{{infobox broadcast | call letters

KCET| city | station_logo Image:KCET Logo.png| station_slogan Be Moved| station_branding KCET| analog | digital 28 (UHF)Virtual: 28 (PSIP)| subchannels (see article)| other_chs (see article)| affiliations Noncommercial independent| network | founded | airdate September 28, 1964| location Los Angeles, California| callsign_meaning CommunityEducationalTelevision-or-CaliforniaEducationalTelevision| former_callsigns | former_channel_numbers Analog:28 (UHF, 1964-2009)Digital:59 (UHF, 2000-2009)| owner Community Television of Southern California| licensee | sister_stations | former_affiliations NET (1964-1970)PBS (1970-2010)| effective_radiated_power 155 kW| HAAT 926 m| class | facility_id 13058| coordinates | homepage www.kcet.org| }}

KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KCET's studio is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is atop Mount Wilson. Al Jerome is the current CEO and president, serving since 1996.

KCET was a charter member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) at its inception in 1970. The station was Los Angeles's main PBS affiliate until December 31, 2010, when it ended its partnership with PBS after 40 years. KCET's management cited unresolvable financial and programming disputes among its major reasons for leaving PBS. KOCE-TV (channel 50), licensed to Huntington Beach, Orange County, replaced KCET as the area's primary PBS affiliate.

For much of its time on air, KCET had broadcast from its studios in Hollywood until moving to new offices in Burbank in 2012. The move has left KTLA as the last remaining radio or television broadcaster in that neighborhood as stations have moved on to other cities and neighborhoods in the region.

History

KCET signed on September 28, 1964 as an affiliate of National Educational Television, or NET, with Jim Case heading all of the program direction. It was actually the second attempt at an educational station in the Los Angeles area. KTHE, operated by the University of Southern California, had previously broadcast on channel 28, beginning on September 22, 1953. It was the second educational television station in the United States, signing on six months and four days after KUHT in Houston, Texas, but it went dark after nine months due to its primary benefactor, the Hancock Foundation, determining that the station was too much of a financial drain on its resources. In 1970, KCET became a charter member of PBS. For most of the next 40 years, it was the second most-watched PBS station in the country.

The call letters KCET stand for Community Educational Television, not to be confused with the organization of the same name formed by Daystar Television Network in 2003, which made an unsuccessful bid to purchase Orange County public television station KOCE.

KCET is located in a historic area of Hollywood, used as a film and television studio from 1912 to 1970. KCET purchased the former Monogram Pictures property in 1971, assisted financially in part by both the Ford Foundation and the Michael Connell Foundation. The newest building is named the Weingart Educational Telecommunications Center which houses KCET's master control, digital control rooms, ingest, and editing stations on the first floor and engineering, new media operations, and news and public affairs on the second floor.

As of 2011, Al Jerome is the president and CEO.

All KCET programs are produced in high definition and the station's main channel is transmitted in 720p.

On October 8, 2010, KCET announced that it could not reach an agreement to remain with PBS and would become an independent television service as of January 1, 2011. In a letter to viewers, board chairman Gordon Bava said that PBS wanted KCET to pay $7 million for its programming — more than double what KOCE was paying.

On March 30, 2011, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that KCET was in negotiations to sell the studio to the Church of Scientology, with KCET relocating to a smaller location following the sale, in light of KCET's sharp decreases in ratings and pledges following dismembership from PBS. The sale of the property, which was sold for $45 million, closed on April 25, 2011, with part of the proceeds going towards KCET's leasing of the studios until new facilities are found. KCET currently has plans to relocate to a new complex in a high-rise building in Burbank.

At the end of 2011, contributions and grants to KCET decreased even further, down 41 percent from the previous year to $22.3 million.

Slogans

"Community Supported Television" (c. 1976-198?)

"Member Supported Television for Southern and Central California" (198?-1997)

"Infinitely More" (1997–2010)

"Rethink TV" (January–December 2011)

"Be Moved" (December 2011 – present)

Programming

As the flagship PBS station for the Pacific Time Zone, KCET was a major producer of PBS programming.

It produced the acclaimed Carl Sagan series ''Cosmos: A Personal Voyage'' in 1978-1979. KCET produced or presented ''Hollywood Television Theater'', ''Trying Times'', and the Hispanic family drama ''American Family'' for PBS, and was one of the consortium of stations that produced ''American Playhouse''.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, KCET produced a six-part miniseries in conjunction with the BBC called ''Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State.''

productions include its award-winning and signature news and public affairs program ''Life & Times'' hosted by Val Zavala (underwritten by The Whittier Foundation, Jim & Anne Rothenberg, QueensCare, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Boeing, and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department). Huell Howser's ''California's Gold'' is produced at the KCET lot.

KCET also produced the weeknight talk show ''Tavis Smiley'' and a PBS science show, ''WIRED Science''. Peabody award-winning shows ''A Place of Our Own'' and its Spanish language equivalent, ''Los Niños en Su Casa'' are taped at the KCET studios. Both programs, part of the KCET initiative, have received a generous grant from BP to expand its coverage as a nation-wide television program designed for care-givers.

A few kids' shows also come from KCET -- ''Storytime'', ''The Puzzle Place'', ''Adventures from the Book of Virtues'', ''The Charlie Horse Music Pizza'', and ''Sid the Science Kid'' (the latter now airing on KOCE).

Award-winning ''California Connected'' ended its run in 2007 after five seasons.

On December 9, 2010, KCET announced their new program schedule without PBS affiliation in 2011. Commercial-free programming will include classic and blockbuster movies, travel, science, and drama programs, British sitcoms and news programs, as the station maintains their relationship with program syndicators American Public Television and NETA, among others, which allow non-PBS stations to air their programming. Some of the programs that were announced and/or continued on the new lineup include ''Globe Trekker'', ''Rick Steves' Europe'', ''Burt Wolf: Travels and Traditions'', ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'', ''Doc Martin'', ''The McLaughlin Group'', ''Inside Washington'', ''BBC World News'', ''Keeping Up Appearances'', ''As Time Goes By'' and ''Visiting With Huell Howser''.

