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56-692: Originally including such musicians as Buck Clayton and Lester Young in the line-up, the band in the 1950s and 1960s made use of the work of the arrangers Neal Hefti and Sammy Nestico with featured musicians such as Thad Jones and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis . Count Basie arrived in Kansas City , Missouri in 1927, playing on the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA) circuit. After playing with Walter Page 's Blue Devils, in 1929 he joined rival band leader Bennie Moten 's band. Upon Moten's death in 1935, Basie left

112-736: A $ 35-a-week job. She stayed in Buffalo, singing with a small group led by Al Sears . While Humes was home in Louisville (she said she always returned home at least twice a year) she received a call from Sears, who was in Cincinnati . He wanted her to sing at Cincinnati's Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was an important venue in the Cincinnati music scene. It was an integrated club which booked and promoted many black performers. Humes moved to Cincinnati in 1936 and sang with Sears's band again at

168-729: A band named 14 Gentlemen from Harlem, in which he was the leader of the 14-member orchestra. From there, there are multiple sources claiming different ways in which Clayton ended up in Shanghai , China. Some claimed that he was picked by Teddy Weatherford for a job at the Canidrome ballroom in the French Concession in Shanghai. Others claimed that Clayton escaped the US temporarily to avoid racism. From 1934 or 1935 (depending on

224-460: A blues singer, a jazz singer, and a ballad singer – well, I'm all three, which means I'm just a singer." A review from Downbeat Magazine of her albums Talk of the Town , Helen Comes Back , and Helen Humes with Red Norvo and His Orchestra said the following about her collaboration with Red Norvo: Norvo's sparkling vibes are the ideal complement to Helen's lithe, light timbered clarity…Helen

280-571: A club date with Lyttelton, was released on Lyttelton's own Calligraph Records label (CLG CD 048). Shortly after appearing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in 1969, Clayton underwent lip surgery and had to give up playing the trumpet in 1972. He was able to resume playing in 1977 for a State Department -sponsored tour of Africa. He had to permanently stop playing in 1979, although he still worked as an arranger. He taught at Hunter College , CUNY , from 1975 to 1980, and again in

336-415: A gentle contrast to the blues style of Jimmy Rushing . The band became increasingly dependent on arrangers to provide its music. These varied from players within the band, such as Eddie Durham and Buck Clayton , to professional arrangers from outside the group, who could bring their own character to the band with each new piece. External arranger Andy Gibson brought the band's harmonic style closer to

392-579: A guitarist in the band, Sylvester Weaver , who recorded for Okeh Records and recommended her to the talent scout and producer Tommy Rockwell. At the age of 14, Humes recorded in St. Louis in April 1927, singing four blues songs, though only two of the sides were ever issued. A second recording session was held in New York, and this time she was accompanied by pianist J. C. Johnson . Despite this introduction to

448-465: A letter to the arranger Buck Clayton in preparation for a European tour, along with a list of her preferred songs. According to many critics, her voice was versatile, suiting pop songs and ballads as well as blues. She was compared to Ethel Waters and Mildred Bailey from early in her career and was often recorded singing the blues after her association with Basie. In an interview with the jazz critic Whitney Balliett , Humes explained, "I've been called

504-750: A member of Norman Granz 's Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) package, appearing in April in a concert with Young, Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker , and in October participated in JATPs first national tour of the United States. Clayton also recorded at this time for the H.R.S. label. In 1947, he was back in New York, and had a residency at the Café Society , and the following year had a reunion with Jimmy Rushing , his fellow Basie alumnus, at

560-577: A part of her past. She took a job at a local ammunition plant, sold her record player and her records and stopped singing. From 1967 to 1973, she did not work as a singer, until Stanley Dance persuaded her to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1973. This performance led to a revival of her career in music. The festival was followed with multiple European engagements and some albums made in France for Black and Blue. She sang regularly at

616-476: A shop window. Clayton learned to play the piano from the age of six. His father was an amateur musician associated with the family's local church, who was responsible for teaching his son the scales on a trumpet, which he did not take up until his teens. From the age of 17, Clayton was taught the trumpet by Bob Russell, a member of George E. Lee 's band. In his early twenties he was based in California, and

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672-607: A star! I want to work and be happy and just go along and have my friends – and that's my career." Humes died of cancer in Santa Monica, California , on September 13, 1981, at the age of 68. Her family requested donations for cancer research instead of flowers at her funeral. She is buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery , in Inglewood, California . Humes's vocal range was from G3 to C5, as she stated in

