Charles Funn & The Funn Band Playing Count Basie
Jazz icon, Count Basie, was born William James Basie in 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. Count Basie is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all times, playing not just in clubs but in theaters and concert halls. He was the arbiter of the big-band swing sound and his unique style of fusing blues and jazz established swing as a predominant music style. Over a sixty-plus year career, Basie changed the jazz landscape and shaped mid-20th century popular music, duly earning the title “King of Swing” because he made the world want to dance.
Charles Funn, a graduate of Morgan Stage College is a retired band instructor (44 years) with the BCPSS. In addition to being a music instructor, he was and is a practicing professional musician having played behind and with Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Dells, Clark terry, Dizzy Gillespie, The Morgan State university Concert & Jazz Bands and The Howard University Jazz Ensemble.
Charles awards include numerous Mayoral Citations, Jazz Journalist’s Association Jazz Hero Award for 2015, The Benny Golson Jazz Masters Award for 2018 presented by Howard University and The Baltimore Jazz Alliance Award for 2022. He currently performs with Dr. Phil Butts Big Band, Bowie State University Community Jazz Ensemble, The New World Outreach Jazz Orchestra, The Clarence Knight Orchestra and The Charles Funn Big Band. Funn started, trained and developed countless future musicians as he nurtured and guided the musical development of Baltimore’s youth.
