Ben Webster, Ben Webster's Finest Hour - 1h 6m 44s

Tracks & Durations

1. See You at the Fair	6:15
2. Hotter than 'Ell	2:57
3. The Ghost of Dinah	2:49
4. Cotton Tail	3:27
5. Honey Hill	4:05
6. Linger Awhile	3:10
7. Star Dust	3:06
8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me	4:15
9. My Greatest Mistake	3:38
10. La Rosita	5:05
11. Sunday	3:57
12. While We're Dancing	2:49
13. Blues for Mr. Broadway	8:12
14. Chelsea Bridge	7:20
15. Roses of Picardy	2:10
16. Single Petal of a Rose	3:18

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Review

Ben Webster was one of the greatest tenor saxophonists ever to grace a ballad, his warm, breathy sound conveying a thousand shades of romance. He could also swing with titanic force. This portrait of Webster spans 30 years, beginning in 1934 with an appearance with Fletcher Henderson, and it uses material from Decca, Verve, and Impulse recordings. While his most famous employer, Duke Ellington, doesn't appear here, there's plenty to mark the relationship. Webster makes sideman appearances with Ella Fitzgerald on "Cotton Tail" and Billie Holiday on "Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear from Me." And he plays "Honey Hill" with an all-star group that includes Johnny Hodges and Billy Strayhorn, and turns in a superb rendering of the elusively beautiful "Single Petal of a Rose." There's also a magisterial performance of Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge" with Gerry Mulligan. Elsewhere, Webster matches tenors with Coleman Hawkins on the Latin "La Rosita," graces ballads with big band or string accompaniments, and even plays energetic piano on "Roses of Picardy." This is an excellent introduction to one of the essential musicians of jazz. --Stuart Broomer

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