728-694: A talent scout and producer, heard her singing with Sears's band at the Renaissance Club. Through Hammond, she became a recording vocalist with Harry James 's big band . Her swing recordings with James included "Jubilee", " I Can Dream, Can't I? ", Jimmy Dorsey 's composition " It's the Dreamer In Me ", and "Song of the Wanderer". In March 1938, Hammond persuaded Humes to join Count Basie's Orchestra, where she stayed for four years. In

784-454: Is currently under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart . For recordings by Count Basie without his big band, see Count Basie discography . Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey " Buck " Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie 's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong , first hearing the record " Confessin' that I Love You " as he passed by

840-938: Is in particularly fine voice…[with] an uncanny resemblance to early Ella [Fitzgerald] in her sound and phrasing. The review of Helen Comes Back was not as positive but did not fault the singer: Blues dominates [the album]…[and] although her voice is delightful, the material is too simple to challenge her…Helen is a great deal more than a blues shouter. Reviews in The Washington Post of her last performances, in Maryland in 1978 and Washington, D.C. , in 1980, described her as "beaming and genial at 65" (in 1978) and gave insight into her versatile vocals: "her characteristically light voice [turning] rough as she belted out…'You Can Take My Man But You Can't Keep Him Long'." The reviews also described her use of back phrasing , reminiscent of Billie Holiday's signature style of phrasing

896-678: The Count Basie Orchestra , Humes sang ballads and popular songs. While she was also a talented blues singer, Jimmy Rushing , another member of the orchestra at the time, held domain over the blues vocals. Her vocals with Basie's band included " Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea " and " Moonlight Serenade ". On December 24, 1939, Humes performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, and James P. Johnson , at

952-720: The Famous Door with Benny Carter (February), at the Village Vanguard with Eddie Heywood , and on tour with a big band led by the trombonist Ernie Fields . In 1944, Humes moved to Los Angeles, California , where she recorded and contributed to movie soundtracks. Some of the soundtracks she recorded were Panic in the Streets and My Blue Heaven . She appeared in the musical film Jivin' in Be-Bop , by Dizzy Gillespie . She also performed and toured with Jazz at

1008-645: The Manhattan home of a friend. With Count Basie With Coleman Hawkins With Frankie Laine With Mel Powell With Paul Quinichette With Red Richards With Buddy Tate With Dicky Wells Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 13, 1981) was an American singer. She was a blues , R&B and classic popular singer. Humes was born on June 23, 1913, in Louisville, Kentucky , to Emma Johnson and John Henry Humes. She grew up as an only child. Her father

1064-666: The Savoy Ballroom . Clayton and Rushing worked together occasionally into the 1960s. From September 1949, Clayton was in Europe for nine months, leading his own band in France. He recorded intermittently over the next few years for the French Vogue label, under his own name, that of clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow and for one session, with pianist Earl Hines . In 1953, Clayton was again in Europe, touring with Mezzrow; in Italy,

1120-859: The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel two years later. In 1958, he was at the World Fair in Brussels for concerts with Sidney Bechet , and toured Europe the following year and annually through the 1960s. For the Swingville label (a subsidiary of Prestige Records ), Clayton co-led two albums with former Basie colleague Buddy Tate and supported Pee Wee Russell on his own outing for the label. In 1964, Clayton performed in Japan, Australia and New Zealand with Eddie Condon , with whom he had already occasionally worked for several years. In 1965, he toured

1176-810: The American jazz influence brought over by Clayton. A 1935 guidebook in Shanghai listed Clayton and Teddy Weatherford as the main jazz attraction at the Canidrome. Clayton left Shanghai before the 1937 Second Sino-Japanese War . Clayton is credited for helping to close the gap between traditional Chinese music and shidaiqu / mandopop . Li is mostly remembered in China as a casualty of the Cultural Revolution . Later that year, Clayton accepted an offer from bandleader Willie Bryant in New York, but while moving east he stopped in Kansas City, Missouri and

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1232-484: The Basie band: Neal Hefti , Quincy Jones and Sammy Nestico . Michael G. Nastos wrote of the recording with Eckstine: "When the Count Basie Orchestra consented to team up with vocalist Billy Eckstine, choruses of angels must have shouted hallelujah. The combination of Basie's sweet jazz and Eckstine's low-down blues sensibilities meshed well on this one-shot deal, a program mostly of downtrodden songs perfectly suited for

