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<\/p>\nBy New Jersey Stage<\/p>\n
(NEWARK, NJ) —\u00a0The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) at\u00a0Rutgers University-Newark is now home to the collection of nearly 1,000 artifacts that belonged to late jazz icon\u00a0William J. \u201cCount\u201d Basie Jr. The Count Basie Collection includes his pianos, Hammond organ, photos, correspondence, concert programs, business records, housewares and press clippings. Scholars, curators, writers, students, filmmakers, and music aficionados also will find clothes, accessories, scrapbooks, and audiovisual material from Basie as the collection comes \u201chome\u201d to reside in the Red Bank, New Jersey native\u2019s home territory. Items including a Grammy, Downbeat award, and one of Basie\u2019s signature ship captain\u2019s hats were on display at the official announcement of the acquisition on June 13, 2018\u00a0at\u00a015 Washington Street\u00a0in the Great Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the materials cover the entire years of Basie\u2019s lifetime, the collection represents the latter years of Basie\u2019s life and career particularly well, including a large number of accolades Grammy awards, honorary degrees, and proclamations,\u201d said Wayne Winborne, executive director of IJS. \u201cIt\u2019s important to note here that there are several boxes of materials related to the life of Catherine Basie who was herself a very charismatic and interesting woman. She was Basie\u2019s wife and life partner for over 40 years and was very involved in the community with young people in her neighborhood and in the civil rights movement. She will no doubt be a subject of historical examination.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Winborne, the acquisition of Basie\u2019s collection is a perfect fit for Rutgers-Newark and the Rutgers University Libraries with IJS long recognized as the world\u2019s foremost archives and research facility devoted to jazz, as well as the University\u2019s proximity to Basie\u2019s hometown of Red Bank, approximately 40 miles south of IJS. In addition to hundreds of artifacts, Rutgers-Newark now also retains the rights to Basie\u2019s name, likeness, and trademark. The collection will become available to the public in the near future for research and exhibition.<\/p>\n
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President and Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC),\u00a0John Schreiber, and Executive Director Emeritus of IJS,\u00a0Dan Morgenstern, both shared fond memories with the music legend. Schreiber spoke about being on the road as a manager twice for the Count Basie Orchestra. \u201cBasie was this really gentle, kind, twinkle-in-his-eye, brilliant guy. He never said much but he was on time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Honorable Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and Amy Niles, President and Chief Executive Officer of WBGO, also made remarks at the announcement, in addition to\u00a0Joy Rosenthal\u00a0who spoke on behalf of the Basie estate.<\/p>\n
One of the giants of jazz, a global icon, Count Basie remains one of the most popular and recognized figures in American music, even now, 34 years after his death. He was a jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. He enjoyed a career that spanned more than 60 years and helped to elevate jazz as a serious art form. Count Basie established swing as one of jazz\u2019s predominant styles and solidified the link between jazz and the blues.<\/p>\n
Count Basie\u2019s accolades are many. He earned nine Grammy Awards and made history in 1958 by becoming the first African American to receive a Grammy. Four of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame:\u00a0One O\u2019clock\u00a0Jump\u00a0(1979),\u00a0April in Paris\u00a0(1985),\u00a0Everyday I Have the Blues\u00a0(1992), and\u00a0Lester Leaps In\u00a0(2005). In addition to his music, he also received numerous awards and honors from around the world for his humanitarianism and philanthropy.<\/p>\n
![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newjerseystage.com\/events2018\/Basie3.jpg\")
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