RIP Louie Bellson

[Jim Cohen]

VIDEO HERE: http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/153.html

Louie Bellson dies at 84; Duke Ellington called him 'the world's greatest drummer'
By Don Heckman

February 17, 2009

Louie Bellson, a jazz drummer and bandleader who combined remarkable instrumental virtuosity with far-ranging compositional skills, has died. He was 84.

Bellson's long, productive career stretched from his teens -- when, in competition with 40,000 other young players, he won the Slingerland National Gene Krupa drumming contest -- to the tours and seminars he continued until 2008.

Best known as a superlative big band drummer as a result of his work in the 1940s and '50s with Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Duke Ellington and others, Bellson was also an adept small group player. His more than 200 recorded appearances as leader and sideman encompass sessions with Jazz at the Philharmonic, Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, James Brown and dozens of others, including Ellington's Big Four alongside guitarist Joe Pass and bassist Ray Brown.

"What makes Bellson so special," former Times jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote in 1991, "is his overall musicianship. A gifted composer and arranger who has written everything from jazz instrumentals to ballets, he can incorporate his role logically instead of banging away without regard to the dynamic or melodic structure of the work in progress."

Bellson often said that he regarded his tenure with Ellington as one of the significant points in his career. Performing with the orchestra in the early '50s triggered a forward leap in his development as an instrumentalist and his confidence as a composer.

[Al Marcus]

Jim-I am sorry to hear about Louie, We always thought Louie was in a class by himself.I met Louie and the Duke at a club in northern Michigan, where we were the house band and once a month they brought in a Big band. That was in the 50's.

Thanks for posting and giving this tribute and information of one of our great jazz musicians....al.

[Ron Randall]

Jim

I play his "Art of the Chart" cd all the time.
Amazing talent for arranging and playing.

R2

[LJ Eiffert]

This is sad news. I've known " Louie & Pearl Bailey Bellson " for many years. It was about three years ago that I last spoke and visit with Louie at a Big Band Dinner show with my good friend " Tom Lattimer " and the ole X President was there too,Max Herman of local 47 Musicians Union. He (Louie) was one of my heros as a Drummer as well as " Sandy Nelson ". Thank you for all the memories you gave me Louie over the years. RIP Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

[David Thornhill]

The only time I met Louie was on the "tonight show" when I was playing with Loretta. The show would only lets us use 4 musicians from Loretta's band. So we used Lead, Steel,Piano,and Bass. So I asked Louie if he would play Drums with us. He said he would, but wanted to know where the "charts" were. I said to him, what charts? I told him that we didn't play from charts, that we all played from memory. I had to show him just what to play. We got thru the show but Louie was a wreck until the show was over. Dave Thornhill

[Jim Cohen]

Imagine that -- a drummer who wants charts! Will wonders never cease...

[Al Marcus]

Yes, Jim, Imagine that!...al.

[Dave White]

I remember reading an interview in a magazine, many years ago, in which Mr. Bellson credited his mother with helping him become an all-around musician. In the interview, Mr. Bellson said his mother told him he could take drum lessons, but he would also had to learn to play the piano. This keyboard training and background is what gave him what he needed to become a great composer and arranger. RIP Louie.

[Dave Mudgett]

Another great one passes, and a great musician he was indeed. RIP, Louie.

That's a great story about the charts, David.

[Jim Cohen]

Mother Knows Best...

[Fred Shannon]

Didn't Louie Bellson and a famous jazz bass man play with that group of steelers organized by one Dave Burly I think. Someone knows will save a hell of a search through the forum. I think steelers like Day, Julian, Reece, and I guess I've forgotten the rest. Maybe Speedy. were involved in the cuts.

phred

[Hook Moore]

Fred, Louie played on the project Jimmy Bryant had together with Big E, Reese Anderson, Curly Chalker, Doug Jernigan, Julian Tharpe, Speedy West, Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green and Hal Rugg. I think it was called " For the first time". Just had 3 songs on it , Lonesome road, twelve midnight, and I think , cottontail blues..There were some rights , permission problems or something and not many copies were ever released..
Hook

[Jim Cohen]

Yes, but I think Dave Burley has posted here on the Forum that he's planning to release it as a CD soon.

[Paul Polish]

Jimbeaux;
Your comment;
Imagine that -- a drummer who wants charts! Will wonders never cease.

