Ronald "Jack" Washington (July 17, 1910 – November 28, 1964) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 saxophonist

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

, who was best known for his time in the Count Basie

Count Basie

William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...

 orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s.

Life and career

Born in Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...

, he started playing soprano sax in his teens before switching to baritone. He joined Bennie Moten

Bennie Moten

Bennie Moten was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri.He led the Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the itinerant, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of...

's Orchestra in the late 1920s, after leaving high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

, and remained with Moten while also performing with Paul Banks and with Jesse Stone

Jesse Stone

Jesse Stone was an American rhythm and blues musician and songwriter whose influence spanned a wide range of genres...

's Blues Serenaders. After Moten's death in 1935, he joined Count Basie's band, and remained with Basie until 1950 except for a short period in the US Army. He performed with the Basie band at the From Spirituals to Swing

From Spirituals to Swing

From Spirituals to Swing was the title of two concerts presented by John Hammond in Carnegie Hall on 23 December 1938 and 24 December 1939. The concerts included performances by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, Helen Humes, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, Mitchell's...

concerts in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in 1938 and 1939. Although rarely featured as a soloist, Washington has been described at Allmusic.com as "one of the finest baritonists of his generation" and as the "unsung hero of the baritone-sax".

He later moved to Oklahoma City

Oklahoma city

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

, where he worked at the city airport. He continued to perform on an occasional basis, and took part in a reunion of the Basie orchestra in 1958. He died in Oklahoma City in 1964 at the age of 54.