AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson

Artist:Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson

Song:Sunday

Album:Four Classic Albums

Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster was best known for his stint in the 40s edition of the Duke Ellington band. After he left, he became a sideman and recorded frequently as a leader in the 50s. He recorded with all kinds of collaborators including legendary pianist Oscar Peterson. He was born Mar. 27, 1909 in Kansas City, MO. Budd Johnson taught Webster to play sax. In the 30s Webster played with Lester Young, Blanche Calloway, Bennie Moten and Count Basie. He joined the Ellington band in 1940. Webster was very close to bassist Jimmy Blanton but he argued all the time with Ellington. And after Blanton's 1942 death, it got worse and Webster left in 1943. Webster signed with Verve in 1953 and that's when he first recorded with pianist Oscar Peterson who led the Verve house band. Sunday is from the 1959 album Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson. This was at a time when Webster led a band with Gerry Mulligan and recorded with Art Tatum and Coleman Hawkins. The rest of the band on this album was Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. The album is all jazz standards. Sunday was a 1926 song that gave legendary songwriter Jule Styne his first credit. Ned Miller and Chester Cohn worked together frequently and Benny Krueger was a jazz saxophonist and friend of Miller. At the time Sunday was a hit for Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. Frank Sinatra recorded it in the 50s and that's when jazz musicians started recording it. Webster particularly liked the song as it became part of his regular repertoire. You can get Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson as part of this 2CD budget comp from Avid. The other albums are Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (1959) with Peterson on piano, Ben Webster and Associates (1959) with Hawkins, Budd Johnson and Roy Eldridge and The Warm Moods (1962) with Donn Trenner on piano. Webster moved to Europe in 1964 and continued to tour and record until he suffered a stroke and died on Sept. 20, 1973 at age 64. Here's Ben Webster with Oscar Peterson, Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Tony Inzalaco on drums performing Sunday at The Funkhaus in Hannover, Germany Dec. 14, 1972. This entire concert can be viewed on YouTube. There is supposed to be an album for this but it looks like the record company has closed.