It was around this time that Green's parents died, and he moved to
New York City to live with his aunt and continue his education. The move opened up a new musical world to Freddie. While still in his teens, he began to play around the clubs of the city, earning money and a reputation. In one of these gigs, he was noticed by the legendary talent scout
John H. Hammond, who realized the potential of Green and introduced him to Basie. In 1937, Basie and his ensemble went to one of Green's gigs on the advice of an associate. Basie was an immediate fan, and approached Green with a job offer. Except for a brief interruption, Freddie Green would remain a pivotal fixture of the Count Basie Band for the next fifty years. He rapidly changed chords, often with every beat, rather than every measure. His chord fingering often involved him covering four strings with his fingers, while depressing only a subset of the notes. He dampened the unsounded notes from chords with his left hand. Green's playing on his signature
Stromberg guitar was the model for
Ralph Patt's big-band playing. Green was not a prolific composer, but he did make two major contributions to Count Basie's repertoire, "Down for Double" (recorded in 1941) and "
Corner Pocket" (recorded for the album
April in Paris in 1955). On March 1, 1987, Green died of a heart attack in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 75. ==Discography==