Today would have been Benny Carter's 109th birthday, and those of you who read these posts (ATJ #2, ATJ #14, and ATJ #29) know I am a great admirer of Benny the musician and Benny the man.   I don't have much to add to my previous notes about the King, so I'll just link to some YouTube videos:

 

From the "Jazz Masters" series here's Benny in 1981 playing one of his favorite ballads, Erroll Garner's Misty, accompanied by Kenny Barron (piano), George Duvivier (bass) and Ronnie Bedford (drums).

 

Benny was, of course, a great composer and arranger...not only for jazz bands, but for TV and movies as well.  A few of his tunes were used by NFL Films: 

 

Until recently, I didn't know that Benny had ever played with my other musical hero, Sonny Rollins.  Thanks to Google Images, I now know that Benny, Sonny, Dizzy Gillespie and Gerry Mulligan teamed up at the inaugural Monterey Jazz Festival...although, sadly, I can't find any recordings of the performance.

 

 

 

Almost 110 years after Benny's birth and about 90 years after he made his first recordings, Benny's contributions as an instrumentalist, band leader, composer and arranger remain vital and ever-present.  If you tune into a jazz radio station anywhere in the world and listen for even a little while, you're likely to hear someone playing or singing one of his great melodies or to hear his arranging signature: five saxophones swinging in close harmony.  Or, if you're really lucky, you'll hear Benny himself, playing one of his own tunes.  

 

Happy birthday, Benny.