Union, South Carolina
The city of Union is the county seat of Union County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 8,393 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Union Micropolitan Statistical Area (population 28,961 according to 2010 Census) ...
– February 12, 1980 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
double-bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
ist.
Keenan began playing piano before learning bass at age 15. He worked with
Tiny Bradshaw
Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958) - accessed July 2010 was an American (mid-1930s),
Lucky Millinder
Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...
(1939–40),
Henry Wells
Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...
(1940),
Earl Bostic
Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, which he ...
Minton's Playhouse
Minton's Playhouse is a jazz club and bar located on the first floor of the Cecil Hotel at 210 West 118th Street in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It is a registered trademark of Housing and Services, Inc. a New York City nonprofit provider ...
around the same time. Following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
he worked with Williams again and with
Eddie Cleanhead Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was a ...
in 1947-49. From 1949 to 1957 he was the bassist in the house trio at the
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jazz ...
. After backing
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
from 1957 to 1962 and working on the TV show ''
Hootenanny
A hootenanny is a party involving music in the United States. It is particularly associated with folk music.
Etymology Placeholder
Hootenanny is an Appalachian colloquialism that was used in the early twentieth century U.S. as a placeholder nam ...
'', he began playing jazz again in the 1960s, with
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 the ...
(1965-74) and
Roy Eldridge
David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...
(1966).
Discography
As sideman
With
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 the ...
* ''
Sinatra at the Sands
''Sinatra at the Sands'' is a live album by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, and conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live in the Copa Room of the former Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1966.
It w ...
'' (Reprise, 1966)
* ''
Basie Meets Bond
''Basie Meets Bond'' is a 1966 album by Count Basie and his orchestra. The album is a collection of musical pieces originating from the first four James Bond films; '' Dr No'', '' From Russia with Love'', '' Goldfinger'' and '' Thunderball''. The ...
Basie's Beatle Bag
''Basie's Beatle Bag'' is a 1966 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, arranged by Chico O'Farrill. Basie released a second album of Beatles songs, '' Basie on the Beatles'', in 1969.
Track listing
# "Help!" – 2:15
# "Can't Buy M ...
'' (Verve, 1966)
* ''
Basie's Beat
''Basie's Beat'' is a 1967 album by Count Basie and his orchestra.
The trombonist Richard Boone sings on two of the tracks, "Boone's Blues" and "I Got Rhythm".
Track listing
# "It's Only a Paper Moon" ( Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Billy ...
'' (Verve, 1967)
* ''
Basie's in the Bag
''Basie's in the Bag'' is an album by pianist and bandleader Count Basie and His Orchestra featuring performances of contemporary popular tunes recorded in 1967 and released on the Brunswick label.The Happiest Millionaire
''The Happiest Millionaire'' is a 1967 American musical film starring Fred MacMurray, based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony Drexel Biddle. The film, featuring music by the Sherman Brothers, was nominated for an Academy A ...
'' (Coliseum, 1967)
* ''
Half a Sixpence
''Half a Sixpence'' is a 1963 musical comedy based on the 1905 novel ''Kipps'' by H. G. Wells, with music and lyrics by David Heneker and a book by Beverley Cross. It was written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele.
Background
...
The Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies an ...
Basie Straight Ahead
''Basie Straight Ahead'' is an album recorded at TTG Studios, Hollywood, California in October 1968 featuring Count Basie and his orchestra. This album marked the first collaboration between Basie and his long-time orchestrator, Sammy Nestico, w ...
Standing Ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...
'' (Dot, 1969)
* '' Basic Basie'' (MPS, 1969)
* '' Basie on the Beatles'' (Happy Tiger, 1969)
* ''Afrique'' (Flying Dutchman, 1971)
* ''Have a Nice Day'' (Daybreak, 1971)
* ''Bing 'n Basie'' (Daybreak, 1972)
* '' Live at the Sands (Before Frank)'' (Reprise, 1998)
With
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
* ''Jump Up Calypso'' (RCA Victor, 1961)
* ''The Many Moods of Belafonte'' (RCA Victor, 1962)
* ''The Midnight Special'' (RCA Victor, 1962)
With others
*
Miriam Makeba
Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she w ...
, ''The Many Voices of Miriam Makeba'' (Kapp, 1962)
* Chad Mitchell, ''Blowin' in the Wind'' (Kapp, 1963)
* Chad Mitchell, ''In Action'' (Kapp, 1963)