Benny Waters - Night Session In Swing And Dixieland

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 30:37
Size: 70,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:04)  1. Indiana
(4:47)  2. These Foolish Things
(3:20)  3. After You've Gone
(3:00)  4. Everybody Loves My Baby
(3:34)  5. Exactly Like You
(3:55)  6. If I Could Be With You
(4:53)  7. Sweet Sue, Just You

Until his death at the age of 96, Benny Waters was not only the second oldest active jazz musician (to Eubie Blake who made it to 100) but a powerful altoist who would be considered impressive if he were only 50. Waters' personal history covered virtually the entire history of recorded jazz, although he never really became a major name. He worked with Charlie Miller from 1918-1921, studied at the New England Conservatory, and became a teacher; one of his students was Harry Carney, remarkably. Waters played, arranged for, and recorded with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten (1925-1932), an underrated group that also for a time included Benny Carter and Jabbo Smith. Waters, who was primarily a tenor saxophonist and an occasional clarinetist during this period, was influenced to an extent by Coleman Hawkins, and he recorded with both Clarence Williams and King Oliver in the 1920s. During the next two decades, Waters played in many groups including those led by Fletcher Henderson (for a few months), Hot Lips Page, Claude Hopkins, and Jimmie Lunceford. He led his own unit during part of the 1940s, played with Roy Milton's R&B band, and in 1949 went to France with the Jimmy Archey Dixieland group. Waters settled in Paris, working steadily, although he was largely forgotten at home. By the 1980s, he was visiting the U.S. more frequently, and Waters is heard in brilliant form on a 1987 quartet set for Muse on which he plays tenor, alto, and clarinet, in addition to taking some effective vocals. A short time later he went blind and stuck exclusively to playing alto (on which he played in a jump style reminiscent of Tab Smith, that shows the occasional influence of John Coltrane). The seemingly ageless Benny Waters continued recording and performing with a remarkable amount of energy, touring with the Statesmen of Jazz in 1995 and creating some miraculous music prior to his death on August 11, 1998. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/benny-waters-mn0000053948/biography

Personnel:  Band – The Latin Jazz Band;  Bass – G. Maier;  Clarinet – S. Seyffer;  Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Vocals, Arranged By – Benny Waters;  Drums – M. Buhl;  Guitar – J. Geiger;  Piano – R. Schiefer;  Soprano Saxophone – D. Antritter;  Trombone – M. Gaugel;  Trumpet – E. Krieg

Night Session In Swing And Dixieland

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Benny Waters - Plays Songs Of Love

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:24
Size: 116,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. What Is This Thing Called Love
(4:12)  2. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
(6:31)  3. I'm in the Mood for Love
(3:54)  4. The Love Nest
(6:59)  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:04)  6. Almost Like Being in Love
(2:56)  7. Always
(4:37)  8. I Love You
(5:59)  9. Love Me Or Leave Me
(5:21) 10. Taking A Chance On Love

Until his death at the age of 96, Benny Waters was not only the second oldest active jazz musician (to Eubie Blake who made it to 100) but a powerful altoist who would be considered impressive if he were only 50. Waters' personal history covered virtually the entire history of recorded jazz, although he never really became a major name. He worked with Charlie Miller from 1918-1921, studied at the New England Conservatory, and became a teacher; one of his students was Harry Carney, remarkably. Waters played, arranged for, and recorded with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten (1925-1932), an underrated group that also for a time included Benny Carter and Jabbo Smith. Waters, who was primarily a tenor saxophonist and an occasional clarinetist during this period, was influenced to an extent by Coleman Hawkins, and he recorded with both Clarence Williams and King Oliver in the 1920s. During the next two decades, Waters played in many groups including those led by Fletcher Henderson (for a few months), Hot Lips Page, Claude Hopkins, and Jimmie Lunceford. He led his own unit during part of the 1940s, played with Roy Milton's R&B band, and in 1949 went to France with the Jimmy Archey Dixieland group.

Waters settled in Paris, working steadily, although he was largely forgotten at home. By the 1980s, he was visiting the U.S. more frequently, and Waters is heard in brilliant form on a 1987 quartet set for Muse on which he plays tenor, alto, and clarinet, in addition to taking some effective vocals. A short time later he went blind and stuck exclusively to playing alto (on which he played in a jump style reminiscent of Tab Smith, that shows the occasional influence of John Coltrane). The seemingly ageless Benny Waters continued recording and performing with a remarkable amount of energy, touring with the Statesmen of Jazz in 1995 and creating some miraculous music prior to his death on August 11, 1998. Bio ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/benny-waters-mn0000053948/biography

Plays Songs Of Love

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Benny Waters - Hurry On Down

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:34
Size: 141.0 MB
Styles: Clarinet & Saxophone jazz
Year: 1981/2013
Art: Front

[3:54] 1. Hurry On Down
[8:09] 2. Up A Lazy River
[4:05] 3. Topsy
[4:29] 4. Blue Moon
[4:09] 5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[5:12] 6. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[4:21] 7. As Time Goes By
[7:08] 8. Lady Be Good
[7:13] 9. Autymn Leaves
[3:50] 10. It Had To Be You
[4:30] 11. Have You Met Miss Jones
[4:29] 12. Fuzzy Blues

Although he has been professionally active for the better part of eighty years and is almost as old as the century, Benny Waters has largely escaped the attentions of musicologists and jazz theorists. Perhaps this indifference arises from his steady consistency, his unflappable ability to fit into a great variety of musical surroundings and his lack of eccentric behaviour patterns. Sadly for the jazz romantics, Benny neither died young nor ruined his talent with excessive self-indulgence. More relevantly, Benny has never allowed himself to believe that his development as a soloist is complete or attempted to coast along on reputation alone. This album will prove a revelation to those who only know of Benny Waters as a footnote in the jazz history books. They will hear a jazz musician whose creative excursions are always inspired, energetic and entertainingly direct. And one who swings magnificently, too. The album's opener, and title track, Hurry On Down (popularised by Nellie Lutcher) spots Benny's knowingly cheeky vocal before featuring some hot alto and a fluent Sealey chorus. The eight-minute version of Lazy River proves to be a marvellous showcase for Benny's clarinet, limpid at slow tempo, hard-edged and passionate in the quicker passages. There's more good alto. As usual, Edgar Battle's Topsy is a swinger, taken here on tenor. Blue Moon is played at a bounce tempo and comes off well. Sunny Side recalls the Hodges alto style and As Time Goes By is slow tenor balladry at its best. See the Light fairly motors along and Lady Be Good is jump tenor, again with a vocal (dig the lyrics!) while Autumn Leaves is taken as a bossa nova, with tenor and alto both featured. Have You Met Miss Jones is relaxed, the tenor warm and luxuriant, before the closer, an understated impromptu blues, breathy tenor to the fore, rounds out a fine set of performances.

Recorded April 21 & 28, 1981. Benny Waters: clarinet, alto/tenorsax, vocal - Paul Sealey: guitar Erica Howard: bass - John Cox: drums

Hurry On Down

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