Alex Henderson

Benny Carter: Souvenirs of Benny

By Alex Henderson



It’s quite ironic that this journalist is writing a cover story on Benny Carter. In 1994, I was assigned by Jazziz to write a cover story on the iconic jazzman, who was 87 at the time. Musicians of that stature usually have publicists or managers who arrange interviews for them, but in 1994, Carter preferred to be contacteddirectly for interview requests - and when I called his home phone number in Los Angeles, Carter himself answered. Although polite, Carter seemed reluctant to be interviewed and asked me to please give him some time to consider my request. After a few more calls (Carter answered his phone every time and wasn’t screening the calls), it became evident that the interview wasn’t going to happen; in 1994, he didn’t feel that he had anything to tell the media that he hadn’t already said in the past. But here I am, writing a posthumous cover story on Carter years later.

     Carter, who was born in New York City on Aug. 8th, 1907 and passed away on Jul. 12th, 2003 at the age of 95, had one of the longest, most productive careers in the history of jazz; he was a jazzman who emerged when Calvin Coolidge was president and maintained a busy schedule during the Bill Clinton years. Carter was especially famous for his distinctive alto saxophone playing, but he was also quite accomplished as a trumpeter, clarinetist, composer, arranger and bandleader. Despite all his achievements, Carter was the opposite of self-aggrandizing; he even turned down an offer to host Ken Burns’ Jazz series. And when Carter’s friends and colleagues remember his life, they remember a man who was as humble as he was accomplished.

“Benny had an aversion to self-promotion like few people I ever met,” recalls veteran saxophonist Mel Martin, who played with Carter extensively and was among his close friends. “If you hung out with him as a friend, it was great. But if you tried to officially interview him, he had such an aversion to self-promotion. I used to write for Saxophone Journal and Jazz Improv and I begged Benny for an interview numbers of times. But Benny just didn’t want to be interviewed. And when he did agree to be interviewed, it drove the interviewers crazy. They would ask, ‘What was it like playing with Fletcher Henderson in the 1920s?’ And Benny would go, ‘Well, it was a gig.’”

The 69-year-old Martin continues: “Benny Carter lived through so much jazz history. Here was a guy who was close to Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and on and on, but he didn’t like to dwell on it. And I think that in Benny’s mind, that was the secret to him staying youthful.”

The word “youthful” often comes up in connection with Carter, whose MusicMasters recordings of the ‘80s-90s underscore the fact that even when he was in his 80s, his chops hadn’t diminished at all. Jazz critic Scott Yanow accurately described Carter’s longevity in All Music Guide, writing: “Carter was as strong analtoist at the age of 90 as he was in 1936, when he was merely 28.” And “humility” is another word that often comes up in discussions of Carter’s legacy. Jazz historian Ed Berger, who produced many of Carter’s MusicMasters releases and co-authored the book Benny Carter: A Life in American Music, remembers Carter as a bandleader who was anything but egotistical. “You hear all these stories about bandleaders who felt threatened if one of their sidemen got too much attention, but Benny Carter was the complete opposite,” Berger explains. “Benny was delighted to feature his sidemen and sometimes promoters would say, ‘You should play more.’ And Benny would respond, ‘Yes, but I have all these great musicians and I want them to be heard.’”

Although media-shy, Carter was hardly a recluse or a loner. He loved to hang out with his friends as much as he loved to surround himself with musicians of different ages. Jazz historian/tenor saxophonist Loren Schoenberg, who was among Carter’s close friends, remembers him as a great talker who had little patience with conversations he felt were overly nostalgic.“Benny didn’t want to talk about the past, which was frustrating for people like me who are historically oriented,” the 52-year-old Schoenberg notes. “Benny really didn’t want to get into the past beyond a couple of sentences. But as frustrating as that was, I totally understand it. Benny always lived in the present and future tense. He liked to surround himself with younger people and the older I get, the more I have the same proclivity.”

