Count basie theater seating chart
Count Basie Center for the Arts
Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, United States
40°20′″N74°4′″W / °N °W / ;
The Count Basie Center for the Arts, originally Count Basie Theatre, is a landmarked performing arts center in Red Bank, New Jersey.
The building first opened in as the Carlton Theater and later, in , became known as the Monmouth Arts Center.[2] In it was renamed the Count Basie Theatre after famed jazz musician and Red Bank native, William "Count" Basie.
In , the venue changed its name to the Count Basie Center for the Arts.
The name of the theater itself was purchased and renamed the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre.
The building was designed by architect William E. Lehman and has a seating capacity of 1,
History
Edward Franklin Albee II opened the Carlton Theater on November 11, as one of a series of Keith-Albee-Orpheumvaudeville theaters.
Opening night in included vaudeville acts and the feature film The Quarterback, starring Richard Dix. Nearly 4, people attended the two shows that evening, with crowds gathering two hours before the first performance. The New Jersey Register called the new theatre “…a marvel of beauty, convenience and comfort.
Outside and inside it is a veritable and architectural triumph.”[3]
Because of financial struggles and declining movie attendance nationally, Albee was removed from the leadership of the theater. The theater chain was acquired by Keith-Albee-Orpheum in and then led by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, father of John F. Kennedy.
Count basie theater official website Retrieved December 13, After Vocalion became a subsidiary of Columbia Records in , "Boogie Woogie" was released in as part of a four-record compilation album entitled Boogie Woogie Columbia album C ISBN Less than a year later, the jazz legend succumbed to cancer.The Carlton Theater closed in after the Strand, the Palace, the Empire, and the Lyric theaters had also closed. In a significant anonymous donation allowed the Monmouth County Arts Council to preserve and reopen the theater for cultural use, and the theater was renamed the Monmouth Arts Center.
In the building was renamed as the Count Basie Theatre, in memorial to William “Count” Basie who had died that year.
The Monmouth County Arts Council operated the theater until June 30, , when the not-for-profit corporation Count Basie Theatre, Inc. managed, program, and preserve the theater.
On May 14, , the theater changed its name to Count Basie Center for the Arts as part of a $26 million expansion. Later on in the same year, Hackensack-Meridian Health bought the naming rights to the Center's historic auditorium and renamed it the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre.
In , the Center's second venue, The Vogel, opened with small, person capacity performances on account of the COVID pandemic.[citation needed]
Shows
Besides Count Basie, musicians such as James Brown and Tony Bennett, as well as headline performers such as Al Green, George Carlin, Boz Scaggs, Counting Crows, Olivia Newton-John, Brian Wilson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Ben E.
King, Darlene Love, and Jon Stewart have performed at the theater.
Count basie center for the arts: May 13, In that city in October , the band had a recording session which the producer John Hammond later described as "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session I've ever had anything to do with". Archived from the original on April 17, Everyday I Have the Blues.
Bruce Springsteen made several surprise guest appearances at Count Basie Theatre, and Jon Bon Jovi has attended and organized many charity concerts there.[4]
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra are regularly scheduled at the theater.[4]
The Count Basie Center Performing Arts Academy offers professional training courses in performance basics, audition techniques, professional development, and weekend workshops.
Notable past participants include singer, songwriter, and record producer, Charlie Puth, Broadway actress, Jillian Mueller,[5] The X Factor finalist Cari Fletcher,[6]The Voice runner-up, Jacquie Lee,[7]Steve Vai, keyboardistMichael Arrom,[8] and Conan Gray bassist Christine Meisenhelter.[9]
On May 26, , the organization presented its first annual Basie Awards for excellence in high school theater in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
The May presentations were hosted by Joe Piscopo, while the May presentations were hosted by Siobhan Fallon Hogan. The awards were not hosted. The announced host Big Joe Henry, a disk jockey for NJ radio, pulled out because of a threat of protests by the New Jersey Education Association, which had disagreed with the radio station for its political views and talks, urging listeners to vote against state spending for education and the arts.[10]
The building
Between and , the arts council/corporation conducted a series of phased projects to repair and stabilize the infrastructure of the building.
Phase 1 of a new renovation series was completed in ,[4] replacing the seating with historically accurate seats; adding alabasterlighting fixtures to the auditorium; and restoring and painting a side-panel of plasterwork.
History of count basie theater schedule Another Basie innovation was the use of two tenor saxophone players; at the time, most bands had just one. Poverty and Race. Retrieved October 22, During the balance of the s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises.Over $1 million has been spent on theater improvements to date, funded by donations and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts[11] in A $28 million capital campaign was started in to support an expansion that doubled the Center's footprint, adding a second venue, The Vogel, the Grunin Arts Education Building, a new member lounge, and significant increases in size to the Basie's original theater lobby.
Seating includes 1, orchestra, loge, balcony, and 12 wheelchair-accessible platforms. The Vogel holds persons standing.
Basie Center Cinemas
In , the center acquired a movie theater which it reopened as the Basie Center Cinemas.[12][13]
The Vogel
Newly built in , the Vogel is a club-sized two-story music venue at the Basie Center with in standing room capacity.[14] It is named for area natives Anne and Sheldon Vogel, the latter of whom oversaw finances at Atlantic Records.[15]
See also
External links
References
- ^"New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County"(PDF).
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. March 1, p. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 4, Retrieved April 26,
- ^"Count Basie Center for the Arts". Fisher Dachs Associates. 8 January Retrieved
- ^"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: The Carlton Theater".
- Count basie center for the arts
- History of count basie theater nj
- Borgata casino atlantic city
National Park Service.
- ^ abctojsiab. "Count Basie Theatre इतिहास देखें अर्थ और सामग्री - ". Retrieved
- ^"It's 'Hello, Broadway' in 'Bye Bye Birdie' News Transcript". . Archived from the original on 9 September Retrieved 13 January
- ^"Cari Fletcher Auditions for X-Factor".
Rockit Live Foundation. April 8, Retrieved 18 February
- ^"9 amazing Count Basie Theatre facts".History of count basie theater Los Angeles and the Cavalcade of Jazz concerts [ edit ]. When the band voted Moten out, Basie took over for several months, calling the group Count Basie and his Cherry Blossoms. By the mids, Basie's band had become one of the preeminent backing big bands for some of the most prominent jazz vocalists of the time. Biography [ edit ].
. Retrieved 18 February
- ^O'Brien, Walter (July 10, ). "Warren keyboardist joins rock guitar legend Steve Vai for Australia, Pacific Rim tour". . Retrieved 18 February
- ^"Christine Meisenhelter: Talking Music, Touring, and Taking Life Slowly". Soul Talk Magazine.
- ^"Basies Hostless After Protest Threat", RedBank , Retrieved
- ^"New Jersey Department of State - NJ Cultural Trust - Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank".History of count basie theater schedule red bank Through steady changes in personnel, Basie led the band into the s. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, his minimalist piano style, and others. Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Poverty and Race.
. Retrieved
- ^"May the Fizz Be With You: Basie Center Cinemas To Get Liquor License - Two River Times". July 28,
- ^"Basie Center Cinemas in Red Bank, NJ - Cinema Treasures". .
- ^"Red Bank's Newest Music Venue, the Vogel, Unveils Debut Lineup".
6 October
- ^"The Vogel FAQ".