Future programming plans for KCET during 2012 include expansion of its interview program, ''LA Tonight with Roy Firestone'', to each weeknight; as well as ''Your Turn to Care'', a documentary about caregivers hosted by Holly Robinson Peete; BBC crime drama ''Inspector George Gently''; and ''Classic Cool Theater'', a showcase of classic films, cartoons and newsreels.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Digital channels
Channel	! Programming
28.1	Main KCET programming
28.2	KCET Kids and Family
28.3	V-me
28.4	MHz WorldView

For its first seven years on digital TV, the majority of the programming on KCET's high definition subchannel 28.1 (outside of most primetime shows) was different from the main signal on Channel 28 (which was initially operated on digital subchannel 28.2 and was later replaced with ''KCET Orange''), as was with most other PBS stations with HDTV capabilities. With the arrival of new programming services from PBS and V-me (which airs on digital subchannel 28.3) in mid 2007, programming from the main signal was integrated into the HD subchannel to accommodate for space, while at the same time preserving the integrity and demand for quality HD programming. In August 2007, KCET began broadcasting PBS World under digital subchannel 28.4. ''World's'' lineup includes programming related to world culture, news and history.

On January 1, 2011, with the suspension of its active membership in PBS, 28.2 became "KCET Kids and Family" airing mostly children's programs, 28.3 remained V-me (which operates independently of PBS), and 28.4 began airing MHz Worldview. The former had 28.2 is KCET Orange and 28.4 is PBS World.

Other ventures and partnerships

KCET's website produces original multimedia web content including CA Stories. There are also video clips, podcasts, television schedule, contact information, and a ''Life & Times'' blog.

In 2006, KCET established an exclusive media partnership with Cal State-Fullerton. In 2007, KCET and Cal State-Fullerton collaborated on the new digital subchannel network "KCET Orange", which aired on Channel 28.2 until the January 2011 PBS dismembership, and the majority of Southern California digital cable systems. The network aired programs like ''Life and Times'', plus additional arts and cultural programming tailored to Orange County. Contributions from students from Titan Communications TV and the College of Communications was intended to expand Cal State-Fullerton's contribution to KCET.

KCET also had a digital cable channel, KCET Desert Cities, which was available for Time Warner Cable subscribers in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area until the January 2011 PBS dismembership. It was carried on Channel 218, and its programming schedule differed from the main Los Angeles signal.

KCET offers their studio facilities to commercial productions to provide themselves an additional stream of revenue. They have been used mainly for the productions of the Game Show Network, including 2007's ''Camouflage'' and the 2010 revival of ''The Newlywed Game'' KCET's studios also hosted the MTV game show ''webRIOT'' and the California Lottery's Saturday evening programs, ''The Big Spin'' and ''Make Me a Millionaire''.

Rebroadcasters

KCET utilizes several repeaters to extend its coverage:

FCC actions

On February 4, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined KCET $10,000 for failure to make its public file available for inspection by the general public. The fine was stemmed to an incident on August 19, 2010, when an FCC agent, not identifying himself as such, requested the security guard on duty that he would like to see the public file; the guard denied him access, as he was told that he would need to make an appointment. A return visit the following day (August 20) gave the same results. It wasn't until another visit that day that the agent was able to see the public file, but only after identifying himself as a FCC agent. According to the FCC document, the Executive Assistant for KCET explained that "the General Counsel of Station KCET was not in the office during those two days and that she did not know the exact organizational rules regarding public access to the station's public inspection file." The Security Supervisor also said that he was just following the station's security procedures. The FCC later levied the fine, citing that while security delays are reasonable, the fact that the examiner was unable to see the public file without an appointment without identifying themselves as such led to the fine.

References

External links

KCET Online

KCET Desert Cities

CA Stories

KCET Podcasts

KCET Lot History

List of KCET's shows

"Life & Times" community blog

Category:Television stations in Los Angeles, California Category:Channel 28 digital TV stations in the United States Category:Television channels and stations established in 1964 Category:Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award recipients

pt:KCET fi:KCET

Philip Stephen Hendrie (born September 1, 1952) is an American radio personality and voice actor.

''The Phil Hendrie Show''

He is best known as the host of ''The Phil Hendrie Show'', a comedy talk radio program that is syndicated throughout North America on Talk Radio Network. ''The Phil Hendrie Show'' has become renowned for its unique and controversial guests (actually fictional characters created and voiced by Hendrie himself).

Hendrie moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Miami, Florida where he further developed his show. The show then moved to KFI in Los Angeles, California and was nationally syndicated to approximately 100 radio stations. Hendrie was married in 1997 to radio talk show host Maria Sanchez. Their wedding was held at the Queen Mary and was broadcast live on KFI. In February 2005, Hendrie was moved from his flagship station, KFI, to XTRA Sports 570 AM, a sports talk radio station also based in Los Angeles.

In early 2006, Hendrie announced that he felt he had reached the limits of what he could do in “terrestrial talk radio” and expressing a desire to shift his career focus toward acting. On June 4, 2007, it was announced that Phil Hendrie would return to radio June 25, 2007 from 10 PM to 1 AM PST on The Dream Radio Network, with shows airing weeknightly. The new incarnation of Hendrie’s program is a combination of character voices from his old show and lighthearted political commentary.

Hendrie hosts a show on KTLK 1150, Monday - Friday from 11 PM to 3 AM. On November 20, 2010, Hendrie returned to KFI for the Saturday 7 PM to 10 PM slot but quit at the end of February 2012 in order to concentrate on his KTLK show, television appearances, and other projects.

Views and blog

Hendrie considers his views unique for modern talk radio: on one hand, he is a registered Democrat who vocally supported Bill Clinton, voted for Al Gore over George W. Bush in 2000, both Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale over Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, and Michael Dukakis over George H.W. Bush (although Hendrie claims “I had to hold my nose when voting for Dukakis”). Hendrie is also adamantly pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants. At the same time, he is extremely supportive of the Iraq War as well as the War on Terror. He voted for and supported President George W. Bush in the 2004 election, chiding Democrat John Kerry as trying to be “all things to all people” and cautioning listeners that Bush would in time be viewed as one of the greatest American presidents. These views caused a stir among some of his fans and tended to dominate his show throughout 2002 and 2003. Hendrie eventually started a blog titled "George W. Bush is God," seemingly to incite those who felt he was moving too far to the right. The blog came down after a few weeks, partly because Hendrie was tired of squabbling with readers. He supported Barack Obama in 2008, as noted on his September 11, 2008 broadcast.

Acting career

Hendrie did voice work in 24 episodes of the animated TV series ''King of the Hill'', beginning with the 1999 episode "Three Coaches and a Bobby". His last episode was "Uh-Oh Canada", which aired in May 2009.

Hendrie has also guest starred in three episodes of the animated TV series ''Futurama'', usually voicing different members of a hippie family known as the Waterfalls, beginning with the 2000 episode "The Problem with Popplers", in which he played Free Waterfall Junior.

