Editing Ben Webster

{{short description|American jazz saxophonist (1909–1973)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Ben Webster
| image            = Ben Webster ca. May 1946 (cropped).jpg
| caption          = Webster c. 1946
| birth_name       = Benjamin Francis Webster
| alias            =
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1909|3|27}}
| birth_place      = [[Kansas City, Missouri]] U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1973|9|20|1909|3|27}}
| death_place      = [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
| genre            = [[Jazz]]
| occupation       = Musician
| instrument       = [[Tenor saxophone]]
| years_active     = 1929–1973
| label            = [[Verve Records]], [[Riverside Records]]
| associated_acts  = [[Duke Ellington]], [[Coleman Hawkins]], [[Oscar Peterson]], [[Raymond Scott]]
}}

'''Benjamin Francis Webster''' (March 27, 1909&nbsp;– September 20, 1973) was an American [[jazz]] tenor [[Saxophone|saxophonist]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book |editor1-last=Larkin |editor1-first=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=1997 |publisher=Virgin |isbn=1-85227-745-9 |page=1240 |edition=Concise}}</ref> He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with [[Duke Ellington]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Johnny Hodges]], and others.

== Career ==
=== Early life and career ===

A native of [[Kansas City, Missouri]],<ref name="Larkin" /> he studied [[violin]], learned how to play [[blues]] on the piano from [[Pete Johnson (musician)|Pete Johnson]], and received saxophone lessons from [[Budd Johnson]].<ref name="Yanow">{{cite web |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Ben Webster |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ben-webster-mn0000793227/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> He played with [[Lester Young]] in the Young Family Band.<ref name="Yanow" /><ref name="rough">{{cite book |title=The Rough Guide to Jazz |date=2004 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-256-9 |pages=845–846 |edition=3rd}}</ref> He recorded with [[Blanche Calloway]] and became a member of the [[Bennie Moten]] Orchestra with [[Count Basie]], [[Hot Lips Page]], and [[Walter Page]].<ref name="Yanow" /><ref>{{cite book |page=[https://archive.org/details/americanbigbands00leew/page/71 71] |title=American Big Bands|author=Lee, William F. |year=2005 |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=978-0-634-08054-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/americanbigbands00leew/page/71}}</ref> During the 1930s, he played in bands led by [[Willie Bryant]], [[Benny Carter]], [[Cab Calloway]], [[Fletcher Henderson]], [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk]], and [[Teddy Wilson]].<ref name="Yanow" />

=== With Ellington ===
Webster was a soloist with the [[Duke Ellington Orchestra]] starting in 1940, appearing on "Cotton Tail".<ref name="Yanow" /> He considered [[Johnny Hodges]], an alto saxophonist in the Ellington Orchestra, a major influence on his playing.<ref name="Chilton">{{cite book |last1=Chilton |first1=John |title=Sidney Bechet: The Wizard of Jazz |date=1996 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=0-306-80678-9 |page=289}}</ref> [[Gunther Schuller]] wrote in 1989, that Hodges' influence pushed him away from his original inspiration by Coleman Hawkins.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schuller|first=Gunther|title=The Swing Era: The Development Of Jazz, 1930–1945|location=New York City|publisher=Oxford University Press|orig-year=1989|year= 2005|page=795|isbn=978-0-19-507140-5}}</ref> Webster became close to [[Jimmy Blanton]] and [[Billy Strayhorn]], the other two newcomers to Ellington's orbit.<ref>{{cite book|last=Büchmann-Møller|first=Frank|title=Someone to Watch Over Me: The Life and Music of Ben Webster|location=Ann Arbor, MI|publisher=The University of Michigan Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-472-11470-2}}</ref>

Webster's personality, however, proved difficult for most members of the orchestra and for Ellington. It was not possible, according to [[Mercer Ellington]], for his father and the saxophonist to be in the same room without an argument developing. Webster cried when he heard Blanton had died, but as baritone player [[Harry Carney]] recalled, "After he had a drink or two, he'd change".<ref name="AHL2001">{{cite book|last=Lawrence|first=A.H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5IflVdS5XgC&dq=%22A.H.+Lawrence%22+%22After+he+had+a+drink+or+two,+he%27d+change%22&pg=PA321|title=Duke Ellington and His World|location=New York City & London|publisher=Routledge|year=2001|page=321|isbn=978-0-415-93012-3}}</ref> Webster left the band in 1943.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jazz.fm/that-eric-alper-october-14-2011/|title=That Eric Alper!|date=October 14, 2011|publisher=[[CJRT-FM]]|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> Reportedly, he cut one of Ellington's sports jackets with a razor as one of his last acts as a member of the Ellington orchestra.<ref name="AHL2001" /> [[Clark Terry]] said the departure was because Webster slapped Ellington.<ref>Zan Stewart interview with Clark Terry, Aug. 2003 for article in Newark Star-Ledger, September 28, 2003, "The Elder Statesman of Swing."</ref>

