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Musician

Ben Webster

Born:

Ben Webster was considered one of the "big three" of swing tenors along with Coleman Hawkins (his main influence) and Lester Young. He had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with his own distinctive growls) yet on ballads he would turn into a pussy cat and play with warmth and sentiment. After violin lessons as a child, Webster learned how to play rudimentary piano (his neighbor Pete Johnson taught him to play blues). But after Budd Johnson showed him some basics on the saxophone, Webster played sax in the Young Family Band (which at the time included Lester Young). He had stints with Jap Allen and Blanche Calloway (making his recording debut with the latter) before joining Bennie Moten's Orchestra in time to be one of the stars on a classic session in 1932. Webster spent time with quite a few orchestras in the 1930s (including Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson in 1934, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Cab Calloway, and the short-lived Teddy Wilson big band). In 1940 (after short stints in 1935 and 1936), Ben Webster became Duke Ellington's first major tenor soloist

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

Classic Meet Ups + Wayne Shorter Homages

Read "Classic Meet Ups + Wayne Shorter Homages" reviewed by David Brown


Tonight, we are looking at classic and contemporary “meet ups" between two soloists, or a soloist and group. “Mulligan Meets Hodges," “Basie & Zoot," “Roy and Diz," “Hargrove meets Miller," and many more. The show continues with a set of tributes to and works by Wayne Shorter form Melissa Aldana, Steph Richards, Thumbscrew and Kris Dais. ...

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Article: Rethinking Jazz Cultures

Walter van de Leur: Jazz & Death, Part 2—Dancing With the Devil

Read "Walter van de Leur: Jazz & Death, Part 2—Dancing With the Devil" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Part 1 | Part 2 Most people would probably take a linear, historical view of jazz in an attempt to understand its complex history. Walter van de Leur, Professor of Jazz and Improvised Music at the University of Amsterdam, starts with death. His book, Jazz And Death: Reception, Rituals And Representations (Routledge, ...

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Article: Interview

Albert "Tootie" Heath: Class Personified

Read "Albert "Tootie" Heath: Class Personified" reviewed by R.J. DeLuke


This article was first published on All About Jazz on March 9, 2015. Albert “Tootie" Heath is among the drummers who lived--and thrived--during what many call the golden age of jazz, the '40s, '50, early '60s. He's enjoyed the fruits of a varied and historic career, but never stayed put. Just kept working. He ...

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

James Brandon Lewis, Kenny Drew, Satoko Fujii, Julian Lage

Read "James Brandon Lewis, Kenny Drew, Satoko Fujii, Julian Lage" reviewed by David Brown


We kick off the show with some works that blur the lines of genre from James Brandon Lewis, Mary Halvorson and the Chicago Underground Duo; move into a set of late '50s recordings by pianist Kenny Drew, and then take off in all directions from there: piano trios from Satoko Fujii, Marc Copland and Matthew Shipp; ...

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News: Recording

Ben Webster: Webster's Dictionary, 1970

Ben Webster: Webster's Dictionary, 1970

One of my favorite Ben Webster albums from the tail end of his career is Webster's Dictionary, recorded in London for Ronnie Scott Records in October 1970. The label was founded by Scott, the famed British tenor saxophonist and club owner, which tells you immediately it's an intelligent record. By intelligent, I mean that Scott did ...

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Article: Interview

Fernando Trueba & They Shot the Piano Player

Read "Fernando Trueba & They Shot the Piano Player" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Spanish filmmaker Fernando Trueba has long been a jazz fan, and has made several films with a jazz focus. Calle 54 (2000) is still a notable documentary on Latin jazz. The film primarily consists of studio performances by a wide array of Latin Jazz musicians. Artists featured include Chucho Valdés, Bebo Valdés, Cachao, Eliane Elias, Gato ...

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Article: Live Review

Artemis at Finney Chapel

Read "Artemis at Finney Chapel" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Artemis Finney Chapel Artist Recital Series Oberlin, OH March 13, 2024 Much like society in general, women in the jazz arena have historically had a hard road to travel in a space that is clearly dominated by males. In recent years, the pendulum has thankfully shifted towards acknowledging the talents ...

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Article: Album Review

Lucien Johnson: Ancient Relics

Read "Ancient Relics" reviewed by Chris May


The astral jazz of Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane is among the most mimicked jazz to be heard in 2024. Mimicked as in superficial, cynical, clichéd, travesty. So it is a rare pleasure to come across an album as singular and substantial as New Zealand-based tenor saxophonist Lucien Johnson's Ancient Relics. The album is ...

Article: Album Review

Aaron Diehl & The Knights: Zodiac Suite

Read "Zodiac Suite" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Composta da Mary Lou Williams nella prima metà degli anni quaranta e registrata per la prima volta in trio nel 1945, la “Zodiac Suite" è stata eseguita dalla stessa pianista in versioni orchestrali sfortunate (alla Town Hall con Ben Webster, alla Carnegie Hall) e ripresa nel 2006 da Geri Allen e di recente dalla New York ...


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