He voiced the computer I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. and the Chechen terrorist in the 2004 feature film ''Team America: World Police''.

In 2006, Hendrie had a recurring role as Dick Green in seven episodes of the NBC sitcom ''Teachers''. From October 2006 to December 2007, he guest starred as a military base radio talk show host in five episodes of ''The Unit''.

He appeared as the New Jersey Nets coach in the 2008 Will Ferrell film ''Semi-Pro''. That same year, he appeared as Rudolph 'Rude' Carnahan in the TV movie ''Giants of Talk Radio''.

Hendrie appeared as a prank-calling DJ in "Me? Jealous?", a February 2012 third season episode of the TV series ''Modern Family''.

He also appeared in the several episodes of ''New Girl'' starting with the April 10, 2012 episode as a pompous sports talk radio personality.

References

External links

Official website

Phil Hendrie's page on AM-KFI Los Angeles - Archived December 1998

Radiotapes.com: featuring an aircheck of Phil Hendrie’s final show on WCCO-AM/Minneapolis–St. Paul

Category:American comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles, California Category:Radio personalities from Miami, Florida Category:Radio personalities from Minneapolis, Minnesota Category:People from the San Gabriel Valley Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:American television actors

name	Michael Palin
birth name	Michael Edward Palin
birth date	May 05, 1943
birth place	Broomhill, Sheffield, England
spouse	Helen Gibbins(married 1966 – present)
known for	Monty Python and Travel documentaries
occupation	Actor, writer, television presenter, comedian
years active	1965–present
website	Palin's Travels
children	3 }}

Michael Edward Palin, CBE, PRGS (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. Palin wrote most of his comedic material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as the ''Ken Dodd Show,'' ''The Frost Report'' and ''Do Not Adjust Your Set.'' Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic," "Dead Parrot," "The Lumberjack Song," "The Spanish Inquisition," and "The Fish-Slapping Dance."

Palin continued to work with Jones after Python, co-writing ''Ripping Yarns.'' He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as ''A Fish Called Wanda,'' for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find ''The Comedians' Comedian,'' he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer and travel documentarian. His journeys have taken him across the world, including the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas and, most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television. Palin is currently the president of the Royal Geographical Society.

Early life and career

Palin was born in Broomhill, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, the second child and only son of Mary Rachel Lockhart (née Ovey) and Edward Moreton Palin. His father was a Shrewsbury School and Cambridge-educated engineer working for a steel firm. His maternal grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Lockhart Ovey, DSO, was High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1927. He started his education at Birkdale Preparatory School, Sheffield, and later Shrewsbury School. His sister Angela was nine years older than he was. Despite the age gap the two had a close relationship until her suicide in 1987.

When he was five years old, Palin had his first acting experience at Birkdale playing Martha Cratchit in a school performance of ''A Christmas Carol''. At the age of 10, Palin, still interested in acting, made a comedy monologue and read a Shakespeare play to his mother while playing all the parts. After his school days in 1962 he went on to read modern history at Brasenose College, Oxford. With fellow student Robert Hewison he performed and wrote, for the first time, comedy material at a university Christmas party. Terry Jones, also a student in Oxford, saw that performance and began writing together with Hewison and Palin. In the same year Palin joined the Brightside and Carbrook Co-Operative Society Players and first gained fame when he won an acting award at a Co-Op drama festival. He also performed in the Oxford Revue with Jones.

In 1966 he married Helen Gibbins, whom he first met in 1959 on holiday in Southwold in Suffolk. This meeting was later fictionalised in Palin's play ''East of Ipswich''. The couple have three children and a grandchild. His youngest child, Rachel (b.1975) is a BBC TV director, whose work includes Masterchef: The Professionals, shown on BBC2 throughout October and November 2010. While still a baby, his son William briefly appeared in ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' as "Sir Not-appearing-in-this-film". His nephew is the theatre designer Jeremy Herbert..

After finishing university in 1965 Palin became a presenter on a comedy pop show called ''Now!'' for the television contractor Television Wales and the West. At the same time Palin was contacted by Jones, who had left university a year earlier, for assistance in writing a theatrical documentary about sex through the ages. Although this project was eventually abandoned, it brought Palin and Jones together as a writing duo and led them to write comedy for various BBC programmes, such as ''The Ken Dodd Show'', ''The Billy Cotton Bandshow'', and ''The Illustrated Weekly Hudd''. They collaborated in writing lyrics for an album by Barry Booth called Diversions. They were also in the team of writers working for ''The Frost Report'', whose other members included Frank Muir, Barry Cryer, Marty Feldman, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Dick Vosburgh and future Monty Python members Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Eric Idle. Although the members of Monty Python had already encountered each other over the years, ''The Frost Report'' was the first time all the British members of Monty Python (its sixth member, Terry Gilliam, was at that time an American citizen) worked together. During the run of ''The Frost Report'' the Palin/Jones team contributed material to two shows starring John Bird: ''The Late Show'' and ''A series of Bird's''. For ''A series of Bird's'' the Palin/Jones team had their first experience of writing narrative instead of the short sketches they were accustomed to conceiving.

Following ''The Frost Report'' the Palin/Jones team worked both as actors and writers on the show ''Twice a Fortnight'' with Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Jonathan Lynn, and the successful children's comedy show ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' with Idle and David Jason. The show also featured musical numbers by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, including future Monty Python musical collaborator Neil Innes. The animations for ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' were made by Terry Gilliam, who joined the cast on Cleese's recommendation and began working with the Palin/Jones team for the first time. Eager to work with Palin sans Jones, Cleese later asked him to perform in ''How to Irritate People'' together with Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. The Palin/Jones team were reunited for ''The Complete and Utter History of Britain''.

During this period Cleese contacted Palin about doing the show that would ultimately become ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''. On the strength of their work on ''The Frost Report'' and other programmes, Cleese and Chapman had been offered a show by the BBC, but Cleese was reluctant to do a two-man show for various reasons, among them Chapman's reputedly difficult personality. At the same time the success of ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' had led Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam to be offered their own series and, while it was still in production, Palin agreed to Cleese's proposal and brought along Idle, Jones and Gilliam. Thus the formation of the Monty Python troupe has been referred to as a result of Cleese's desire to work with Palin and the chance circumstances that brought the other four members into the fold.

