Counce was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to California in 1945. He began recording in 1946 with Lester Young, and in the 1950s in Los Angeles with musicians such as
Shorty Rogers,
Stan Kenton,[2]Shelly Manne,
Lyle Murphy,
Teddy Charles, and
Clifford Brown.[3] Counce formed his quintet in 1956 featuring tenor saxophonist
Harold Land, trumpeter
Jack Sheldon, pianist
Carl Perkins and drummer
Frank Butler.
Elmo Hope replaced Perkins after his death at age 29 in 1958.[4]Gerald Wilson replaced Sheldon on some recordings.[4] The four albums originally released on
Contemporary Records were reissued in 2006 on a double CD by Gambit Spain. Counce died in Los Angeles, California, of a heart attack.[1] He was survived by his wife, Mildred Counce, his daughter, Celeste Counce, and a son. Counce's son[citation needed], born April 10, 1961, was placed for adoption by his biological mother. Curtis knew of his son, but due to his life circumstances, Counce could not be a part of his life. Curtis's son died on January 23, 2022.