=== Later American career ===
Webster worked on [[52nd Street (Manhattan)|52nd Street]] in New York City, where he recorded frequently as a leader and sideman.<ref name="Yanow" /><ref>{{cite book |page=211 |title=Jazz Musicians of the Early Years, to 1945 |author=Dicaire, David|year=2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-8556-7}}</ref> During this time he worked with [[Raymond Scott]], [[John Kirby (musician)|John Kirby]], [[Bill DeArango]], [[Sid Catlett]], [[Jay McShann]], and [[Jimmy Witherspoon]]. For a few months in 1948, he returned briefly to Ellington's orchestra.

In 1953, he recorded ''The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster'' (now known as ''[[King of the Tenors]]'') with pianist [[Oscar Peterson]], who would be an important collaborator with Webster throughout the decade in his recordings for the various labels of [[Norman Granz]].<!-- Verve was founded in 1956. --> Along with Peterson, trumpeter [[Harry Edison|Harry "Sweets" Edison]] and others, he was touring and recording with Granz's [[Jazz at the Philharmonic]] package. In 1956, he recorded an album with pianist [[Art Tatum]], supported by bassist [[Red Callender]] and drummer [[Bill Douglass]]. ''[[Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster]]'' with fellow tenor saxophonist [[Coleman Hawkins]] was recorded on December 16, 1957, along with Peterson, [[Herb Ellis]] (guitar), [[Ray Brown (musician)|Ray Brown]] (bass), and [[Alvin Stoller]] (drums). The Hawkins and Webster recording saw the coming together of two giants of the tenor saxophone, who had first met back in Kansas City.

In the late 1950s, he formed a quintet with [[Gerry Mulligan]] and played frequently at a club in Los Angeles called Renaissance. It was there that the Webster-Mulligan group backed up blues singer [[Jimmy Witherspoon]] on an album recorded live for the Hi-Fi Jazz label.<ref>Bob Porter, "Portraits in Blue," broadcast August 2, 2014, on WBGO radio.</ref> That same year, 1959, the quintet, with pianist [[Jimmy Rowles]], bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Mel Lewis, also recorded ''[[Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster]]'' for [[Verve Records]].<ref>Michael Ruppli, "The Complete Norgran, Clef and Verve Recordings, Vol. 2.(Greenwood Press)</ref>

=== In Europe ===
Webster worked steadily, but in late 1964 he moved to Europe, working with other expatriate American jazz musicians and local musicians. He played when he pleased during his last decade. He lived in London and several locations in Scandinavia for one year, followed by three years in Amsterdam, and made his last home in Copenhagen in 1969.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Big Ben|date=August 20, 2001|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/08/20/big-ben-2|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> Webster appeared as a sax player in a low-rent cabaret club in the 1970 Danish [[Pornographic film|blue film]] titled ''[[Quiet Days in Clichy (1970 film)|Quiet Days in Clichy]]''. In 1971, Webster reunited with [[Duke Ellington]] and his orchestra for a couple of shows at the [[Tivoli Gardens]] in Copenhagen; he also recorded "live" in France with [[Earl Hines]].<ref>LP issued as Hines's ''Tune in France'' with [[Don Byas]], [[Roy Eldridge]], [[Stuff Smith]], [[Kenny Clarke]] and [[Jimmy Woode]].</ref> He also recorded or performed with Buck Clayton, Bill Coleman and Teddy Wilson.