''Monty Python''

In ''Monty Python'', Palin played various roles, which ranged from manic enthusiasm (such as the lumberjack of the Lumberjack Song, or Herbert Anchovy, host of the game show "Blackmail") to unflappable calmness (such as the Dead Parrot vendor, Cheese Shop proprietor, or Postal Clerk). As a straight man he was often a foil to the rising ire of characters portrayed by John Cleese. He also played timid, socially inept characters such as Arthur Putey, the man who sits idly by as a marriage counsellor (Eric Idle) makes love to his wife (Carol Cleveland), and Mr. Anchovy, a chartered accountant who wants to become a lion tamer. He also appeared as the "It's" man at the beginning of most episodes.

Palin frequently co-wrote sketches with Terry Jones, including "The Lumberjack Song" and "Spam". Palin also initiated the "Spanish Inquisition sketch", which included the catchphrase "''Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Other work

After the ''Monty Python'' television series ended in 1974, the Palin/Jones team worked on ''Ripping Yarns'', an intermittent television comedy series broadcast over three years from 1976. They had earlier collaborated on the play ''Secrets'' from the BBC series ''Black and Blue'' in 1973. He starred as Dennis the Peasant in Terry Gilliam's 1977 film ''Jabberwocky''. Palin also appeared in ''All You Need Is Cash'' (1978) as Eric Manchester (based on Derek Taylor), the press agent for the Rutles.

In 1980, Palin co-wrote ''Time Bandits'' with Terry Gilliam. He also acted in the film.

In 1982, Palin wrote and starred in ''The Missionary'', co-starring Maggie Smith. In it, he plays the Reverend Charles Fortescue, who is recalled from Africa to aid prostitutes.

In 1984, he reunited with Terry Gilliam to appear in ''Brazil''. He appeared in the comedy film ''A Fish Called Wanda'', for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Cleese reunited the main cast almost a decade later to make ''Fierce Creatures''.

After filming for ''Fierce Creatures'' finished, Palin went on a travel journey for a BBC documentary and, returning a year later, found that the end of ''Fierce Creatures'' had failed at test screenings and had to be reshot.

Apart from ''Fierce Creatures'', Palin's last film role was a small part in ''The Wind in the Willows'', a film directed by and starring Terry Jones. Palin also appeared with John Cleese in his documentary, ''The Human Face''. Palin was in the cast of ''You've Got Mail'', the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romantic comedy as a subplot novelist, but his role was eventually cut entirely.

He also assisted Campaign for Better Transport and others with campaigns on sustainable transport, particularly those relating to urban areas, and has been president of the campaign since 1986.

Palin has also appeared in serious drama. In 1991 Palin worked as producer and actor in the film ''American Friends'' based upon a real event in the life of his great grandfather, a fellow at St John's College, Oxford. In that same year he also played the part of a headmaster in Alan Bleasdale's Channel 4 drama series ''G.B.H.''.

Palin also had a small cameo role in Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. He played an English surfer with a fear of sharks, who interrupts a conversation between two main characters to ask whether there were any sharks in the sea. This was filmed while he was in Australia for the ''Full Circle'' series, with a segment about the filming of the role featuring in the series.

Television documentaries

Travel

Palin's first travel documentary was part of the 1980 BBC Television series ''Great Railway Journeys of the World'', in which, humorously reminiscing about his childhood hobby of train spotting, he travelled throughout the UK by train, from London to the Kyle of Lochalsh, via Manchester, York, Newcastle upon Tyne, Edinburgh and Inverness. At the Kyle of Lochalsh, Palin bought the station's long metal platform sign and is seen lugging it back to London with him.

In 1994, Palin travelled through Ireland for the same series, entitled "Derry to Kerry". In a quest for family roots, he attempted to trace his great grandmother – Brita Gallagher – who set sail from Ireland 150 years ago during the Great Famine (1845–1849), bound for a new life in Burlington, New Jersey. The series is a trip along the Palin family line.

Starting in 1989, Palin appeared as presenter in a series of travel programmes made for the BBC. It was after the veteran TV globetrotter Alan Whicker and journalist Miles Kington turned down presenting the first of these, ''Around the World in 80 Days'', that gave Palin the opportunity to present his first and subsequent travel shows. These programmes have been broadcast around the world in syndication, and were also sold on VHS tape and later on DVD:

''Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days'' (Travel 1988; Programme release 1989): travelling as closely as possible the path described in the famous Jules Verne story without using aircraft.

''Pole to Pole'' (Travel 1991; Programme release 1992): travelling from the North Pole to the South Pole, following as closely as possible the 30 degree line of longitude, over as much land as possible, i.e., through Europe and Africa.

''Full Circle with Michael Palin'' (Travel 1996/97; Programme release 1997): in which he circumnavigated the lands around the Pacific Ocean anti-clockwise; a journey of almost 50,000 miles (80,000 km) starting on Little Diomede Island in the Bering Strait and taking him through Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

''Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999): retracing the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway through the United States, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

''Sahara with Michael Palin'' (Travel 2001/02; Programme release 2002): in which he trekked around and through the world's largest desert.

''Himalaya with Michael Palin'' (Travel 2003/04; Programme release 2004): in which he travels through the Himalaya region.

''Michael Palin's New Europe'' (Travel 2006/07; Programme release 2007): in which he travels through Central and Eastern Europe.

Following each trip, Palin wrote a book about his travels, providing information and insights not included in the TV programme. Each book is illustrated with photographs by Basil Pao, the stills photographer who was on the team. (Exception: the first book, ''Around the World in 80 Days'', contains some pictures by Pao but most are by other photographers.)

All seven of these books were also made available as audio books, and all of them are read by Palin himself. ''Around the World in 80 Days'' and ''Hemingway Adventure'' are unabridged, while the other four books were made in both abridged and unabridged versions, although the unabridged versions can be very difficult to find.

For four of the trips a photography book was made by Pao, each with an introduction written by Palin. These are large coffee-table style books with pictures printed on glossy paper. The majority of the pictures are of various people encountered on the trip, as informal portraits or showing them engaged in some interesting activity. Some of the landscape photos are displayed as two-page spreads.

Palin's travel programmes are responsible for a phenomenon termed the "Palin effect": areas of the world that he has visited suddenly become popular tourist attractions – for example, the significant increase in the number of tourists interested in Peru after Palin visited Machu Picchu. In a 2006 survey of "15 of the world's top travel writers" by ''The Observer'', Palin named Peru's Pongo de Mainique (canyon below the Machu Picchu) his "favourite place in the world".

He is currently working on a new TV travel series and book about Brazil which is expected to be broadcast in four parts in late 2012.

