Bennie Moten
Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of the 1930s big bands. The jazz standard "Moten Swing" bears his name. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 13, 1894 (Kansas City), Died April 2, 1935 (Kansas City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, director, leader, piano, songwriter, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 106 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-37232 | 10-in. | 12/13/1926 | Thick lip stomp | Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37233 | 10-in. | 12/13/1926 | Harmony blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37234 | 10-in. | 12/13/1926 | Kansas City shuffle | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37235 | 10-in. | 12/13/1926 | Yazoo blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37236 | 10-in. | 12/13/1926 | White lightnin' blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37237 | 10-in. | 12/14/1926 | Muscle Shoals blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-37238 | 10-in. | 12/14/1926 | Midnight mama | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-37239 | 10-in. | 12/14/1926 | Missouri wobble | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38667 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | Sugar | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38668 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | Dear heart | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38669 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | The new Tulsa blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38670 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | Baby dear | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38671 | 10-in. | 6/11/1927 | 12th Street rag | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38672 | 10-in. | 6/12/1927 | Pass out lightly | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38673 | 10-in. | 6/12/1927 | Ding-dong blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-38674 | 10-in. | 6/12/1927 | Moten stomp | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42924 | 10-in. | 9/6/1928 | Justrite | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42925 | 10-in. | 9/6/1928 | It's hard to laugh or smile | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42926 | 10-in. | 9/6/1928 | Slow motion | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42927 | 10-in. | 9/6/1928 | Tough breaks | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42928 | 10-in. | 9/7/1928 | Sad man blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42929 | 10-in. | 9/7/1928 | Kansas City breakdown | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42930 | 10-in. | 9/7/1928 | Trouble in mind | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42931 | 10-in. | 9/7/1928 | Hot water blues | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BVE-42932 | 10-in. | 9/7/1928 | When life seems so blue | Kansas City Orchestra ; Bennie Moten | Jazz/dance band | director, composer, instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Moten, Bennie," accessed April 23, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104807.
Moten, Bennie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104807.
"Moten, Bennie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 23 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bennie Moten
Discogs: Bennie Moten
Grove: Bennie Moten
Britannica: Bennie Moten
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Moten, Bennie, 1894-1935 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85031478
Wikidata: Bennie Moten - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q672295
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/27252655
MusicBrainz: Bennie Moten - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6d2a6a98-cddf-489a-80dc-b03b873368b8
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