Curtis Counce (January 23, 1926 – July 31, 1963)
Biography
Counce was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to California in 1945. He began recording in 1946 with Lester Young, and in the 1950s in Los Angeles with musicians such as
Shorty Rogers,
Stan Kenton,
[Liner notes from "You get more bounce with Curtis Counce" (Contemporary C7539).] Shelly Manne,
Spud Murphy,
Teddy Charles, and
Clifford Brown.
Counce formed his quintet in 1956 featuring tenor saxophonist
Harold Land, trumpeter
Jack Sheldon, pianist Carl Perkins and drummer Frank Butler.
Elmo Hope replaced Perkins after his death at age 29 in 1958.
replaced Sheldon on some recordings.
The four albums originally released on Contemporary Records were reissued in 2006 on a double CD by Gambit Spain. Counce died in Los Angeles, California, of a heart attack.
He was survived by his wife, Mildred Counce, his daughter, Celeste Counce, and a son. Counce's son, born April 10, 1961, was placed for adoption by his biological mother. Curtis knew of his son, but due to his life circumstances, Counce could not be a part of his life. Curtis's son died on January 23, 2022.
Discography
As leader
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The Curtis Counce Group (Contemporary, 1957)
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You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce! (Contemporary, 1957)
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Exploring the Future (Dootone, 1958)
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Carl's Blues (Contemporary, 1960)
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Sonority (Contemporary, 1989)
As sideman
With Teddy Charles
With Maynard Ferguson
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Dimensions (EmArcy, 1955)
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Maynard Ferguson's Hollywood Party (EmArcy, 1954)
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Stratospheric (Mercury Records, 1976)
With Herb Geller
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Herb Geller Plays (EmArcy, 1954)
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Jazz Studio 2 from Hollywood (Decca Records, 1954)
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Jazz Studio 2 from Hollywood Part II (Brunswick, 1954)
With Pete Jolly
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I Get a Kick Out of You (RCA, 1955)
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Jolly Jumps In (RCA Victor, 1955)
With Lyle Murphy
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12-Tone Compositions & Arrangements (Contemporary, 1955)
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New Orbits in Sound (GNP Crescendo, 1958)
With Shorty Rogers
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Cool and Crazy (RCA Victor, 1953)
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Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (RCA Victor, 1954)
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The Swinging Mr. Rogers (Atlantic Records, 1955)
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Collaboration (RCA Victor, 1955)
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Shorty Rogers and His Giants (RCA Victor, 1956)
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The Big Shorty Rogers Express (RCA Victor, 1956)
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Way Up There (Atlantic, 1957)
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Martians Stay Home (Atlantic, 1980)
With Frank Rosolino
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That Old Black Magic (Capitol, 1954)
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Frank Rosolino (Capitol, 1956)
With others
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Chet Baker & Art Pepper, Playboys (World Pacific, 1957)
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Clifford Brown, Clifford Brown All Stars (EmArcy, 1956)
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Buddy Collette & Chico Hamilton, Tanganyika (Dig, 1956)
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Maxwell Davis, Compositions of Duke Ellington and Others (Crown Records, 1960)
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Buddy DeFranco, Generalissimo (Verve Records, 1958)
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Herbie Fields, Blow Hot Blow Cool (Decca, 1955)
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Jimmy Giuffre, Jimmy Giuffre (Capitol Records, 1954)
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Bill Holman, Bill Holman (Capitol, 1954)
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Illinois Jacquet, Illinois Jacquet and His Orchestra (Clef Records, 1957)
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Stan Kenton, Cuban Fire! (Capitol, 1956)
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Shelly Manne, The West Coast Sound (Contemporary, 1956)
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Johnny Otis, Willie and the Hand Jive (Capitol, 1958)
[Otis, Johnny, Johnny Otis:The Capitol Years, COL CD 2773, Collectables Records, Narberth PA, 2000, liner notes]
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Max Roach, Herb Geller, Walter Benton, Joe Maini, Clifford Brown, Best Coast Jazz (Mercury/EmArcy, 1956)
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John Williams, Plays the Music of Harold Arlen (Discovery, 1984)
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Claude Williamson, Salute to Bud (Capitol, 1954)
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Lester Young, Swinging Lester Young (Score, 1957)
Further reading
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Richard Morton and Brian Cook, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, London, Penguin, 2nd Edition, 1994 & 6th Edition, 2002
External links