Art and history

In recent years, Palin has written and presented occasional documentary programmes on artists that interest him. The first, on Scottish painter Anne Redpath, was ''Palin on Redpath'' in 1997. In ''The Bright Side of Life'' (2000), Palin continued on a Scottish theme, looking at the work of the Scottish Colourists. Two further programmes followed on European painters; ''Michael Palin and the Ladies Who Loved Matisse'' (2004) and ''Michael Palin and the Mystery of Hammershøi'' (2005), about the French artist Henri Matisse and Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi respectively. The DVD ''Michael Palin on Art'' contains all these documentaries except for the Matisse programme.

In November 2008, Palin presented a First World War documentary about Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, when thousands of soldiers lost their lives in battle after the war had officially ended. Palin filmed on the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium for the programme, called the ''Last Day of World War One'', produced for the BBC's ''Timewatch'' series.

Activism

In July 2010, Palin sent a message of support for the Dongria Kondh tribe of India, who are resisting a mine on their land by the company Vedanta Resources. Palin said, "I’ve been to the Nyamgiri Hills in Orissa and seen the forces of money and power that Vedanta Resources have arrayed against a people who have occupied their land for thousands of years, who husband the forest sustainably and make no great demands on the state or the government. The tribe I visited simply want to carry on living in the villages that they and their ancestors have always lived in".

On 2 January 2011 Palin became the first person to sign the UK-based Campaign for Better Transport's Fair Fares Now campaign.

Recognition

Each member of Monty Python has an asteroid named after him. Palin's is Asteroid 9621 Michaelpalin.

In honour of his achievements as a traveller, especially rail travel, Palin has two British trains named after him. In 2002, Virgin Trains' new £5m high speed Super Voyager train number 221130 was named "Michael Palin" – it carries his name externally and a plaque is located adjacent to the onboard shop with information on Palin and his many journeys. Also, National Express East Anglia named a British Rail Class 153 (unit number 153335) after him. In 2008, he received the James Joyce Award of the Literary and Historical Society in Dublin.

Palin was instrumental in setting up the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in 1993.

In recognition of his services to the promotion of geography, Palin was awarded the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in March 2009, along with a Fellowship to the Society.

In June 2009 Palin was elected for a three-year term as President of the Royal Geographical Society.

Because of his self-described "amenable, conciliatory character" Michael Palin has been referred to as unofficially "Britain's Nicest Man."

Bibliography

Travel books

''Around the World in 80 Days'' (1989) ISBN 0-563-20826-0

''Pole to Pole'' (1992) ISBN 0-563-37065-3

''Full Circle'' (1997) ISBN 0-563-37121-8

''Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999) ISBN 0-297-82528-3

''Sahara'' (2002) ISBN 0-297-84303-6

''Himalaya'' (2004) ISBN 0-297-84371-0

''New Europe'' (2007) ISBN 0-297-84449-0

All his travel books can be read at no charge, complete and unabridged, on his website.

Autobiography (contributor)

''The Pythons'' Autobiography by The Pythons (2003) ISBN 0-7528-5293-0

Diaries

''Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years''. 2006. ISBN 0-297-84436-9

''Diaries 1980–1988: Halfway to Hollywood – The Film Years''. London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2009. ISBN 978-0-297-84440-2

Fiction

''Hemingway's chair'' (1995) ISBN 0-7493-1930-5

''Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls'' w/Terry Jones, illus Martin Honeysett, Frank Bellamy et al. (1974) ISBN 0-413-32740-X

''Dr Fegg's Encyclopaedia of all world knowledge'' (1984) (expanded reprint of the above, with Terry Jones and Martin Honeysett) ISBN 0-8722-6005-4

Children's books

''Small Harry and the Toothache Pills'' (1982) ISBN 0-416-23690-1

''Limerics'' or ''The Limerick Book'' (1985) ISBN 0-09-161540-2

''Cyril and the House of Commons'' (1986) ISBN 1-85145-078-5

''Cyril and the Dinner Party'' (1986) ISBN 1-85145-069-6

''The Mirrorstone'' with Alan Lee and Richard Seymour (1986) ISBN 0-224-02408-6

Plays

''The Weekend'' (1994) ISBN 0-413-68940-9

Selected filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#BOC4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#BOC4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#BOC4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#BOC4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="1"| 1971 | ''And Now for Something Completely Different'' | Various Roles | Also Writer |- |rowspan="2"| 1975 | ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' | Various Roles | Also Writer |- | ''Three Men in a Boat'' | Harris | |- |rowspan="1"| 1977 | ''Jabberwocky'' | Dennis Cooper | |- |rowspan="1"| 1978 | ''All You Need Is Cash'' | Eric Manchester/Lawyer | |- |rowspan="1"| 1979 | ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' | Various Roles | Also Writer |- |rowspan="1"| 1981 | ''Time Bandits'' | Vincent | Also WriterNominated - Saturn Award for Best Writing |- |rowspan="2"| 1982 | ''Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' | Various Roles | Also Writer |- | ''The Missionary'' | The Reverend Charles Fortescue | Also Writer/Producer |- |rowspan="2"| 1983 | ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'' | Various Roles | Also Writer |- | ''The Crimson Permanent Assurance'' | Workman | Short Film |- |rowspan="1"| 1984 | ''A Private Function'' | Gilbert Chilvers | |- |rowspan="1"| 1985 | ''Brazil'' | Jack Lint | |- |rowspan="1"| 1988 | ''A Fish Called Wanda'' | Ken Pile | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |- |rowspan="1"| 1991 | ''American Friends'' | Reverend Francis Ashby | Also Writer |- |rowspan="1"| 1996 | ''The Wind in the Willows'' | The Sun | |- |rowspan="1"| 1997 | ''Fierce Creatures'' | Adrian 'Bugsy' Malone | |- |rowspan="1"| 2010 | ''Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)'' | Mrs. Betty Palin/Julius Caesar/Bevis | |}

Television

''Now!'' (October 1965 – middle 1966)

''The Ken Dodd Show''

''Billy Cotton Bandshow''

''The Illustrated Weekly Hudd''

''The Frost Report''. (10 March 1966 – 29 June 1967)

''The Late Show'' (15 October 1966 – 1 April 1967)

''A Series of Bird's'' (1967) (3 October 1967 – 21 November 1967 screenwriter (guest stars)

''Twice a Fortnight'' (21 October 1967 – 23 December 1967)

''Do Not Adjust Your Set'' (26 December 1967 – 14 May 1969)

''Broaden Your Mind'' (1968)

''How to Irritate People'' (1968)

''Marty (TV series)'' (1968)

''The Complete and Utter History of Britain'' (1969)

''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (5 October 1969 – 5 December 1974)

''Saturday Night Live'' (Hosted 27 January 1979) with Musical Guests The Doobie Brothers

