HR0169

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to  learn of the death of
Louie 
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Bellson, who passed away on February 14, 2009; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson was born Luigi Paulino Alfredo 
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Francesco Antonio Balassoni in Rock Falls on July 6, 1924; his 
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father owned a music store, and he began playing drums at the 
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age of three; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson was a considerably talented drummer 
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by his teenage years; at the age of 17, he was picked by 
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popular drummer Gene Krupa as the winner of the Slingerland 
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National Gene Krupa contest, beating out thousands of other 
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young competitors; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson continued ascending through the 
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rank of the music industry as an adult; in the early 1950s, he 
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began performing in Duke Ellington's band, where he was often 
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granted a long drum feature, which he attacked with relish and 
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poise; he also wrote compositions like "The Hawk Talks" and 
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"Skin Deep" that were regularly performed by the band; in 1965, 
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he participated in Ellington's first Sacred Concert; he always 
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proudly maintained that Duke Ellington had called him the 
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world's greatest drummer; and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, Prior to joining Ellington's band, Louie Bellson 
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performed with the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, 
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and Harry James; he later worked briefly with Count Basie and 
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Ella Fitzgerald; he also appeared in combos with all-stars like 
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the trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie, the alto 
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saxophonist Benny Carter, and the pianists Art Tatum and Oscar 
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Peterson during his regular stints on Norman Granz's Jazz at 
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the Philharmonic tours in the 1950s; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson led numerous bands of his own for 
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many decades, leading small groups as well as ensembles, 
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including the Big Band Explosion; in 1969, his band was chosen 
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to back James Brown on "Soul on Top"; he created his own label, 
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Percussion Power, on which he released "The Sacred Music of 
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Louie Bellson & the Jazz Ballet," which included a big band, 
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strings, and a choir, in 2006; his most recent album, "Louie & 
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Clark Expedition 2", was released in 2008; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson gained a reputation throughout the 
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music world as a dynamic, spectacular soloist known for his use 
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of two bass drums, a technique he pioneered as a teenager; he 
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was also known for his attentiveness and precision, which made 
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him a highly successful sideman, and his subtlety; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson was a prolific composer, who 
 


 






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performed and recorded a number of his own pieces; he sometimes 
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branched beyond swing music to compose orchestral and choral 
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work; in his later years, he was a tireless educator and 
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clinician who nurtured generations of young musicians, 
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particularly fellow drummers; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson was the recipient of numerous honors 
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for his work, including a Jazz Masters Award from the National 
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Endowment for the Arts and a Living Jazz Legend Award from the 
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John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; he was also 
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designated an ASCAP Jazz Living Legend by the American Society 
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of Composers, Authors and Publishers; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In 1952, Louie Bellson married hit singer and 
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actress Pearl Bailey; shortly after their marriage, he became 
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her bandleader; Ms. Bailey passed away in 1990; he is survived 
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by Francine Bellson, his second wife and manager; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Louie Bellson will be remembered by all who knew 
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and loved him as a drummer without equal, whose kindness and 
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compassion to world leaders and ardent fans alike endeared to 
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everyone he met; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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mourn, along with his family, friends, and countless fans, the 
 


 






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passing of Louie Bellson; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Louie Bellson as an expression of 
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our sympathy.