1288-667: The Cookery in New York City from 1974 to 1977. Humes subsequently performed occasionally in America and at European venues and festivals, including the prestigious Nice Jazz Festival in the mid-1970s. She recorded her final album, Helen , for Muse Records in 1980. She received the Music Industry of France Award in 1973 and the key to the city of Louisville in 1975. Humes said of her career, "I'm not trying to be

1344-466: The Cotton Club. Count Basie first heard and approached Humes while she was performing at the Cotton Club in 1937. He asked her to join his touring band to replace Billie Holiday . He told her that she would be paid $ 35 a week, and she responded, "Oh shucks, I make that here and don't have to go no place!" Not long after this encounter, Humes moved in 1937 to New York City , where John Hammond ,

1400-562: The Count Basie Orchestra has been a superb precision ensemble, and perhaps the greatest brass ensemble of the century. And that fact adds an irony to a distinguished career, for it was not always such." The Count Basie Orchestra continued releasing recordings and albums after Basie's death in 1984. For example, Basie is Back (2006) features new recordings of classic tunes from the Basie Orchestra's catalog, including "April in Paris" and

1456-517: The Decca label in January 1937: in pieces such as "Roseland Shuffle", the soloists are at the foreground, with the ensemble effects and riffs playing a strictly functional backing role. This was a fresh big band sound for New York, contrasting the complex jazz writing of Duke Ellington and Sy Oliver and highlighting the difference in styles that had emerged between the east and west coasts. Following

1512-407: The Philharmonic for five seasons. She recorded her most popular songs, two jump blues tunes, "Be-Baba-Leba" R&B #3 ( Philo , 1945) and "Million Dollar Secret" R&B #6 ( Modern , 1950). There was some controversy surrounding the single Be-Baba-Leba" because it had been recorded first by singer Tina Dixon who held the initial copyright. Dixon's version was released after Humes who popularized

1568-582: The UK with trombonist Vic Dickenson , and blues singer Big Joe Turner , accompanied by British trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and his Band. This group featured on Jazz 625 for BBC television (later released on DVR). Clayton made numerous visits to the UK thereafter and recorded three albums with Lyttelton. In order to hoodwink the musicians' union in the UK, it was necessary to claim that these albums were recorded in Switzerland. A live audio recording made on

1624-446: The band and the man." This new band became known as "The New Testament" or "The Second Testament". With albums such as The Atomic Mr. Basie (1958), April in Paris (1957) and Basie Plays Hefti (1958), the new Count Basie Orchestra sound became identifiable. The sound of the band was now that of a tight ensemble: heavier and more full bodied, contrasting with the riff-based band of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Whereas previously

1680-648: The band with their music. It suggested that Basie's ideal of a big band-sized group with the flexibility and spirit of his original Kansas City eight-piece was not to last. During the World War II years, some of the key members of the band left: the drummer Jo Jones and tenor saxophone player Lester Young were both conscripted in 1944, leading to the hiring of drummers such as Buddy Rich and extra tenor saxophonists, including Illinois Jacquet , Paul Gonsalves and Lucky Thompson . The musicologist Gunther Schuller has said that when Jo Jones left, he took some of

1736-475: The band's early hit " One O'Clock Jump ". The Basie band still collaborated with high-profile singers such as Ray Charles in Ray Sings, Basie Swings (2006), and with Allyn Ferguson on the album Swing Shift (1999). After Basie's death the band played under the direction of some of the players he had hired, including Thad Jones , Frank Foster, Grover Mitchell , Bill Hughes , and Dennis Mackrel . The band

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1792-477: The band's members. Although some of the band's players, such as trombonist Eddie Durham , contributed their own written arrangements at this time, the "head-arrangements" captured the imagination of the audience in New York and communicated the spirit of the band's members. In 1938, Helen Humes joined the group, replacing Billie Holiday as the female singer. She sang mostly pop ballads, including "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Blame it on My Last Affair", acting as

1848-558: The chance to expand the group to the standard 13-piece big band line-up. He also offered to transfer the group to New York City in order to play at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom . Basie agreed, hoping that with this new band, he could retain the freedom and spirit of the Kansas City style of his nine-piece group. The band, which now included Buck Clayton on trumpet and the famous blues "shouter" Jimmy Rushing , demonstrated this style in their first recordings with