''Ripping Yarns'' (1976–1979)

''Great Railway Journeys of the World'', episode title "Confessions of a Trainspotter" (1980)

''East of Ipswich'' (1987) writer

''Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days'' (1989)

''GBH'' (1991)

''Pole to Pole'' (1992)

''Great Railway Journeys'', episode title "Derry to Kerry" (1994)

''The Wind in the Willows'' (1995)

''The Willows in Winter'' (1996)

''Full Circle with Michael Palin'' (1997)

''Palin On Redpath'' (1997)

''Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure'' (1999)

''Michael Palin On... The Colourists'' (2000)

''Sahara with Michael Palin'' (2002)

''Life on Air'' (2002)

''Himalaya with Michael Palin'' (2004)

''Michael Palin's New Europe'' (2007)

''Around the World in 20 Years'' (30 December 2008)

Awards

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

1982 Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Writing for ''Time Bandits'' (shared with Terry Gilliam)

Evening Standard British Film Awards

1986 Won – "Peter Sellers Award for Comedy"

Writers' Guild of Great Britain

1991 Won – Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for "Film – Screenplay" for ''American Friends'' (shared with Tristram Powell)

DVD Exclusive Awards

2001 Nominated – "Video Premiere Award for Best Audio Commentary" for ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (shared with John Cleese and Eric Idle)

British Comedy Awards

2002 Won – British Comedy Award for "Lifetime Achievement"

BAFTA Awards

1984 Nominated – BAFTA Award for "Best Original Song" (the award was discontinued after the 1985 ceremonies) for Every Sperm is Sacred from ''The Meaning of Life'' (shared with André Jacquemin, Dave Howman and Terry Jones)

1989 Won – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''A Fish Called Wanda'' (as ''Ken Pile'')

1992 Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for ''G.B.H.''

2005 Won – BAFTA Special Award

2009 Won – BAFTA Special Award as part of the Monty Python team for outstanding contribution to film and television

References

Further reading

Novick, Jeremy (2001), ''Life of Michael: an Illustrated Biography of Michael Palin'' Headline Publishing (a division of Hodder Headline) ISBN 0747235295

Ross, Robert (1997). ''Monty Python Encyclopedia'' B.T. Batsford Ltd, London ISBN 1-57500-036-9

Wilmut, Roger (1980). ''From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980'' Eyre Methuen Ltd ISBN 0-413-50770-X

Jones, Mark (2010), ''The Famous Charisma Discography'' The Record Press/Bristol Folk Publications ISBN 978-0-9563531-1-5 – discography of Monty Python's record label, includes foreword by Michael Palin

External links

Michael Palin – BBC Guide to Comedy

Michael Palin – Comedy Zone

Palin's Travels – official website for the travel series

Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children

Michael Palin: A Life in Pictures – BAFTA event at Ely Cathedral

Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:English comedians Category:English comedy writers Category:English diarists Category:English film actors Category:English screenwriters Category:English television actors Category:English television presenters Category:English television writers Category:English travel writers Category:Honorary Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Category:Monty Python members Category:Old Salopians Category:People educated at Birkdale School Category:People from Sheffield Category:People from Suffolk Category:Sheffield Legends Category:Travel broadcasters

an:Michael Palin bg:Майкъл Пейлин ca:Michael Palin cs:Michael Palin cy:Michael Palin da:Michael Palin de:Michael Palin es:Michael Palin eu:Michael Palin fr:Michael Palin hr:Michael Palin it:Michael Palin he:מייקל פיילין hu:Michael Palin mk:Мајкл Палин nl:Michael Palin ja:マイケル・ペイリン no:Michael Palin pl:Michael Palin pt:Michael Palin ro:Michael Palin ru:Пейлин, Майкл sq:Michael Palin simple:Michael Palin sk:Michael Palin sh:Michael Palin fi:Michael Palin sv:Michael Palin tr:Michael Palin

Mundell Lowe (born April 21, 1922) is an American jazz guitarist.

Lowe was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 21 April 1922. In the 1930s he played country music and Dixieland jazz. He later played with big bands and orchestras, and on television in New York City. In the 1960s, Lowe composed music for films and television in New York City and Los Angeles. He has performed and/or recorded with Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Helen Humes, Roy Buchanan, Charles Mingus, Stan Getz, Doc Severinsen, Kai Winding, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Benny Carter, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Barry Manilow, André Previn, Ray Brown, Kiri Te Kanawa, Tete Montoliu, Harry Belafonte and others. Lowe is a regular featured performer at the annual W. C. Handy Music Festival and a member of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s Mr. Lowe was also a well-respected teacher at Dick Grove Music Workshop, later the Grove School of Music, in Studio City, California, one of the top professional level music schools in the world. He taught guitar as well as film scoring.

In 1998, he was inducted into the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame, and in 1999, Millsaps College in Jackson, conferred an honorary Doctorate of Arts on Mr. Lowe in recognition of his lifetime of outstanding musical accomplishments.

On July 17, 2009, Mundell Lowe returned home to Laurel, the city he ran away from in 1938. In recognition of a lifetime of musical achievement he was given a key to the city and honored by the Mayor, Melvin Mack, who proclaimed July 18, 2009, Mundell Lowe Day in Laurel. Mundell Lowe, Lloyd Wells, and Jim Ferguson presented a matinee show and an evening show at The Laurel Little Theatre to large enthusiastic audiences. Mississippi artists, Bill Clark (who produced the show), The Cee Jay's, Bob Saxton, and Staci Stringer also honored him through musical presentations.

Discography

As leader

1955: ''The Mundell Lowe Quartet'' (Riverside/OJC)

1957: ''A Grand Night For Swinging'' (Riverside/OJC)

1957: ''Blues For Tomorrow'' (Sampler with Lowe, Eat Coast All Stars, Sonny Rollins, Bobby Jaspar, OJC)

1959: ''Mundell Lowe & His All Stars: TV Action Jazz'' (Fresh Sound Rec.) with Donald Byrd, Jimmy Cleveland, Herbie Mann, Tony Scott, Eddie Costa

1977: ''Souvenirs'' (Jazz Alliance, 1977–92)

1978: ''The Incomparable'' (Dobre Records)

1989: ''Sweet ‘n’ Lovely'' (Fresh Sound Records) with Tete Montoliu

2000: ''Mundell’s Moods'' (Nagel-Heyer)

As co-leader

1996: ''The Return of the Great Guitars'' (with Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis) - (Concord)

As sideman

With André Previn

''Uptown'' (1990)

''Old Friends'' (1992)

