Keter Betts

Keter Betts
Birth name William Thomas Betts
Born (1928-07-22)July 22, 1928
Port Chester, New York, United States
Died August 6, 2005(2005-08-06) (aged 77)
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Double bassist
Instruments Double bass

William Thomas "Keter" Betts (July 22, 1928 – August 6, 2005) was an American jazz double bassist. Born in Port Chester, New York, he was nicknamed "Keter", a short form of the word mosquito.[1]

Career

Many better-known musicians (Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Nat Adderley, Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd and others), recognizing Keter's talent, invited him to perform with them professionally. Early in Keter's career he had played with Earl Bostic's R&B band. In 1962, together with Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, he was instrumental in introducing the bossa nova style to American audiences via their Jazz Samba recording.[2] In the mid-1960s, Keter began a nearly quarter-century relationship as a bassist with Ella Fitzgerald.[1]

Personal life

A widowed father of five children,[2] Betts resided in the Washington, DC, area for more than a half century. He died at his home in Silver Spring, Maryland, in August 2005.[1]

Selected discography

With Clifford Brown

With Charlie Byrd

With Ella Fitzgerald

With Tommy Flanagan

With Sam Jones

With Junior Mance

With Helen Merrill

With Bobby Timmons

With Louie Bellson

With Johnny Frigo, Herb Ellis and Lou Carter

With Jay McShann

With Red Holloway, O. C. Smith and Phil Upchurch

With C. I. Williams

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jazz Bassist Keter Betts Dies at 77". Washington Post. August 8, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Keter Betts, 77, Jazz Bassist Who Spread the Bossa Nova, Is Dead". The New York Times. August 22, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2011.

External links

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