Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (born 26 July 1924), better known by the stage name Louie Bellson, is an American jazz drummer. He is considered to be one of the few drummers whose technical proficiency is in the league of Buddy Rich.^{[citation needed]} He is a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums. He has been called "the world's greatest drummer" by Duke Ellington (with Ellington saying "Louie Bellson has all the requirements for perfection in his craft. He is the world's greatest drummer.").^{[citation needed]} Renowned music critic and journalist Leonard Feather referred to Bellson as "one of the most phenomenal drummers in history" and also stated of Bellson that "Musicians and public alike respect him as a drummer without peer in technique, taste and originality; and as a composer whose works are a consistently effective fusion of melodic, rhythmic and harmonic ideas."^{[citation needed]} July 26 is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Bold textA stage name, or a screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers (such as actors, comedians, musicians, clowns, and professional wrestlers. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Bernard Buddy Rich (September 30, 1917 Brooklyn, New York – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... In popular music an arrangement is a setting of a piece of music, which may have been composed by the arranger or by someone else. ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bass drum. ... Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and band leader who has been one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. ... Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914– 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. ...

Biography

This article needs sections. Please format the article according to the guidelines laid out at Wikipedia's Manual of Style. Please discuss this issue on the talk page.

Louie Bellson was born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1924 and started playing drums at three years of age. At age 15, he pioneered the double-bass drum set-up. His detailed sketch earned him an 'A' in his high school art class. At age 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest. Image File history File links Information. ... Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... The Slingerland Drum Company is a historic drum company which is linked to the rich history of jazz drumming. ... Gene Krupa Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ...

Bellson is an internationally-acclaimed artist who has performed in most of the major capitals around the world. With the exception of Bob Hope, who has made the most White House appearances, Bellson holds, along with his late wife Pearl Bailey, the second highest number of White House appearances. Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... Pearl Bailey in “St. ...

He has performed and/or recorded scores of albums (approximately 200) as a leader, co-leader or sideman with such renowned musicians and leaders such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, Norman Granz' J.A.T.P. (Jazz at the Philharmonic), Benny Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Hank Jones, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Shelly Manne, Billy Cobham, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Pearl Bailey, Mel Tormé, Joe Williams and Wayne Newton. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and band leader who has been one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Tommy Dorsey, in a publicity shot for The Big Apple Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader in the Big Band era. ... Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was a popular United States musician and band leader, and a well-known trumpet virtuoso. ... Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987), better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. ... Norman Granz (Los Angeles, USA, August 6, 1918 - Geneva, Switzerland, November 22, 2001), was an American jazz music impresario and producer. ... Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) was the title of a series of concerts and recordings produced by Norman Granz. ... Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. ... Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed Sassy and The Divine One), (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer, described as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century [1]. // Sarah Vaughan was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1924. ... Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella and the First Lady of Song, is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century. ... Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. ... Arthur Tatum Jr. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing. ... Stan Getz Stanley Getz, better known as Stan Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz musician. ... Born July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hank Jones grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, where he studied piano at an early age and came under the influence of Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, and Art Tatum. ... John Haley Zoot Sims was an American jazz musician. ... Sonny Stitt, a quintessential bop saxophonist. ... Milton (Milt) Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) was an American jazz vibraphonist and one of the most important figures in the hard bop style. ... Clark Terry performs with the Great Lakes Navy Band Jazz Ensemble Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bop trumpeter and flugelhorn player. ... Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 19011 – July 6, 1971) (also known by the nickname Satchmo) was an African American jazz musician. ... Lionel Hampton with George W. Bush Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908, Louisville, Kentucky – August 31, 2002 New York City), was a jazz bandleader and percussionist. ... Edward Davis (March 2, 1922 - November 3, 1986), who performed and recorded as Eddie Lockjaw Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... Shelly Manne (June 11, 1920–September 26, 1984), born Sheldon Manne in New York, New York, was an American jazz drummer. ... Billy Cobham, born May 16, 1944 in Panama, is widely regarded as one of the worlds best and most influential drummers, best known for his jazz fusion in the 1970s, with John McLaughlins Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he pioneered a powerful style of drumming with jazz, rock and funk... James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006),[3] commonly referred to as The Godfather of Soul and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. ... Sammy Davis, Jr. ... For other persons named Tony Bennett, see Tony Bennett (disambiguation). ... Pearl Bailey in “St. ... Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed The Velvet Fog, is best known as one of the great male jazz singers. ... There are several Joe Williams: Smokey Joe Williams, baseball pitcher and hall of famer. ... Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942, in Roanoke, Virginia) is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

Over the years, Bellson has taken several bandleader's holidays to play under the direction of other leaders or to lead someone else's band. During the 1960s, he rejoined Ellington for his Emancipation Proclamation Centennial stage production, My People, the motion picture soundtrack of Assault on a Queen, and for what Ellington called "the most important thing I have ever done" -— his Concerts of Sacred Music. In 1966, Bellson toured briefly with both Basie and ex-boss Harry James. A few years later, renowned drummer Buddy Rich (referred to by many as "the world's greatest drummer" over the years) paid Bellson a supreme drummer-to-drummer/bandleader compliment by asking him to lead his (Buddy's) band on tour while he (Buddy) was temporarily disabled by a back injury. Louie proudly accepted.

In 1942, he performed with the Benny Goodman band and Peggy Lee in "The Power Girl", the first of his many film appearances. Louie was 24 and a veteran of a U.S. Army band when he joined Danny Kaye, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Barnett, Benny Carter, Mel Powell, Kenny Dorharn, Harry Babasin, Al Hendrickson, Buck Washington, and Goodman for Howard Hawks' "A Song Is Born," a movie still shown sometimes on late, late shows on TV to this day.

