tiny Bradshaw (1938–1944), Lionel Hampton (1944–1948), and Arnett Cobb (1948–1951). Fowlkes joined Basie's orchestra in 1953 and remained with it until his death; the main interruptions during his time with Basie were absences due to managing the career of his wife, vocalist Wini Brown. He died in Dallas on February 9, 1980. Discography With The Count Basie Orchestra *''The Count!'' (Clef, 1952 955 *''Basie Jazz'' (Clef, 1952 954 *''Dance Session'' (Clef, 1953) *'' Dance Session Album #2'' (Clef, 1954) *'' Basie'' (Cle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Forrest (musician)
James Robert Forrest Jr. (January 24, 1920 – August 26, 1980) was an American jazz musician, who played tenor saxophone throughout his career. Forrest is known for his first solo recording of " Night Train". It reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in March 1952, and stayed at the top for seven weeks. "Hey Mrs. Jones" (No. 3 R&B) and "Bolo Blues" were his other hits. All were made for United Records, for which he recorded between 1951 and 1953; he recorded frequently as both a sideman and a bandleader. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, Forrest played alongside Fate Marable as a young man. He was with Jay McShann in 1940-42 and with Andy Kirk from 1942 until 1948 when he joined Duke Ellington. During the early 1950s, Forrest led his own combos. He also played with Miles Davis, in early 1952 at The Barrel Club. After his solo career, he played in small combos with Harry "Sweets" Edison and Al Grey, as well as appearing with Count Basie. L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Dixon
Eric "Big Daddy" Dixon (March 28, 1930 – October 19, 1989) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. Dixon's professional career extended from 1950 until his death in 1989, during which time he was credited on as many as 200 recordings. Career Having played bugle as a child, Dixon took up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12. Following a stint experience a musician in the US Army (1951–3) he played in groups that sometimes included Mal Waldron, with whom he would later record. In 1954, he played with Cootie Williams and the following year with Johnny Hodges. In 1956, he performed and recorded with Bennie Green and also took up the flute. In the late 1950s he spent four years in the house band led by Reuben Phillips at the Apollo Theatre in New York. In 1959, he toured Europe and recorded with the Cooper Brothers.Lambert, Eddie; Barry Kernfel"Dixon, Eric".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 10 December 2022. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Plater
Robert C. Plater (May 13, 1914, Newark, New Jersey - November 20, 1982, Lake Tahoe) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Plater began playing alto sax at age 12, and played locally in Newark with Donald Lambert and the Savoy Dictators in the 1930s. He played with Tiny Bradshaw from 1940-42 before spending 1942-45 serving in the U.S. military during World War II. After his discharge he worked briefly with Cootie Williams, then played intermittently with Lionel Hampton between 1946 and 1964. He also did arrangements with Hampton, and did some freelance work besides. In 1964 he took Frank Wess's place in the Count Basie Orchestra, where he played until his death in 1982. His only recordings as a leader were four songs for Bullet Records in 1950. Plater was the co-composer of "Jersey Bounce", a popular dance number in the 1940s, recorded by various musicians including Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald. Discography As sideman With Count Basie * ''Pop Goes the Basie'' (Reprise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mel Wanzo
Melvin "Mel" Wanzo, also known as Melvin Wahid Muhammad (November 22, 1930, Cleveland - September 9, 2005, Detroit) was an American jazz trombonist. He is best known for his longtime association with the Count Basie Orchestra. Wanzo received formal education in music at Youngstown University in Youngstown, Ohio, graduating in 1952. He then joined the United States Army and played in a band whose leader was Cannonball Adderley. In the 1950s he worked in bands behind blues and R&B singers such as Ruth Brown and Big Joe Turner, then studied music once more, at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In the 1960s he worked with Woody Herman and Ray McKinley (then leading the Glenn Miller Orchestra), and in 1969 became a member of the Count Basie Orchestra, where he played trombone until 1980. In the early 1980s he played with Frank Capp and Nat Pierce, then re-joined Basie's orchestra after Basie died and leadership passed to Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Hughes (musician)
William Henry Hughes (March 28, 1930 – January 14, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader. He spent most of his career with the Count Basie Orchestra and was the director of that ensemble until September 2010. Biography Early life and career Bill Hughes was born in Dallas, Texas, and his family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was nine years old. His father worked at the Bureau of Engraving and played trombone in the Elks Club marching band. Hughes began playing the trombone at age twelve or thirteen and was performing at Washington jazz venues by the age of sixteen. One of these venues was the 7T Club, where he performed with saxophonist and flautist Frank Wess. While students at Howard University, Hughes and Wess played in the Howard Swingmasters, along with bassist Eddie Jones. The Swingmasters were one of several early groups that helped promote the study and performance of jazz at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Although interested in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Grey
Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Career Al Grey was born in Aldie, Virginia, United States, and grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He was introduced to the trombone at the age of four, playing in a band called the Goodwill Boys, which was led by his father. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy, where he continued to play the trombone. Soon after his discharge, he joined Benny Carter's band, then the bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Lucky Millinder, and Lionel Hampton. In the 1950s, he was a member of the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie. He led bands in the 1960s with Billy Mitchell and Jimmy Forrest. Later in life he recorded with Clark Terry and J. J. Johnson. He made thirty recordings under his own name and another seventy with bands. Grey's early trom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
