I get so tired of the trash the internet brings us, but I can't bless it enough for this kind of wonderful music. The fact that we can hear and sometimes witness the truly greats of jazz is so terrific. Thank you.
One of my faves, Chelsea Bridge! You don't hear this stuff on the so-called jazz stations any longer. They are busy playing some half-playin' lotsa' notes dudes. I am able to appreciate technicality as well as the next person, but sometimes leave out a few notes!
This style maintained still by Scott Hamilton (here accompanied by some fine Catalan musicians): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zzheb_B9WHg.html
probably one of the top 10 musical performances of all time. listen up, kiddies: this is PASSION, this is SOUL and completely understated. educate yourselves, dummies....
Ben was such a master on every aspect of music playing. The air, the slurs and the tone. And the ability of playing the second part of this haunting tune without loosing the mood. I feel blessed for hearing him after so many years have passed.
Ben Webster : the best of the best. Listening him to play is next to the best: watching him. He knew the lyrics (if such existed) of all the music hed play; hence, the lyrical and organic quality of his touch. When Webster plays, he reminds me of Sarah Vaughn singing.
when i watch and listen to this vid, i dry my eyes frequently. if music can bring a grown man to tears, that's when you know it's freakishly awesome....
Beautiful! One of my favourite Billy Strayhorn songs.. (I've always liked the name - "stray horn") Nothing stray about Big Ben's horn though.. what a sound, no-one sounded like this guy . One of my first jazz albums years ago was the classic Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster, and they played this tune to perfection.. Great posting
So many versions of this intriguing melody. Such interesting chord structure and so beautifully played by Ben Webster and friends. I loved it.From ancient busker
Thank you for mentioning Stan Tracey. I knew Ben Webster, and he always cited Stan Tracey as one of the pianists he most enjoyed playing with. The others were Art Tatum, Duke Ellington and Oscar Petersen. So Stan wasn't in such bad company!
this song is so sad and happy at the same time- it's like if you were about to jump off the chelsea bridge and all of a sudden you changed your mind and thought, "nahhhh, life's worth living". great performance by webster and crew....
Love the tune by Strayhorn and Ben’s rendition. Check out Keith Jarrett’s and Duke Ellington’s band. I first hear it at an Ellington concert in Charleston, SC in 1969. Paul Gonsalves or Johnny Hodges played it! It was one of the greatest concerts and musical moments of my life.
Dave Gelly's book about Lester Young mentions that while Webster did speak of Johnny Hodges, he was heavily influenced by Prez. But I guess, weren't we all?!
Ben Webster is my idol. You could pour his melodies over pancakes.... Does anyone know what Mr. Webster's setup was in this session? I'm in the market for a tenor. Looking at Martins and vintage SMLs.
He’s playing a Selmer Series 2 Tenor sax with a gold plated Otto Link mouthpiece, possibly New York model and very open lay & tip opening , probably an 8, with his large lip embouchure
in this day and age, it's scary to see real human beings making actual music. nowadays, it's all machines and douchebags. ben webster and co. will live on forever in my heart....
I’m with you! But let’s not bash the modern music, because even though we may not like it, it doesn’t mean that the production quality is any less, but that the music doesn’t sound good to our ears.
Interesting fact: the great bassist in this video became electric bass player for John McLaughlin’s intense, groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra - just one of those crazy things that can and does happen in the jazz world.
Notice Ben doesn't bury the microphone in the bell of his horn- this shows he comes from an earlier Era- and plays with a full tone from the time when there were no stage microphones. Playing off mic gives much more freedom to his, and his contemporaries' expressiveness. I've seen Masters such as Johnny Hodges, and younger musicians like Hank Crawford and Don Menza, use this same approach in club appearances at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Study the microphone technique of Sarah Vaughan!