1904-519: The early 1980s. The semi-autobiography Buck Clayton’s Jazz World , co-authored by Nancy Miller Elliott, was first published in 1986. In the same year, Clayton's new Big Band debuted at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and he toured internationally with it, contributing 100 compositions to the band book. Buck Clayton died in his sleep in December 1991, the month after his 80th birthday, at

1960-444: The emphasis had been on providing space for exemplary soloists such as Lester Young and Buck Clayton , now the focus had shifted to the arrangements, despite the presence of soloists such as trumpeter Thad Jones and saxophonist Frank Foster . This orchestral style continues as the typical sound of the band up to the present day, which has been criticized by some musicologists. In his book The Swing Era , Gunther Schuller described

2016-411: The first recording session, the band's line up was reshuffled, with some of players being replaced on the request of Hammond as part of a strengthening of the band. Trumpeters Ed Lewis and Bobby Moore replaced Keyes and Smith, and Earle Warren replaced the alto saxophonist Coughey Roberts. In March 1937 the guitarist Freddie Green arrived, replacing Claude Williams and completing what became one of

2072-471: The group as "perfected neo-classicism ...a most glorious dead end." However, jazz critic Martin Williams offers a differing view. In his book Jazz Heritage , Williams wrote the following about a 1959 recording: " . . . obviously this Basie orchestra is an ensemble whose virtues center on discipline, precision, and collective power." In his book The Jazz Tradition , Williams wrote: "Since the mid-'fifties,

2128-538: The group to start his own band, taking many of his colleagues from the Moten band with him. This nine-piece group was known for its legendary soloists including, Joe Keyes and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page on trumpet, Buster Smith and Earle Warren on alto saxophone, Lester Young on tenor saxophone, Dan Minor on trombone, and a rhythm section made up of Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on bass and Basie on piano. With this band, then named The Barons of Rhythm, Basie brought

2184-449: The group was joined by Frank Sinatra . The English critic Stanley Dance coined the term "mainstream" in the 1950s, to describe the style of those swing era players who fell between the revivalist and modernist camps. Clayton was precisely one of the players to whom this appellation most applied. In December 1953, he embarked on a series of jam session albums for Columbia , which had been the idea of John Hammond , though George Avakian

2240-477: The many new arrangements led to a gradual change in the band's sound, distancing the group musically from its Kansas City roots . Rather than the music being built around the soloists with memorised head arrangements and riffs, the group's sound at this time became more focused on ensemble playing; closer to the East Coast big band sound. This can be attributed to the increasing reliance on arrangers to influence

2296-550: The most respected rhythm sections in big band history. Billie Holiday also sang with the band during this period, although she never recorded with them for contractual reasons. Hits such as " One O'Clock Jump " and " Jumpin' at the Woodside " (from 1937 and 1938, respectively) helped to gain the band, now known as the Count Basie Orchestra, national and international fame. These tunes were known as "head-arrangements"; not scored in individual parts but made up of riffs memorized by

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2352-496: The music of Duke Ellington, with arrangements from 1940 such as "I Never Knew" and "Louisiana" introducing increased chromaticism to the band's music. Tab Smith contributed important arrangements at this time, such as "Harvard Blues", and others including Buster Harding and veteran arranger Jimmy Mundy also expanded the group's repertoire. Thelma Carpenter replaced Helen Humes as the new female vocalist, notably recording " I Didn't Know About You " for Columbia Records . But

2408-573: The music world, Humes did not make another record for another ten years, during which she completed her high school degree, took finance courses, and worked at a bank, as a waitress, and as a secretary for her father. She stayed home for a while, eventually leaving to visit friends in Buffalo , New York. While there, she was invited to sing a few songs at the Spider Web, a cabaret in town. This brief performance turned into an audition, which turned into

2464-518: The piano in a small and locally traveling dance band, the Dandies. This constant involvement in music would lead to her singing career in the mid-1920s. Humes attended Central High School in Louisville. Humes' career began with her first vocal performance at an amateur contest in 1926, singing "When You're a Long, Long Way from Home" and "I'm in Love with You, That's Why". Her talents were noticed by

2520-465: The punishment of those long rides… then too I got tired of singing the same songs. For these reasons, Humes left in 1942. While home again in Louisville in 1942, Humes was called by John Hammond and invited to sing at Café Society in New York. She performed frequently there, accompanied by the pianists Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum . During that year, she also performed at the Three Deuces, at