As a prolific creator of music, both written and improvised, his compositions and arrangements (in the hundreds) embrace jazz, jazz/rock/fusion, romantic orchestral suites, symphonic works and a ballet. Not known by too many about Bellson, he is also a poet and a lyricist. His one Broadway venture, Portofino (1958), was a resounding flop that closed after three performances. Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... Portofino is a musical with a book by Richard Ney, lyrics by Ney and Sheldon Harnick, and music by Louis Bellson and Will Irwin. ...

As an author, he has published more than a dozen books on drums and percussion. He is currently at work with his biographer on a book chronicling his career and bearing the same name as one of his compositions -- "Skin Deep".

In addition, The London Suite (recorded in his album "Louie in London") was performed at the Hollywood Pilgrimage Bowl before a record-breaking audience. The three-part work includes a choral section in which a 12-voice choir sings lyrics penned by Bellson. Part One is the band's rousing "Carnaby Street", a collaboration with Jack Hayes.

Bellson has been known throughout his career (up to and including the present) to conduct drum and band clinics at high schools, colleges and music stores. Aimed at student musicians of all ages, they are known to be attended as much by many professional musicians as well as by youngsters and aspiring drummers.

Bellson has led his own orchestra almost steadily for more than forty years. His present band is called the Big Band Explosion.

Bellson received his Doctor of Humane Letters in 1985 at Northern Illinois University. In 1987, at the Percussive Arts Society convention in Washington, D.C., Bellson and Harold Farberman performed a major orchestral work titled "Concerto for Jazz Drummer and Full Orchestra", the first piece ever written specifically for jazz drummer and full symphony orchestra. This work was recorded by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England, and was released by the Swedish label, B.I.S.

Bellson maintains a tight schedule of clinics and performances of both big bands and small bands in colleges, clubs and concert halls. In between, he continues to record and compose, resulting in more than 100 albums and more than 300 compositions to date. Bellson's Telarc debut recording, "Louie Bellson And His Big Band: Live From New York", was released in June of 1994. He also continues to create new drum technology for Remo, Inc., of which he is vice president.

Between 1943 and 1952, Bellson performed with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Duke Ellington (for whom he wrote "Skin Deep" and "The Hawk Talks"). In 1952 he married Pearl Bailey and left Ellington to be her musical director. Later in the 1950s and 1960s he performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic or J.A.T.P., Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington again, and Harry James again, as well as appearing on several Ella Fitzgerald studio albums. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Tommy Dorsey, in a publicity shot for The Big Apple Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader in the Big Band era. ... Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was a popular United States musician and band leader, and a well-known trumpet virtuoso. ... Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and band leader who has been one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. ... Pearl Bailey in “St. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) was the title of a series of concerts and recordings produced by Norman Granz. ... Tommy Dorsey, in a publicity shot for The Big Apple Tommy Dorsey (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader in the Big Band era. ... James Jimmy Dorsey (February 29, 1904 - June 12, 1957) was a prominent jazz clarinetist, saxophonist and big band leader. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella and the First Lady of Song, is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century. ...

Once married to American singer and actress Pearl Bailey, Bellson also recorded extensively and led his own bands (occasionally maintaining separate bands on each coast). His sidemen have included Blue Mitchell, Don Menza, Larry Novak, John Heard, Clark Terry, Pete and Conte Candoli, and Snooky Young. He was equally effective as a big band drummer and as a small group drummer. Pearl Bailey in “St. ... Richard Allen (Blue) Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter. ... John Heard John Heard (born March 7, 1945 in Washington, DC, USA) is an American actor. ... Clark Terry performs with the Great Lakes Navy Band Jazz Ensemble Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bop trumpeter and flugelhorn player. ... Pete Candoli is an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast of the US. He has played with the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others. ... Conte Condoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast of the US. He had played in the big bands of Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie. ... Eugene (Snooky) Young (born in 1919) is an American jazz trumpeter. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ...

As of 2005, among other performing activities, Bellson visits his home town of Rock Island, Illinois every July for Louie Bellson Heritage Days, a weekend in his honor close to his July 6th birthday, with receptions, music clinics and other performances by Bellson. At the 2004 event celebrating his 80th birthday, Bellson said, appropriately for the inventor and pioneer of double-bass drumming, "I'm not that old; I'm 40 in this leg, and 40 in the other leg." (Drum! Magazine, September/October 2004, pg. 30, by Rob Howe.)

In 2006, Mr. Bellson released a CD entitled “The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson and the Jazz Ballet.”

In May of 2007, Mr. Bellson recorded a number of his compositions and arrangements for big band, featuring Clark Terry on Flugelhorn, as well as Kenny Washington and Sylvia Cuenca on drums. The big band was manned by the members of Clark Terry's Big Band. The music was recorded in Studio A at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City.

Awards

Among Bellson's numerous accolades: He has been voted into the Halls of Fame for both Modern Drummer magazine and the Percussive Arts Society. Yale University named him a Duke Ellington Fellow in 1977. He received an honorary Doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 1985. He performed his original concert-- Tomus I, II, III --with the Washington Civic Symphony in historic Constitution Hall in 1993. A combination of full symphony orchestra, big-band ensemble and 80-voice choir, "Tomus" had been a collaboration of music by Bellson and lyrics by his late wife, Pearl Bailey. He received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994. Additionally, Louie Bellson is a four-time Grammy Award nominee.

In January 1994, Bellson received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a U.S. federal agency. As one of three recipients, Bellson was lauded by NEA chair Jane Alexander who said, "These colossal talents have helped write the history of jazz in America."