Song:My Funny Valentine
Album:Ben Webster For Lovers
Tenor sax great Ben Webster was known for his very warm tone on ballads. He became famous with Duke Ellington's band in the 40s and was very successful as a solo artist in the 50s. He was born Mar. 27, 1909 in Kansas City, MO and learned piano from Pete Johnson and sax from Budd Johnson. He made some noise with Bennie Moten's band in 1932 and worked for various bands until he joined Ellington's band in 1940. Webster was a major soloist and played on some of Ellington's greatest recordings. Webster left in 1943 after an argument with Ellington and Webster cut up one of his suits. Webster's nickname was The Brute. He moved to New York and in the 50s became a regular on Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic series. This For Lovers comp is probably a good intro to Webster's 50s recordings. My Funny Valentine is from Webster's 1954 album Sophisticated Lady. He's accompanied by strings arranged by Ralph Burns. Musicians are Tony Scott & Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Teddy Wilson & Billy Strayhorn on piano, George Duvivier on bass and Louis Bellson on drums. Like a lot of older jazz musicians, Webster realized that his music had a more receptive audience in Europe so he moved to Copenhagen in 1964. He continued to work steadily in Europe until his death on Sept. 30, 1973 at age 64. I guess he didn't like the new jazz too much because he never changed his playing style. His tone was always very lush and romantic. Here's Ben Webster performing How Long Has This Been Going On with Kenny Drew, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen & Alex Riel in Denmark 1967.
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