Webster suffered a [[stroke]] in Amsterdam in September 1973, following a performance at the Twee Spieghels in [[Leiden]], and died on September 20. His body was cremated in Copenhagen and his ashes were buried in the [[Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen)|Assistens Cemetery]] in the [[Nørrebro]] section of the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scandinaviastandard.com/scandi-six-graves-in-assistens-kirkegard/|title=Six Graves to Know in Copenhagen's Assistens Kirkegård|work=Scandinavia Standard|date=May 7, 2016|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref>

Webster's private collection of jazz recordings and memorabilia is archived in the [[jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark]], Odense.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sdu.dk/en/bibliotek/materialer/om+samlingerne/jazz|title=The jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref>

Ben Webster used the same saxophone from 1938 until his death in 1973. He left instructions that the horn was never to be played again. It is on display in the [[Institute of Jazz Studies]] at [[Rutgers University–Newark|Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/27/archives/new-jersey-weekly-jazz-at-rutgers-lively-scholarship.html|author=Sullivan, Joseph F.|title=Jazz at Rutgers |work=The New York Times|date=May 27, 1979|page=NJ16}}</ref>

Ben Webster has a street named after him in southern Copenhagen, "Ben Websters Vej".<ref>{{cite news|title=When the Village Vanguard came to Denmark|author=Nic Liney|url=https://www.thelocal.dk/20160701/when-the-village-vanguard-came-to-denmark|date=July 1, 2016|access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref>

== Ben Webster Foundation ==
After Webster's death, Billy Moore Jr. and the trustee of Webster's estate created the Ben Webster Foundation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ben Webster Foundation |url=https://benwebsterfoundation.com/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Ben Webster Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> a non-profit organization in Denmark.

During the eight years Webster lived in Denmark, he lacked a manager or agent to take care of his artistic rights. In 1972, he joined Billy Moore Jr., arranger for [[Jimmie Lunceford]]. Moore clarified Webster's recording history to secure his [[royalties]]. Moore started the Ben Webster Foundation with the trustee of Webster's estate. Webster's sole legal heir, Harley Robinson of Los Angeles, gladly assigned his rights to the Foundation.

The Ben Webster Foundation was confirmed by the [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Queen of Denmark]]'s Seal in 1976. In the Foundation's trust deed, one of the initial paragraphs reads: "to support the dissemination of jazz in Denmark". The trust is a beneficial foundation which channels Webster's annual royalties to musicians in both Denmark and the U.S. An annual [[Ben Webster Prize]] is awarded to a young outstanding musician. The prize is not large, but is considered highly prestigious. Over the years, several American musicians have visited Denmark with the help of the Foundation, and concerts, a few recordings, and other jazz-related events have been supported.

The board of the foundation consists of close friends and fans of Webster. Webster's annual royalties are conveyed back to musicians both in Denmark and the U.S. The [[Ben Webster Prize]] is awarded annually by vote to one outstanding young musician.<ref name="Ben Webster">{{cite web |url=http://benwebster.dk/the-ben-webster-prize/|title=The Annual Ben Webster Prize |publisher=Benwebster.dk | access-date=October 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727114539/http://benwebster.dk/the-ben-webster-prize/ |archive-date=July 27, 2010 }}</ref>

American musicians have visited Denmark to help the foundation by giving concerts. The Board of Trustees monitors Webster's artistic rights and reissues of his music. The foundation concentrates on the legality, quality, and validity of these reissues.<ref name="Ben Webster Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://benwebster.dk/|title=The Ben Webster Foundation |publisher=Benwebster.dk |access-date=October 12, 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101002101323/http://www.benwebster.dk/ |archive-date=October 2, 2010 |url-status= live}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Ernie Wilkins]]'s [[Almost Big Band]] opened the [[Copenhagen Jazz Festival]] with a concert at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse which included the "All Time Battle of Tenor Saxophones" presented by the Webster Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fibyen.dk%2Ffokus%2Fcopenhagenjazzfestival%2FECE746500%2Fsprudlende-bigbandjazz-aabnede-festivalen%2F |title=All-time Battle of Tenor Saxophones in Hundred Years |publisher=Politiken.dk |access-date=November 12, 2010 }}</ref>

