Benny Carter
To say that Benny Carter had a remarkable and productive career would be an extreme understatement. As an altoist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and occasional trumpeter, Carter was at the top of his field since at least 1928, and in the late '90s, Carter was as strong an altoist at the age of 90 as he was in 1936 (when he was merely 28). His gradually evolving style did not change much through the decades, but neither did it become at all stale or predictable except in its excellence. Benny Carter was a major figure in every decade of the 20th century since the 1920s, and his consistency and longevity were unprecedented.
Essentially self-taught, Benny Carter started on the trumpet and, after a period on C-melody sax, switched to alto. In 1927, he made his recording debut with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten. The following year, he had his first big band (working at New York's Arcadia Ballroom) and was contributing arrangements to Fletcher Henderson and even Duke Ellington. Carter was with Henderson during 1930-1931, briefly took over McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and then went back to leading his own big band (1932-1934). Already at this stage he was considered one of the two top altoists in jazz (along with Johnny Hodges), a skilled arranger and composer ("Blues in My Heart" was an early hit and would be followed by "When Lights Are Low"), and his trumpet playing was excellent; Carter would also record on tenor, clarinet (an instrument he should have played more), and piano, although his rare vocals show that even he was human.
In 1935, Benny Carter moved to Europe, where in London he was a staff arranger for the BBC dance orchestra (1936-1938); he also recorded in several European countries. Carter's "Waltzing the Blues" was one of the very first jazz waltzes. He returned to the U.S. in 1938, led a classy but commercially unsuccessful big band (1939-1941), and then headed a sextet. In 1943, he relocated permanently to Los Angeles, appearing in the film Stormy Weather (as a trumpeter with Fats Waller) and getting lucrative work writing for the movie studios. He would lead a big band off and on during the next three years (among his sidemen were J.J. Johnson, Miles Davis, and Max Roach) before giving up on that effort. Carter wrote for the studios for over 50 years, but he continued recording as an altoist (and all-too-rare trumpeter) during the 1940s and '50s, making a few tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic and participating on some of Norman Granz's jam-session albums. By the mid-'60s, his writing chores led him to hardly playing alto at all, but he made a full "comeback" by the mid-'70s, and maintained a very busy playing and writing schedule even at his advanced age. Even after the rise of such stylists as Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and David Sanborn (in addition to their many followers), Benny Carter still ranks near the top of alto players. His concert and recording schedule remained active through the '90s, slowing only at the end of the millenium. After eight amazing decades of writing and playing, Benny Carter passed away quietly on July 13, 2003 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 95.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Best of Benny (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Co on 25 sep. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1940 - 1941
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 1 dec. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Farewell Blues (Remastered)
Benny Carter, Django Reinhardt
Pop - Released by Bacci Bros Records on 13 feb. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swingin' in the 20's
Jazz - Released by Elusive Sounds LLC on 28 dec. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Royal Garden Blues Vol 3
Jazz - Released by Documents on 2 sep. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
With a Song in My Heart
Pop - Released by Vintage Romantic on 1 mrt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cookin' at Carlos I (Live at Carlos I, New York City, October 1988)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Heritage Society on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All That Jazz - Live at Princeton
Jazz - Released by Jazz Heritage Society on 1 jan. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benny Carter's The Girl From Ipanema
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 25 jun. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Profile: Benny Carter
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 jan. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Americans Swinging in Paris: Benny Carter
Jazz - Released by Parlophone (France) on 1 jan. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Further Dimensions
Alternative en Indie - Released by Hallmark on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benny Carter And His Orchestra The Radio Years 1939-46
Jazz - Released by Jazz Unlimited on 30 mrt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1939 - 1940
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 1 dec. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benny Carter and His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Jazz Door on 23 apr. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Jubilee Shows No. 207 & No. 214
Jazz - Released by Jubilee on 1 jan. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benny Carter in Paris (Jazz En France 1937 - 1938)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Classics on 1 jan. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benny Carter, W.C. Handy, Dinah Shore
Benny Carter, William Christopher Handy, Dinah Shore
Jazz - Released by Nostalgia Arts on 27 apr. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo