Bennie Moten
Bennie Moten is today best-remembered as the leader of a band that partly became the nucleus of the original Count Basie Orchestra, but Moten deserves better. He was a fine ragtime-oriented pianist who led the top territory band of the 1920s, an orchestra that really set the standard for Kansas City jazz. In fact it was so dominant that Moten was able to swallow up some of his competitors' groups including Walter Page's Blue Devils, most of whom eventually became members of Moten's big band. Moten formed his group (originally a sextet) in 1922 and the following year they made their first recordings. Among Moten's 1923-1925 sides for Okeh was the original version of his greatest hit "South." During 1926-1932, Moten's Orchestra recorded for Victor and, although none of his original musicians became famous, the later additions included his brother Buster on occasional jazz accordion, Harlan Leonard, Jack Washington, Eddie Durham, Jimmy Rushing, Hot Lips Page, and (starting in 1929) Count Basie. So impressed was Moten by Basie's playing that Count assumed the piano chair for recordings from that point on (although in clubs Moten would generally play a feature or two). The most famous Bennie Moten recording session was also his last, ten songs cut on December 13, 1932 that found the ensemble strongly resembling Basie's five years later. In addition to Hot Lips Page, Durham, Washington, and Basie, the band at that point also starred Ben Webster, Eddie Barefield, and Walter Page and one of the high points was the debut of "Moten Swing."
Tragically, Bennie Moten died in 1935 from a botched tonsillectomy operation. Buster Moten briefly took over the band, but many of its top members (along with some important additions like Lester Young) eventually gravitated towards Count Basie.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
-
1929-1932 · Band Box Shuffle
Jazz - Released by Hep Records on 19 Jun 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
22 Masterpieces (1923-1932)
Traditional Jazz & New Orleans - Released by Tsk Music on 24 May 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kansas City Jazz Essentials
Ragtime - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Master Tape Records on 18 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Bennie Moten Collection 1923-32
Jazz - Released by Fabulous on 8 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Complete Jazz Series 1930 - 1932
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 27 Apr 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Moten Swing
Jazz - Released by Golden Phonorecords on 26 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Complete Jazz Series 1927 - 1929
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 27 Apr 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Bennie Moten
Jazz - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 6 May 1924
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Blue Room
Jazz - Released by Jazz League Music on 1 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1923 - 1927
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 27 Apr 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Classic Jazz, Bennie Moten Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by SendDigital on 21 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Complete Jazz Series 1929 - 1930
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 27 Apr 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
The Complete Bennie Moten 1928 - 1930, Vol. IV
Jazz - Released by MVE on 23 Feb 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo