Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He is considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Known affectionately as "The Brute" or "Frog", he had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with growls), yet on ballads he played with warmth and sentiment. He was indebted to alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, who, he said, taught him to play his instrument. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 27, 1909 (Kansas City), Died September 20, 1973 (Amsterdam)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1932 - 1966
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 147 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-74846 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Toby | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74847 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Moten's swing | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74848 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Blue room | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74849 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Imagination | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74850 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | New Orleans | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten ; Jimmy Rushing | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74851 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | The only girl I ever loved | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74852 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Milenberg joys | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74853 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Lafayette | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-74854 | 10-in. | 12/13/1932 | Prince of Wales | Count Basie ; Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with piano | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-041408 | 10-in. | 9/11/1939 | Hot mallets | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-044887 | 10-in. | 3/6/1940 | You, you darlin' | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra ; Herb Jeffries | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-044888 | 10-in. | 3/6/1940 | Jack the Bear | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-044889 | 10-in. | 3/6/1940 | Ko-ko | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-044890 | 10-in. | 3/7/1940 | Morning glory | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-044891 | 10-in. | 3/7/1940 | So far, so good | Ivie Anderson ; Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-049015 | 10-in. | 3/15/1940 | Conga brava | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-049016 | 10-in. | 3/15/1940 | Concerto for Cootie | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-049017 | 10-in. | 3/15/1940 | Me and you | Ivie Anderson ; Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | PBS-049655 | 10-in. | 5/4/1940 | Cotton tail | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, arranger | |
| Victor | PBS-049656 | 10-in. | 5/4/1940 | Don't get around much anymore | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-053020 | 10-in. | 5/28/1940 | Dusk | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-053021 | 10-in. | 5/28/1940 | Bojangles | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-053022 | 10-in. | 5/28/1940 | A portrait of Bert Williams | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-053023 | 10-in. | 5/28/1940 | Blue goose | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |
| Victor | BS-053427 | 10-in. | 9/5/1940 | There shall be no night | Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra ; Herb Jeffries | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Webster, Ben," accessed June 29, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103716.
Webster, Ben. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103716.
"Webster, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 29 June 2022.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Webster, Ben, 1909-1973 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82090923
Wikidata: Ben Webster - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q438460
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/20492247
MusicBrainz: Ben Webster - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e28c0b26-3bdb-45dc-b4f5-f309c7c35ec4
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