It isn’t hard to find jazz heavyweights who cite Carter as a major influence. Alto sax giant Phil Woods, who recorded some excellent two-alto albums with Carter and is now 79, notes: “The first jazz I ever played were transcriptions of Benny Carter solos. I was 13 years old. When they ask when I heard the first music of Bird, I must give them the word: I worshipped Benny Carter. And he was a dear friend until the end.”

Alto saxophonist/clarinetist Hal McKusick, who turned 87 on Jun. 1st, says: “I believe Benny Carter influenced most of us one way or another... I grew up listening to Carter, Pete Brown, Tab Smith, [Johnny] Hodges and Lester [Young] mostly. I always admired Benny for his flawless technique and smooth approach to playing jazz - always elegant.”

Another octogenarian who has fond memories of Carter is 89-year-old tenor/alto saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess. “Benny Carter was one of my idols,” Wess explains. “Benny was always way ahead of everybody else, even in the 1930s. I became aware of him when I was about 14 years old. I admired him as a saxophonist; I admired him as a trumpeter, a composer and a bandleader. Benny was an all-around great musician and he was a very nice man - a very polite man.”

Wess adds, however, that Carter’s politeness didn’t prevent him from getting his point across: “I remember one time when Benny was conducting and the players weren’t really in tune. Benny didn’t insult the musicians; he just tapped on the stand and said, ‘I’ll try to give you a better beat.’ I admired Benny so much.”

    Although Carter was a native New Yorker, he spent most of his life on the West Coast. In 1943, he moved to Los Angeles, where he became one of the first African- Americans to compose and arrange music for Hollywood studios; television work followed in the ‘50s and ‘60s. “Benny Carter integrated Hollywood before Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues ofbaseball,” Schoenberg notes.

Because he was so multifaceted, Carter touched different artists in different ways. Vocalist Mary Stallings has included some of Carter’s songs in her repertoire and she points out that his work was as beneficial for singers as it was for instrumentalists.

“As a singer, it’s important to me to always discover great music - and Benny Carter composed a lot of great music,” asserts Stallings, who is now 70. “I know what I like and what appeals to me and if it touches my soul, I know it’s right. Songs either touch me or they don’t; Benny Carter’s songs touched me deeply. His melodies were so poignant.”

Another singer who has been touched by Carter’s legacy is LA-based Deborah Pearl. Her new album, Souvenir of You: New Lyrics to Benny Carter Classics (which Ed Berger released on Evening Star Records, the label he founded in 1992 with Carter’s assistance) contains 13 Carter songs for which Pearl wrote lyrics.

She explains that Souvenir of You was inspired not only by Carter’s artistry, but also by their friendship. Pearl met Carter through his wife Hilma and spent many hours in their home in the Hollywood Hills.

     “I think that Benny made a contribution not only with the music he left behind, but also with who he was as a person,” Pearl observes. “Whenever I felt sort of weird or funky, I would call up and go to Benny’s house and hang out with him and Hilma. Being with them, everything just sort of felt right with the world. Benny and I connected; I felt like he got me.”

Carter’s story is one that continues to be told by his many admirers. Eight years to the month after his death, Carter’s career is still being celebrated with everything from tribute albums, bands and concerts to profiles on jazz-related websites. “Benny was about his love of music and his love for Hilma and his love of life itself,” Pearl stresses. “I think that’s why he remains so relevant to the human condition.”

For more information, visit bennycarter.com. A Benny Carter Tribute is at 92nd Street Y Jul. 21st with Mary Stallings, Phil Woods and others. See Calendar.

Recommended Listening:

• Benny Carter - Chronological (Vol. 1-11) (Classics, 1929-1954)

• Art Tatum/Benny Carter/Louis Bellson - The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Vol. 1 (Clef-Pablo, 1954)

• Benny Carter - Jazz Giant (Contemporary OJC-Fantasy, 1957-58)

• Benny Carter and His Orchestra - Further Definitions (Impulse, 1961)

• Benny Carter & The American Jazz Orchestra - Central City Sketches (Musicmasters-Nimbus, 1987)

• Benny Carter/Phil Woods - Another Time, Another Place (Evening Star, 1996)