Bellson, Louie

Bellson, Louie

▪ American musician
original name  Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni ; also called  Louis Bellson 
born July 26, 1924, Rock Falls, Illinois, U.S.

      one of the most heralded of jazz drummers, known for his taste and restraint in displaying his considerable technical skills.

      Bellson was something of a child prodigy who, while in high school, invented the double-bass drum kit that became his trademark and went on to become a favourite with jazz and rock drummers. At age 17, Bellson won a national drum contest sponsored by Gene Krupa (Krupa, Gene), rising to the top among some 40,000 entrants. He began his professional career with Ted Fio Rito's band and briefly joined Benny Goodman (Goodman, Benny)'s orchestra before departing for army service in 1943. During the late 1940s, Bellson played in numerous small groups and from 1947 to '49 was the drummer in Tommy Dorsey (Dorsey, Jimmy)'s band. After a brief stint with Harry James (James, Harry) (1950–51), he achieved celebrity status in the early '50s as drummer with the Duke Ellington (Ellington, Duke) Orchestra; Ellington frequently introduced Bellson as “the greatest drummer in the world.” For Ellington, Bellson also composed three songs that became hits: "The Hawk Talks," "Ting-a-Ling," and "Skin Deep." He left the Ellington band in 1953 to become musical director for singer-actress Pearl Bailey (Bailey, Pearl), whom he had married the previous year. Bellson continued to play with or lead several top bands and combos throughout the years, and he continued to work with Bailey until her death in 1990.

      Bellson was never regarded as a musical innovator; instead, his facility has allowed him to perform expertly in a variety of musical styles and genres. Although he is a virtuoso capable of making lengthy drum solos varied and interesting, Bellson's playing is characterized more by restraint than flamboyance and has rendered him a tasteful accompanist for popular singers such as Tony Bennett (Bennett, Tony) and Ella Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald, Ella) and for musicians such as Count Basie (Basie, Count), Art Tatum (Tatum, Art), and Oscar Peterson (Peterson, Oscar). He is regarded as one of the great ambassadors of jazz and has given freely of his time to several college and high school jazz programs; he is also a frequent guest artist with college bands, such as the renowned jazz band of Northern Illinois University. A prolific recording artist, Bellson has released more than 60 albums under his own name throughout the years and has appeared on many recordings of other musicians.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Bellson — Von links: Louie Bellson, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry im Palomar Supper Club mit dem Duke Ellington Orchestra, 19. April 1952. Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Fraser MacPherson Estate. Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (* 6.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Louie — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Louie est une variante orthographique américaine de Louis. Personnes réelles Marcie Louie Louie Bellson Louie Anderson Culture Louie, neveu de Donald Duck …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Louie — may refer to: * Louie Louie , a 1955 song written by Richard Berry. *Huey, Dewey, and Louie, fictional ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books. * Louie the Lumberjack, the mascot of Northern Arizona University * Louie the Bear, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Louie Bellson — Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (born 6 July 1924), better known by the stage name Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling, although he is often seen in sources as Louis Bellson), is an Italian American jazz drummer. He is a… …   Wikipedia

  • Louie Bellson — Con la orquesta de Duke Ellington en 1952. L. Bellson, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry. Louie Bellson (Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni) es un baterista estadounidense de jazz. Bellson nació en el estado norteamericano de Illinois el 6 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Louie Bellson — Von links: Louie Bellson, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry im Palomar Supper Club mit dem Duke Ellington Orchestra, 19. April 1952. Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Fraser MacPherson Estate. Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (* 6.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Louie Bellson — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Louie. Louie Bellson, de son vrai nom Louis Paul Balasoni, est un batteur américain de jazz né à Rock Falls dans l Illinois en 1924 et décédé le 14 février 2009 à Los Angeles. Biographie Cette section est vide,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Louis Bellson — Von links: Louie Bellson, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry im Palomar Supper Club mit dem Duke Ellington Orchestra, 19. April 1952. Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Fraser MacPherson Estate. Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (* 6.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Louis Bellson — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Louie Bellson es un baterista estadounidense de jazz y de rock. Bellson nació en el estado norteamericano de Illinois el 6 de julio de 1924 y falleció el 14 de febrero 2009 en la ciudad de Los Angeles. Perteneció a… …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Alonzo 'Cat' Anderson — Von links: Louie Bellson, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry im Palomar Supper Club mit dem Duke Ellington Orchestra, 19. April 1952. Foto mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Fraser MacPherson Estate. William Alonzo „Cat“ Anderson(* 12. September 1916 in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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