Curtis Counce
Lee Curtis Counce ( born January 23, 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri; † July 31, 1963 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz bassist.
Life and work
Curtis Counce played with Nat Towles 1941-44, then moved to Los Angeles, where he studied with Spud Murphy and with Edgar Hayes, Benny Carter, Wardell Gray and others played. Curtis has been involved since the mid- 1950s on recordings of many musicians of the West Coast Jazz, went with Shorty Rogers on tour and played with Buddy DeFranco and Stan Kenton in 1956. He founded the same year a separate group with which he has since worked in Los Angeles. Counce appeared in the films Sweet Smell Of Success with St. Louis Blues, Five Pennies and Carmen Jones.
Curtis Counce took during his career panels with Chet Baker and Art Pepper, as well as Clifford Brown, Teddy Charles, Bob Cooper, Herb Geller, Elmo Hope, Bill Holman, Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne, Spud Murphy, Shorty Rogers, Martial Solal, Lester Young and Claude Williamson.