Ben Webster's
Top 10 Records |
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Name: Ben Webster
| Nee: |
Benjamin Francis Webster |
| Born: |
27 Mar 1909 |
| Died: |
20 Sep 1973 |
| Origin: |
Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
| Instruments: |
Sax (Tenor) |
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Ben Webster started studying the violin and the piano but chose the piano when he started his professional career. It wasn't until the early 1930's before he took us the tenor saxophone. It wasn't long before he became adept at his new instrument and by the mid 1930's he was playing in bands around New York. He also played with Duke Ellington and by 1940 was a permanent member of his band. Here he became one of the most popular members of the band and the most copied. Ben Webster only stayed with Ellington for three years but the musician that took his place had to copy Ben Webster's style until he could force his own onto the band. After he left Ellington he led a small group for club gigs and recording sessions. He also played with small groups led by Stuff Smith and Henry 'Red' Allen. He was back with Ellington for a short while in the late 1940's but then played with Jazz at the Philharmonic. Ben Webster then worked mainly as a soloist and from the 1950's he toured extensively in Europe and Scandinavia where his popularity grew. He lived for a while in Holland before going to Denmark where he lived for the rest of his life.
While he was touring in Europe he recorded quite a lot, sometimes with a local band or sometimes with bands led by musicians such as Bill Coleman and Don Byas. His early style bore the influence of Coleman Hawkins but by the time he joined Ellington he had definitely got his own style. Ben Webster was a true giant of jazz backed up by his recorded legacy. |
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