== Discography ==
=== As leader/co-leader ===
* ''[[King of the Tenors]]'' (Verve, 1957) – rec. 1953. originally released as ''The Consummate Artistry of Ben Webster'' ([[Norgran Records|Norgran]], 1954).
* ''[[Music for Loving]]'' (Norgran, 1955)
* ''[[The Art Tatum – Ben Webster Quartet]]'' (Verve, 1958) – reissued as  ''[[The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Volume Eight]]'' (Pablo)
* ''[[Soulville (Ben Webster album)|Soulville]]'' (Verve, 1958)
* ''[[Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster]]'' (Verve, 1959)
* ''[[Ben Webster and Associates]]'' (Verve, 1959)
* ''[[Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson]]'' (Verve, 1959)
* ''At the Renaissance'' – with [[Jimmy Witherspoon]] and [[Gerry Mulligan]], (HiFi Jazz, 1959 [1960])
* ''[[Ben Webster at the Renaissance]]'' (Contemporary, 1960 [1985])
* ''[[Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster]]'' (Verve, 1960)
* ''[[The Soul of Ben Webster]]'' (Verve, 1960)
* ''[[The Warm Moods]]'' (Reprise, 1961)
* ''[[BBB & Co.]]'' (Swingville, 1962) – with Benny Carter and [[Barney Bigard]]
* ''[[Wanted to Do One Together]]'' (Columbia, 1962)
* ''[[Soulmates (Ben Webster album)|Soulmates]]'' with Joe Zawinul (Riverside, 1963)
* ''[[See You at the Fair]]'' (Impulse!, 1964)
* ''Live at Pio's'' (Enja, 1964)
* ''Ben Webster's First Concert in Denmark'' (Storyville, 1965)
* ''Intimate!'' (Fontana, 1965) – recorded at the Café Montmartre, Copenhagen & reconfigured for Black Lion reissues
* ''Blue Light'' (International Polydor [Germany], 1966) – later re-released as ''Atmosphere For Lovers and Thieves''
* ''Big Ben Time!'' (Fontana, 1967)
* ''Ben Webster Meets Don Byas'' (SABA, 1968)
* ''Big Sound'' (Polydor, 1969)
* ''Ben Webster at Ease'' (Ember, 1969)
* ''For the Guv'nor'' (Columbia, 1969)
* ''Wayfaring Webster'' (Timeless, 1970)
* ''Webster's Dictionary'' (Philips, 1970)
* ''Ben at His Best'' (RCA Victor, 1970)
* ''Atmosphere For Lovers And Thieves'' (Black Lion, 1971)
* ''Autumn Leaves'' with Georges Arvanitas (Futura, 1972)
* ''Swingin' in London'' (Black Lion, 1972)
* ''Live at The Haarlemse Jazz Club'' - with [[Tete Montoliu]] (Timeless, 1972)
* ''Ben Webster in Hot House'' - with [[Tete Montoliu]] (Timeless, 1972)
* ''Gentle Ben'' - with [[Tete Montoliu]] (Ensayo, 1972)
* ''[[My Man: Live at Montmartre 1973]]'' ([[Steeplechase Records|Steeplechase]], 1973)
* ''Previously Unreleased Recordings'' (Verve, 1974)
* ''Saturday Night at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1974) – reissued on CD  in expanded form as ''Stormy Weather'' (Black Lion, 1989)
* ''Rare Live Performance 1962'' (Musidisc, 1975) – reissued on CD as  ''[[1953: An Exceptional Encounter]]'' (The Jazz Factory, 2000)
* ''Ben and the Boys'' (Jazz Archives, 1976)
* ''Sunday Morning at the Montmartre'' (Black Lion, 1977) – reissued in expanded form on CD as ''Gone With the Wind'' (Black Lion, 1989)
* ''Layin' Back with Ben Vol. 1'' (Honeydew, 1977)
* ''Layin' Back with Ben Vol. 2'' (Honeydew, 1977)
* ''Carol & Ben'' (Honeydew, 1977)
* ''Did You Call?'' (Nessa, 1978)
* ''The Horn'' (Circle, 1982)
* ''Plays Duke Ellington'' (Storyville, 1988)
* ''Ben Webster Plays Ballads'' (Storyville, 1988)
* ''Meets Bill Coleman'' (Black Lion, 1989)
* ''Live in Paris 1972'' (France's Concert, 1989)
* ''Live in Amsterdam'' (Affinity, 1989)
* ''The Jeep Is Jumping'' (Black Lion, 1990)

=== As sideman ===
'''With [[Harry Edison]]'''
* ''[[Sweets (album)|Sweets]]'' (Clef, 1956)
* ''[[Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You (album)|Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You]]'' (Verve, 1957)