''Kiri Sidetracks: The Jazz Album'' (1992)

With Benny Carter

''Further Definitions'' (Impulse!, 1961–66)

''Live And Well in Japan'' (OJC, 1977)

With Charlie Parker

''The Legendary Rockland Palace Concert, Volume 1'' (Jazz Classics, 1952)

With Lalo Schifrin

''New Fantasy'' (Verve, 1964)

With Shirley Scott

''For Members Only'' (Impulse!, 1963)

With Sarah Vaughan

''After Hours'' (Roulette, 1961) with George Duvivier

With Ben Webster

''The Soul Of Ben Webster'' (Verve, 1957–58)

References

External links

Classic Jazz Guitar.com: biography of Mundell Lowe

Biography of Mundell Lowe

Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:People from Laurel, Mississippi Category:1922 births Category:Living people Category:Riverside Records artists Category:RCA Records artists

de:Mundell Lowe eo:Mundell Lowe nds:Mundell Lowe

name	Louie Bellson
landscape	yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni
alias	Louis Bellson
birth date	July 06, 1924
Birth place	Rock Falls, Illinois, U.S.
death date	February 14, 2009
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
married	Pearl Bailey 1952-1990
instrument	Drums
genre	Jazz
occupation	Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
years active	1931–2009
associated acts	Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, many others
notable instruments	}}

Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni (July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), known by the stage name Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling, although he is often seen in sources as Louis Bellson), was an Italian-American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.

Bellson was an internationally acclaimed artist who performed in most of the major capitals around the world. Bellson and his first wife, the actress and singer Pearl Bailey (married 1952–1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more). He was a vice president at Remo, a drum company. Louie was also very great friends with the cymbal manufacturer Armand Zildjian.

Biography

Louie Bellson was born in Rock Falls, Illinois, in 1924 and started playing drums at three years of age. At age 15, he pioneered the double-bass drum set-up. His detailed sketch earned him an 'A' in his high school art class. At age 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest. Louie graduated from Moline High School, Moline, IL, in 1939.

In an interview in 2005 with Jazz Connection Magazine he credited Papa Jo Jones and Big Sid Catlett as influences as well as Chick Webb. "I have to give just dues to two guys who really got me off on the drums - Big Sid Catlett and Jo Jones. They were my influences. All three of us realized what Jo Jones did and it influenced a lot of us. We all three looked to Jo as the 'Papa' who really did it. Gene helped bring the drums to the foreground as a solo instrument. Buddy was a great natural player. But we also have to look back at Chick Webb's contributions, too."

In 1943, he performed with the Benny Goodman band and Peggy Lee in ''The Powers Girl'', the first of his many film appearances. He also appeared in 20th Century Fox's classic ''The Gang's All Here'' (1943) in the orchestra while Carmen Miranda sang "Paducah". Bellson was 24 and a veteran of a U.S. Army band when he joined Danny Kaye, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Barnet, Benny Carter, Mel Powell, Kenny Dorharn, Harry Babasin, Al Hendrickson, Buck Washington, and Goodman for the Howard Hawks film ''A Song Is Born'' (1948). Between 1943 and 1952, Bellson performed with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Duke Ellington (for whom he wrote "Skin Deep" and "The Hawk Talks"). In 1952 he married Pearl Bailey, and he left Ellington to be her musical director. They adopted a little boy, Tony, in the mid-1950s. And the couple adopted a little girl, Dee Dee J. Bellson, born April 20, 1960. Son Tony Bellson died in 2004, and DeeDee Bellson at age 49, died July 4, 2009, just 5 months after her father, who died on Valentine's Day 2009.

After Pearl Bailey's death in 1990, he married his second wife, Francine in September 1992. Trained as a physicist and engineer at MIT, Francine Bellson (née Wright) became his manager. The union lasted until his death in 2009.

Later in the 1950s and 1960s, he performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic or J.A.T.P., Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington again, and Harry James again, as well as appearing on several Ella Fitzgerald studio albums.

Over the years, Bellson took several bandleader's holidays to play under the direction of other leaders or to lead someone else's band. During the 1960s, he rejoined Ellington for his Emancipation Proclamation Centennial stage production, ''My People'' in 1963, the motion picture soundtrack of ''Assault on a Queen'' in 1966, and A Concert of Sacred Music which is sometimes called The First Sacred Concert in 1965. Ellington called these concerts "the most important thing I have ever done." In 1966, Bellson toured briefly with both Basie and ex-boss Harry James. In 1967 Bellson recorded an album entitled 'Repercussion' in which he played alongside his great friend, the British drummer and percussionist, Eric Delaney. On 5 December 1971 he took part in a memorial concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall for the late (drummer) Frank King. This special tribute show also featured legendary British session and big band drummer, Kenny Clare, as well as Buddy Rich. The orchestra for the occasion was made up of top musicians and led by Bobby Lamb and Ray Premru. The concert was released on vinyl LP in 1972.(Re-released in 2011 on the Vocalion label.) Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he worked with territory bands like the Unifour Jazz Ensemble. A few years later, renowned drummer Buddy Rich (referred to by many as "the world's greatest drummer" over the years) paid Bellson a supreme drummer-to-drummer/bandleader compliment by asking him to lead his band on tour while he (Rich) was temporarily disabled by a back injury. Bellson proudly accepted.

He also recorded extensively and led his own bands (occasionally maintaining separate bands on each coast). His sidemen have included Blue Mitchell, Don Menza, Larry Novak, John Heard, Clark Terry, Pete and Conte Candoli, and Snooky Young. He was equally effective as a big band drummer and as a small group drummer. In 2006 a new album appeared, ''The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson and the Jazz Ballet''. In May 2009, Francine Bellson fascinated jazz fans when she told The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show, "I like to call (Sacred) 'how The Master used two maestros,'" adding, "When (Ellington) did his sacred concert back in 1965 with Louie on drums, he told Louie that the sacred concerts were based on 'in-the-beginning,' the first three words of the bible."

Mrs. Bellson, who is affectionately called "The Indomitable Mrs. B" by the many jazz-radio fans, recalled how Ellington explained to Louie that "in the beginning there was lightening and thunder and that's you!" Ellington exclaimed, pointing out that Louie's drums were the thunder.

Both Ellington and Louie, says Mrs. Bellson, were deeply religious.

"Ellington told Louie, 'You ought to do a sacred concert of your own' and so it was," Mrs. B. said, adding, "'The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson' combines symphony, big band and choir, while 'The Jazz Ballet' is based on the vows of Holy Matrimony...."