Oh come on now.....

Paul

[Jim Cohen]

Paul, believe it or not, you're one of the ONLY drummers I work with who asks for the charts, AND then goes ahead and actually USES them!! I love playing with you, Pablo!

[Jeff Harbour]

Thankfully I got to see Louie play a show at a city hall in WV in the early 90s. This was when I was a drummer in high school. I think every musical instrument has a set of elite players who could all arguably be labeled as "the best", depending on what one's deciding factors are.
To me, Louie will always be placed with three of his peers... Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, and another fairly recent loss Max Roach. Gene was the great showman, Buddy had the flashiest licks, and Max had the unique artistic style. Louie was, without a doubt, "Mr. Smooth". He maybe even filled the true role of a drummer in a band better than any of the others I mentioned. It's also amazing that even though his trademark was being one of the first double-bass drummers, he NEVER overused it.
Anyone working as a sideman (including steel players, of course) can learn a great deal by listening to Louie's playing, and the way he conducted himself. I've heard the art of drumming described as "getting the most music out of the instrument that gives you the fewest possibilities". I say there was no one better at that.

Jeff

[Al Marcus]

Jeff-Nicely put.
You described Gene Kroupa, Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson's styles perfectly. That's just the way they were. At least that is what most of us thought of them back in those days. All 3 great drummers. But all different in their own way....al.:)

[Tommy Young]

MY CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS ONE CAN SEE, HE WAS WELL THOUGHT OF IN HIS MUSIC AND PLAYING ABILTES

[Roy Ayres]

As Jeff said, Louie was the first to use double bass drums. He used 20-inch bass drums with the heads somewhat loosened, which gave off a noteless "thud" -- and the guy could do a drum roll with his feet. (In the picture to which Jimbeaux linked us, Bellson was using larger basses -- look like 24's.) I used to see him, along with Eddie Safranski and others, jamming in some little smokey, low ceilinged night club on week ends in the L.A. area when I was stationed in San Diego in the USMC.

Sad to see the great ones like him go.

[George Keoki Lake]

LOUIS BELLSON was known for his courtesy, humbleness and kindness. A musician acquaintence told me this morning the story of a drum seminar which he attended where Louis was to be the 'headliner'. However, Bellson heard a young chap who was outstanding and gave the stage over to this promising musician. Louis sat in the audience beaming as this young musician did some remarkable stick and brush technic on the drums. Now, that's a REAL profesional !

[Tom Pickett Jr]

being from the quad cities, getting to know mr.
bellson and his family was a great experience.
he held so many seminars (free) for young musicians
i tried to make all of them, dad and i saw his last one a couple of months ago. he will be missed...
ouch jim, sorry i forgot your charts that day....
tom will try to polish himself for next timeLOL

[Dave A. Burley]

In 1976 I produced an album called 'It's The First Time.' I hired Jimmy Bryant as the session leader and he did help me get the musicians. As the master has been lost, I am still waiting for one of the original albums and I plan to re-release the album on CD as soon as I get one of the original albums.
Louie Bellson played drums on that session as he also did on the 'Cavalcade Of Guitars' that I produced in Texas in Novemeber of 76. The artists on that live album recorded during a six hour concert at Dewey Grooms Long Horn Salloon in Dallas, were:
Curly Chalker, Tal Farlow, Maurice Anderson, Herb Ellis, Les Paul, Buddy Emmons, Howard Roberts, Bucky Pizzarelli, Doug Jernigan, Slam Stewart, Julian Tharpe, Johnny Gore and Louis Bellson.
The first of the CD's from that 76 session will be released within the next couple months.
Each musician at that concert did individual showcases of which all were recorded....The first CD will feature Curly Chalker and Julian Tharpe's individual showcases. The legendary bassist, Slam Stewart, joined Julian during Julian's rendition of 'Danny Boy.' Great listening that has never been heard by the public.
The CD's from this concert, two which will feature all the musicians on stage at the same time, will be released under the concerts title, 'Dave Burley's Cavalcade Of Guitars.'
The Curly/Julian CD is almost ready to go.
Also...............Louie Bellson, according to him and the records of the 76 recording, was 56 in November of that year so he would have been 88 when he passed last week. Louie was an avid health nut and jogged every morning. The last I heard him play when he was in his eighties, he hadn't seemed to lost anything.
Thanks,
Dave A. Burley