Webster Ben, actually Benjamin Francis Webster, *27 March 1909 Kansas City, †20 September 1973 Amsterdam, American jazz saxophonist. He studied violin and piano on his own. After a short period at Wilberforce University (Ohio), he began performing as a pianist in Amarillo, Texas, where he met B. Johnson, who taught him the rudiments of the alto saxophone. He perfected that instrument in the Young Family Band, L. Young’s family band, led by his father in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1930, Webster returned to Amarillo and played in G. Coy’s band (first alto saxophone, later tenor saxophone). He soon moved to Kansas City, where he gained recognition playing successively in the orchestras of J. Allena (1930–31), B. Calloway (1931) and B. Moten (1932–33), with whom he made significant recordings in 1932 (including Toby, New Orleans). After a period of cooperation with A. Kirk’s orchestra (1933–34), he moved to New York, where he worked with big-bands of F. Henderson (they recorded together, among others, Limehouse Blues – 1934), B. Carter (including Dream Lullaby –1934), W. Bryant (1935) and occasionally with D. Ellington’s orchestra (1935 and 1936); he also recorded with B. Holiday’s accompanying bands and with T. Wilson from 1935 to 1937. He played in C. Calloway’s orchestra and worked with S. Smith and R. Eldridge in 1936–37. In 1939, he was a lead singer in T. Wilson’s big band (I’ll See You in My Dreams), which he quit in 1940 to join Ellington’s orchestra. He was a principal tenor saxophonist there in 1940–43 (later also at the turn of 1948/49). From 1943, he performed with small ensembles led, among others, by S. Catlett (recording in 1944), J. Kirby, H. “Red” Allen and S. Smith; he also led his own groups in New York and Chicago. After a crisis caused by personal problems and alcohol abuse, he returned to the stage in 1950–52. In the 1950s, he toured with N. Granz’s band Jazz at the Philharmonic, he worked with B. Holiday, E. Fitzgerald, C. McRae and recorded with A. Tatum; towards the end of the decade, he led his own ensembles with, among others, J. Rowles, J. Hall, and R. Mitchel. He settled permanently in Europe in 1964 (first in the Netherlands, later in Denmark). He performed in various jazz clubs, with both Scandinavian and American musicians (e.g. with B. Coleman, B. Clayton, D. Byas, and K. Drew). He enjoyed popularity in Scandinavia and made numerous recordings with young musicians, including R. Carlson, N.-H.Ø Pedersen, and P. Mikkelborg (currently stars of the international jazz stage). He performed in Krakow in 1967 at the Krzysztofory Palace, and later in 1968 at the Polish National Philharmonic in Warsaw. There is a documentary film about Webster made in 1989: The Brute and the Beautiful (dir. J. Jeremy).
Webster’s major albums: Honeysuckle Rose /Blue Skies (1944), The Horn (1944), King of the Tenors (1953), Music for Feeling (1954), Music for Loving (1955), Art Tatum – Ben Webster Quartet (1956), Soulville (1957), The Soul of Ben Webster (1957), Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson and his Trio (1959), Ben Webster and Associates (1959), The Warm Moods (1960), Ben Webster At the Renaissance (1960), Soulmates (1963), Plays Ballad (1967), Gentle Ben (1972), My Man (1973), Ben Webster 1944–46 (CD) (1999), Ben Webster 1946–51 (CD) (2002).
Webster is considered one of the most important tenor saxophonists of the swing era, alongside L. Young and C. Hawkins, although, like them, the range and influence of his music extend far beyond the confines of the genre. His style stems directly from the school of C. Hawkins, whose music he absorbed in the second half of the 1930s by listening to and analysing his recordings. The development and crystallisation of his playing style occurred in the early 1940s, when he joined Ellington’s orchestra. At that time, the big band lacked a distinctive tenor saxophonist, so Webster’s arrival was a significant moment for the orchestra; his excellent technique, imaginative improvisations, and characteristic full tone with strong vibrato and slightly unsteady intonation significantly enriched the band’s sound. Webster earned particular acclaim for his solos on songs such as “Cotton Tail,” “Chelsea Bridge,” “Blue Serge,” and “All Too Soon.” In the 1950s, as the leader of his own bands, he found fulfilment in both fast-paced swing pieces (at that time operating in a higher instrumental register) and lyrical ballads, which became his speciality over time. In his interpretations of ballads, he emphasised a gentle tone, full of space and “air,” employing glissandi and delicate vibratos on longer notes. He achieved an unprecedented level of lyrical expression; his sound was sometimes described as sensual or even erotic (this method of sound manipulation was, and still is, imitated by many saxophonists). Webster’s playing inspired A. Shepp, L. Tabackin, S. Hamilton, D. Murray, and B. Wallace, among others.
Literature: S. Dance The World of Duke Ellington, New York 1970, reprint 1981; R. Stewart Jazz Masters of the Thirties, New York and London 1972.
