Keter Betts

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

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. In the mid-1960s, Keter began a nearly quarter-century relationship as a bassist with Ella Fitzgerald.

Personal life
A widowed father of five children, 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.

Selected discography

 * The Floating Jazz Festival Trio (1995)

With Clifford Brown With Charlie Byrd With Ella Fitzgerald With Tommy Flanagan With Sam Jones With Junior Mance With Bobby Timmons
 * Jam Session (EmArcy, 1954) - with Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry
 * Blues for Night People (1957)
 * Byrd's Word! (Riverside, 1958)
 * Byrd in the Wind (Riverside, 1959)
 * Mr. Guitar (Riverside, 1960)
 * The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd (Riverside, 1960)
 * Charlie Byrd at the Village Vanguard (Riverside, 1961)
 * Blues Sonata (Riverside, 1961)
 * Jazz Samba (Verve, 1962) - with Stan Getz
 * Latin Impressions (Riverside, 1962)
 * Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros (Riverside, 1962)
 * Once More! Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova (Riverside, 1963)
 * Byrd at the Gate (Riverside, 1963)
 * Byrd Song (Riverside, 1964)
 * Ella in Hamburg (Verve, live, 1965)
 * Ella Loves Cole (Atlantic, 1972)
 * Ella in London (Pablo, live, 1974)
 * Montreux '75 (Pablo, live, 1975)
 * Montreux '77 (Ella Fitzgerald album) (Pablo, live, 1977)
 * Digital III at Montreux (Pablo, live, 1979)
 * A Perfect Match (Ella Fitzgerald album) (Pablo, 1979)
 * Jazz at the Philharmonic – Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1983: Return to Happiness (Pablo, live, 1983)
 * The Tommy Flanagan Tokyo Recital (Pablo, 1975)
 * Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1978)
 * The Soul Society (Riverside, 1960)
 * The Chant (Riverside, 1961)
 * Blue Mance (1994)
 * Chun-King (Prestige, 1964)
 * Workin' Out! (Prestige, 1964)