The record changer (Feb-Dec 1948)

benny carter j after all these years, this alto man keeps faith in melody and beat, y frowns on bebop extremes esuhi rtegun iere are very few musicians active in jazz today who are unreservedly admired by their fellow musicians. Every clique has own heroes ; every new trend worships own leaders. But a few musicians are reacted by everybody, no matter what their /orite style happens to be. The discerning .ener thinks immediately of Louis Armong. Most musicians, along with Armong, will mention Benny Goodman and tiny Carter. After a career of nearly enty-five years in music, Benny Carter's ne represents certain rather unusual alities in the jazz world: sound musicianp, equal excellence on different instrutnts, a great gift for arranging, and above good taste. In a field where exhibitionism i sensationalism seem to be the order of : day, Carter has never abandoned his late sense of taste and style. This char:eristic more than any other explains the miration he receives equally from oppos? factions. Benny Carter grew up and became aware music in New York. Compare his backound and his environment with that of a pw Orleans jazz man, and you will realize it the influences which formed him were an entirely different nature. "I had a musically inclined and somewhat jsically talented family. My father was t a musician, but he played the guitar by r. My mother played the piano and organ church. She never played anything but urch music. In those days there were a t of five piece bands . . . the Memphis ve, the Indiana Five. I was living in the hi Juan Hill district. There was a neigh■rhood bunch called the Carolina Five, ubber Miley was in it." It was Miley who aroused the musical iriosity of Carter. They became very good i iends. "I used to idolize him. He encourred me to get an instrument. I was in 'ammar school, about fourteen or fifteen. I .>t a trumpet in a pawn shop, a dollar down id weekly payments. I hoped to start playg right away. After several hours I still mldn't play and I got discouraged. I took ie instrument back the same day I got it id exchanged it for a C-Melody saxolone." From his mother Carter had learned to read music. He started taking lessons on his sax and almost immediately became a professional. His favorite record at the time was "I Never Miss the Sunshine, I'm So Used To the Rain" by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago, because it had a solo by Frankie Trumbauer "which knocked me out." Within three months he had a steady job. "In August 1924 I took a job with June Clark's band, but he wanted me to play alto. I couldn't play alto because the keys were different. But I realized I would have to play alto tcr join the bigger bands, so I bought one. It was quite a scuffle . . ." Tn this band Carter played alongside Jimmy I Harrison, who was a revelation to him. Working hours were until six or seven in the morning, the pay was fifteen or twenty dollars a week, but for Benny it was wonderful experience. "A new band from Pittsburgh was at Johnny Powell's Capitol . . . Billy Paige's Broadway Syncopators. They ask,ed me to join them. It was a big break for me and I jumped at the chance. When they returned to Pittsburgh, it was decided after a family consultation that I could go with them. Soon they disbanded for lack of work." In Pittsburgh Carter played for a while in Louis Dirre's band with Earl Hines on piano, Vance Dixon on saxophone, and Benny's cousin Cuban Bennett on trumpet. "He played fine trumpet, he would improvise on chord variations flawlessly— what they called changes. He was my second inspiration to be a trumpet player. Then I went back to school. It was decided that I should go to Wilberforce and study theology. But I reckoned without the fates. They had a band there — Horace Henderson's Wilberforce Collegians. Horace asked me to join the band and naturally I did. So I started rehearsing with the band before I even attended classes. I went on tour with them, and it so happened that I never did go to school. We had a good twelve piece band. Freddie Jenkins and Bill Beason were in it. We didn't want to break up the band. Music would be our career ; we would forget school and keep the band. We were over optimistic. Soon the band broke up . . ." By this time Benny Carter had finished his apprenticeship and was much in demand as a sideman. For the next six or seven years he played with the top dance bands. There were two weeks with Duke Ellington (1927), then eighteen months with Charlie Johnson at the Paradise. This was one of the best bands Carter had worked in : Sidney de Paris and Jabbo Smith on trumpet, Charlie Irvis on trombone, George Stafford on drums. Stafford was then generally considered the best drummer in New York. Carter rejoined Horace Henderson at the Savoy and started arranging. "Then I joined Fletcher Henderson — the top band of the day. Fletcher called me over to play in the band when Don Redman failed to show up. They had fine arrangements and great musicians. Shortly after this I was asked to become a regular member of the band. I got a double kick. I started with Fletcher's band at the Roseland the same night Gene Goldkette opened there, playing opposite us. Bix and Don Murray were with Goldkette. They had a great band, the greatest I had ever heard. I was impressed with the arrangements played so wonderfully together. Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Charlie Green, Jimmy Harrison, Claude Jones were all with Fletcher in those days." Carter started recording about 1927. One of his first sessions was accompanying Clara Smith, with Porter Grainger at the piano. I AY, 1948 5