Ben Webster and Associates

by Ben Webster

Product Description:

Personnel: Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Jimmy Jones (piano); Les Spann (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Jo Jones (drums).

Producer: Norman Granz.

Reissue producer: Bryan Koniarz.

Recorded at Nola Recording Studio, New York, New York on April 9, 1959. Originally released on Verve (6056). Includes liner notes by Brian Priestly and Leonard Feather.

Digitally remastered using 24-Bit technology by Kevin Reeves (universal Music Studios-East).

This is part of the Verve Records Master Edition series.

On this 1959 release, we hear Ben Webster with his idol Coleman Hawkins and legends Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Ray Brown (bass), and Jo Jones (drums). Tenor great Budd Johnson also appears on this CD (the only other swing era tenor giant who is missing from this session is the inimitable Lester Young!).

This famous release is a celebration of the saxophone and the jam session, which are staples in jazz. These musicians embark on a musical journey that is as exciting as it is adventurous. While the music sticks pretty much within the boundaries of "mainstream jazz," it is apparent that these players are all inspired by their surroundings.

Much of this CD is a healthy blowing competition between the horns. They sometimes spur each other on; other times, they act as foil. The result is a batch of tunes (five total) that really swing. Highlights include the intense "Young Bean" and "De-Dar." On the ballad, "Time After Time" Johnson and Coleman sit out, leaving Webster to break our hearts all by himself.