'''With [[Duke Ellington]]'''
* ''[[The Blanton–Webster Band]]'' (Bluebird, <!-- LP version -->1986) – rec. 1940–42<ref>{{cite news|last=Gold|first=Gerald|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/07/arts/record-notes-bluebird-flies-once-more.html|title=Bluebird Flies Once More|work=The New York Times|date=December 7, 1986|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>
* ''The Great Ellington Units'' (Bluebird, 1988) – rec. 1940–41<ref>{{cite news|last=Watrous|first=Peter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/31/arts/recordings-ellington-in-everything-but-the-name.html|title=Ellington in Everything but the Name|work=The New York Times|date=July 31, 1988|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> – Webster featured in sessions under the nominal leadership of [[Barney Bigard]] and [[Rex Stewart]]
* ''[[Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band]]'' (RCA-BMG, 2003)[3CD] – rec. 1940–42

'''With [[Johnny Hodges]]'''
* ''[[The Blues (Johnny Hodges album)|The Blues]]'' (Norgran, 1955)
* ''[[Blues-a-Plenty]]'' (Verve, 1958)
* ''[[Not So Dukish]]'' (Verve, 1958)

'''With [[Billie Holiday]]'''
* ''[[Body and Soul (Billie Holiday album)|Body and Soul]]'' (Verve, 1957)
* ''[[Songs for Distingué Lovers]]'' (Verve, 1958)
* ''[[All or Nothing at All (album)|All or Nothing at All ]]'' (Verve, 1958)

'''With [[Richard "Groove" Holmes]]'''
* ''[[Groove (Richard "Groove" Holmes album)|"Groove"]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
* ''[[Tell It Like It Tis]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) – rec. 1961

'''With others'''
* [[Count Basie]], ''[[String Along with Basie]]'' (Roulette, 1960)
* [[Buddy Bregman]], ''[[Swinging Kicks]]'' (Verve, 1957)
* [[Benny Carter]], ''[[Jazz Giant (Benny Carter album)|Jazz Giant]]'' (Contemporary, 1958)
* [[Dizzy Gillespie]], ''[[The Complete RCA Victor Recordings]]'' (Bluebird, 1995)
* [[Lionel Hampton]], ''[[You Better Know It!!!]]'' (Impulse, 1965)
* [[Coleman Hawkins]], ''[[Coleman Hawkins and Confrères]]'' (Verve, 1958)
* [[Woody Herman]], ''[[Songs for Hip Lovers]]'' (Verve, 1957)
* [[Illinois Jacquet]], ''[[The Kid and the Brute]]'' (Clef, 1955)
* [[Barney Kessel]], ''[[Let's Cook!]]'' (Contemporary, 1962)
* [[Mundell Lowe]], ''[[Porgy & Bess (Mundell Lowe album)|Porgy & Bess]]'' (RCA Camden, 1958)
* [[Les McCann]], ''[[Les McCann Sings]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
* [[Carmen McRae]], ''[[Birds of a Feather (Carmen McRae album)|Birds of a Feather]]'' (Decca, 1958)
* [[Oliver Nelson]], ''[[More Blues and the Abstract Truth]]'' (Impulse!, 1964)
* [[Buddy Rich]], ''[[The Wailing Buddy Rich]]'' (Norgran, 1955)
* [[Clark Terry]], ''[[The Happy Horns of Clark Terry]]'' (Impulse!, 1964)
* [[Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]], ''[[At Newport '63 (Joe Williams album)|At Newport '63]]'' (RCA Victor, 1963)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p7793/biography|pure_url=yes}} Ben Webster] — by Scott Yanow, for Allmusic
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120329105215/http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/ben-webster-played-sultry-sax "Ben Webster played a sultry Sax..."]
* [https://benwebsterfoundation.com The Ben Webster Foundation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070917000855/http://www.sdu.dk/Bibliotek/Om%20biblioteket/Om%20samlingerne/Jazz.aspx?sc_lang=en The Jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark]
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103716 Ben Webster recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].

{{Ben Webster}}
{{Duke Ellington}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Ben}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:Swing saxophonists]]
[[Category:American jazz tenor saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Mainstream jazz saxophonists]]
[[Category:Duke Ellington Orchestra members]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Denmark]]
[[Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:American expatriates in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Missouri]]
[[Category:Nessa Records artists]]
[[Category:Blue Note Records artists]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Denmark]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Denmark]]
[[Category:20th-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:The Cab Calloway Orchestra members]]
[[Category:Black Lion Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]