In May 2007, Bellson recorded a number of his compositions and arrangements for big band, featuring Clark Terry on Flugelhorn, with Kenny Washington and Sylvia Cuenca on drums. The big band was manned by the members of Clark Terry's Big Band. The music was recorded in Studio A at Clinton Recording Studios in New York City. The resultant album, ''Louie and Clark Expedition 2'' was released in January 2008.

Bellson led his own orchestra almost steadily for more than forty years. His last band was called the Big Band Explosion.

On February 14, 2009, Bellson died at age 84 from complications of a broken hip in December 2008 and Parkinson's disease. He is buried next to his father in Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.

Compositions and arrangements

As a prolific creator of music, both written and improvised, his compositions and arrangements (in the hundreds) embrace jazz, jazz/rock/fusion, romantic orchestral suites, symphonic works and a ballet. Bellson was also a poet and a lyricist. His only Broadway venture, ''Portofino'' (1958), was a resounding flop that closed after three performances.

As an author, he published more than a dozen books on drums and percussion. He was at work with his biographer on a book chronicling his career and bearing the same name as one of his compositions — "Skin Deep".

In addition, "The London Suite" (recorded on his album ''Louie in London'') was performed at the Hollywood Pilgrimage Bowl before a record-breaking audience. The three-part work includes a choral section in which a 12-voice choir sings lyrics penned by Bellson. Part One is the band's rousing "Carnaby Street", a collaboration with Jack Hayes.

In 1987, at the Percussive Arts Society convention in Washington, D.C., Bellson and Harold Farberman performed a major orchestral work titled "Concerto for Jazz Drummer and Full Orchestra", the first piece ever written specifically for jazz drummer and full symphony orchestra. This work was recorded by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England, and was released by the Swedish label BIS.

Drum tutoring

Bellson was known throughout his career to conduct drum and band clinics at high schools, colleges and music stores.

Bellson maintained a tight schedule of clinics and performances of both big bands and small bands in colleges, clubs and concert halls. In between, he continued to record and compose, resulting in more than 100 albums and more than 300 compositions. Bellson's Telarc debut recording, ''Louie Bellson And His Big Band: Live From New York'', was released in June 1994. He also created new drum technology for Remo, Inc., of which he was vice-president.

Bellson received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1985 at Northern Illinois University. As of 2005, among other performing activities, Bellson had visited his home town of Rock Falls, Illinois every July for Louie Bellson Heritage Days, a weekend in his honor close to his July 6 birthday, with receptions, music clinics and other performances by Bellson. At the 2004 event celebrating his 80th birthday, Bellson said, "I'm not that old; I'm 40 in this leg, and 40 in the other leg." He also celebrated his birthday every year at the River Music Experience in Davenport, Iowa.

Awards

Among Bellson's numerous accolades, he had been voted into the Halls of Fame for both Modern Drummer magazine, in 1985, and the Percussive Arts Society, in 1978. Yale University named him a Duke Ellington Fellow in 1977. He received an honorary Doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 1985. He performed his original concert — Tomus I, II, III — with the Washington Civic Symphony in historic Constitution Hall in 1993. A combination of full symphony orchestra, big-band ensemble and 80-voice choir, "Tomus" had been a collaboration of music by Bellson and lyrics by his late wife, Pearl Bailey. Bellson was a six-time Grammy Award nominee.

In January 1994, Bellson received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a U.S. federal agency. As one of three recipients, Bellson was lauded by NEA chair Jane Alexander who said, "These colossal talents have helped write the history of jazz in America."

Discography

1959 - ''Live At Flamingo Hotel 1959 '' (Jazz Hour)

1962 - ''Big Band Jazz from the Summit'' (Roulette Birdland)

1964 - ''Explorations'' with Lalo Schifrin (Roulette Birdland)

1965 - ''Are You Ready for This?'' with Buddy Rich (Roost)

1965 - ''Thunderbird'' (Impulse!)

1967 - ''Repercussion'' (Studio2Stereo)

1968 - ''Breakthrough!'' (Project 3)

1972 - ''Conversations'' (Vocalion)

1974 - ''150 MPH'' (Concord)

1978 - ''Raincheck'' (Concord)

1979 - ''Dynamite!'' (Concord)

1979 - ''Side Track (Concord)

1980 - ''London Scene (Concord)

1984 - ''Louis Bellson & Explosion (pausa)

1993 - ''Live From New York'' (Telarc)

1996 - ''Air Bellson'' (Concord)

Compilations

1979 ''Louis Bellson, With Bells On!'' (Vogue Jazz (UK)) 2001 ''Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles DVD'' (Hal Leonard)

2002 ''Pete York's Super Drumming, Vol. 1'' (Inakustic Gmbh)

2008 ''Pete York's Super Drumming, Vol. 3'' (Inakustic Gmbh)

As sideman

With James Brown

''Soul on Top'' (1969)

With Dizzy Gillespie

''Roy and Diz'' (Clef, 1954) - with Roy Eldridge

With Stephane Grappelli

''Classic Sessions: Stephane Grappelli'' (1987)

With Sarah Vaughan

''How Long Has This Been Going On?'' (1978)

Filmography

As leader

2003 ''Louis Bellson and His Big Band'' (VIEW) 2007 ''Cobham Meets Bellson'' (VIEW)

References

External links

Louie Bellson - official website.

Heckman, Don. "Louie Bellson dies at 84; Duke Ellington called him 'the world's greatest drummer'," ''Los Angeles Times'', Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

Chinen, Nate. "Louie Bellson, Dynamic Jazz Drummer, Dies at 84," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

Drummerworld

YouTube video of Louis Bellson

[ Allmusic biography of Louis Bellson]

"Louie Bellson" The Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians (Jazz.com).

Obituary in the Los Angeles Daily News

Jazz Connection Magazine online biography

Biography and memorable quotes about him at Remo.com

Louie Bellson - In Memoriam

Category:1924 births Category:2009 deaths Category:American composers Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz drummers Category:American music arrangers Category:American session musicians Category:Big band drummers Category:Count Basie Orchestra members Category:Deaths from Parkinson's disease Category:Duke Ellington Orchestra members Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American jazz musicians of Italian descent Category:Swing drummers Category:People from Whiteside County, Illinois Category:Verve Records artists Category:Chiaroscuro Records artists

da:Louis Bellson de:Louie Bellson es:Louie Bellson eo:Louie Bellson fr:Louie Bellson gl:Louie Bellson it:Louie Bellson nl:Louie Bellson nn:Louie Bellson pl:Louie Bellson fi:Louie Bellson sv:Louie Bellson