Saxophone jazz from Benny Carter, another great jazz legend
December 7th, 2008 | by Tom |The other man who made a real difference to Henderson’s own eventual output as an arranger was the alto saxophonist, Benny Carter. He has generally been viewed as a less significant component in the development of swing arranging.
Benny Carter & Nat King Cole - Congero Harlequin Bounce
Carter had learned his craft in the band led in Wilberforce, Ohio, by Henderson’s brother Horace, and in early 1928 he spent some months in the orchestra of one of Henderson’s New York rivals, Charlie Johnson.
The hallmarks of his arranging style are to be heard in his first recorded chart, Charleston Is the Best Dance, After all.
In the opening chorus the brass take the lead with a clipped version of the melody over saxophone chords, swapping the lead with Carter’s alto in the channel.
Carter did not stay long with Henderson. After leading his own groups, and briefly joining drummer Chick Webb, he once again followed Don Redman’s footsteps and took his place in McKinney’s Cotton Pickers. Nevertheless, before he left Henderson, he wrote several arrangements which were to point directly toward Henderson’s own mature writing style, of which Keep a Song in Your Soul is perhaps the best.
Carter’s departure coincided with a low point in the Henderson band’s fortunes. A disastrous attempt to feature the band in a revue called Horseshoes, in 1929, had led to the departure of several key musicians, and the band Henderson led in the 1930-31 season involved him recruiting several new players.
Tags: benny carter, big bands