Backgrounder: Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster

Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster were a perfect pair. Hodges played with a smooth, bluesy sweetness while Webster offset that with his breathy, husky tone. Both recorded together in the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the 1930s and '40s, and they paired off again in the 1950s on small-group dates. My favorite sessions featuring them in tandem is the so-called Jazz Cellar session of November 1960. It was recorded at a San Francisco club without an audience. The recording is notable in that it's the only time Hodges and Webster recorded together as the sole horns on the session. On the album, five tracks from a January 1961 session in Los Angeles were added. 

On the 1960 sextet session, the lineup included Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass and Gus Johnson on drums. The 1961 octet session featured Ray Nance on trumpet, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, Emil Richards on vibes, Russ Freeman on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. 

Here are both sessions on one album without ads...