2576-531: The second From Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall , produced by John Hammond. After this concert, most of her time with the Basie Orchestra was spent touring. In a 1973 oral history she described life on tour: I used to pretend I was asleep on the Basie bus, so the boys wouldn't think I was hearing their rough talk. I'd sew buttons on and cook for them, too…in places where it was difficult to get anything to eat…down south. I wasn't interested in drinking and keeping late hours…but my kidneys couldn't stand

2632-423: The smooth, relaxed style of the band with him. Replacements such as Sonny Payne , drummed much louder and raised the dynamic of the band to a "harder, more clamorous brass sound." The ban on instrumental recordings of 1942–1944 adversely affected the finances of the Count Basie Orchestra, as it did for all big bands in the United States. Despite taking on soloists from the next generation such as Wardell Gray , Basie

2688-653: The sound of the famous and highly competitive Kansas City " jam session " to club audiences, coupling extended improvised solos with riff -based accompaniments from the band. The group's first venue was the Reno Club in Kansas City, later moving to the Grand Terrace in Chicago . When music critic and record producer John Hammond heard the band on a 1936 radio broadcast, he sought them out and offered Basie

2744-461: The sources), he was a leader of the "Harlem Gentlemen" in Shanghai. Some of the bureaucratic social groups he was with included Chiang Kai-shek 's wife Soong Mei-ling and her sister Ai-ling, who were regulars at the Canidrome in Shanghai. Clayton played a number of songs that were composed by Li Jinhui , while adopting the Chinese music scale into the American scale. Li learned a great deal from

2800-412: The tune. Despite her chart success, her career stagnated. From the late 1940s to the mid-1950s she made a few recordings, working with different bands and vocalists, including Nat King Cole , but was not nearly as active as she had been. In 1950 she recorded Benny Carter 's "Rock Me to Sleep". She bridged the gap between big-band swing jazz and rhythm and blues . In 1956, Humes toured Australia with

2856-554: The vibraphonist Red Norvo . Their tour was well received, and she returned again in 1962 and 1964. She performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959 and the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1960 and 1962. She toured Europe with the first American Folk Blues Festival in 1962. She returned to the United States in 1967 to take care of her ailing mother. At this point Humes viewed her singing career as

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2912-427: Was briefly a member of Duke Ellington 's Orchestra and worked with other leaders. Clayton was also taught at this time by trumpeter Mutt Carey , who later emerged as a prominent west-coast revivalist in the 1940s. He also met Louis Armstrong , while Armstrong was performing at Sebastian's Cotton Club , who taught him how to glissando on his trumpet. After high school, Clayton moved to Los Angeles . He later formed

2968-646: Was forced to temporarily disband the group for a short period in 1948, before dispersing again for two years in 1950. For these two years, Basie led a reduced band of between six and nine people, featuring performers such as Buddy Rich , Serge Chaloff and Buddy DeFranco . Basie reformed the jazz orchestra in 1952 for a series of tours, not only in the United States, but also in Europe in 1954 and Japan in 1963. The band released new recordings, some featuring guest singers such as Joe Williams , Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstine . All relied on contributions from arrangers, some of whom are now synonymous with

3024-425: Was one of the first Black attorneys in her hometown, and her mother was a schoolteacher. In an interview, Humes recalled her parents singing to each other around the house and in a church choir. Humes was introduced to music in the church, singing in the choir and getting piano and organ lessons given at Sunday school by Bessie Allen, who taught music to any child who wanted to learn. Humes began occasionally playing

3080-570: Was persuaded to stay by Count Basie , whose orchestra had a residency at the Reno Club. Clayton replaced Hot Lips Page . Beginning in 1937, the Count Basie orchestra was based in New York City, giving Clayton the opportunity to work as a freelance musician in studio sessions with Billie Holiday and Lester Young . Clayton left Basie after being drafted in November 1943. After his honorable discharge in 1946, Clayton prepared arrangements for Count Basie , Benny Goodman and Harry James and became

3136-924: Was the principal producer. The recording sessions for these albums lasted until 1956. The tracks could last the length of an LP side, and it had been the new format that had given Hammond the idea, but sometimes this led to unfortunate anomalies. The title track on the Jumpin' at the Woodside album was compiled from two takes recorded four months apart, each with a completely different rhythm section. From this series also came Clayton's Jazz Spectacular album with Kai Winding , J. J. Johnson and vocals by Frankie Laine . Clayton also recorded for Vanguard , with Hammond producing, under his own name and on dates led by Ruby Braff , Mel Powell and Sir Charles Thompson . In 1955, Clayton appeared in The Benny Goodman Story , also working with Goodman in New York at

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