Ben Webster, a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog", was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins (his main influence) and Lester Young. Known affectionately as "The Brute", he had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with his own distinctive growls), yet on ballads he played with warmth and sentiment. Stylistically he was also indebted to alto star Johnny Hodges, who, he said, taught him to play his instrument.
Webster learned to play piano and violin at an early age, before learning to play the saxophone. Once Budd Johnson showed him some basics on the saxophone, Webster began to play that instrument in the Young Family Band (which at the time included Lester Young). Webster spent time with quite a few orchestras in the 1930s (including Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson in 1934, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Cab Calloway, and the short-lived Teddy Wilson big band).
In 1940 Ben Webster became the first major tenor soloist of Duke Ellington's orchestra. During the next three years he was on many famous recordings, including "Cotton Tail" and "All Too Soon." After three productive years of playing with Ellington, Webster left the band in an angry altercation, during which he cut up one of Ellington's suits. After leaving Ellington in 1943, Webster worked on 52nd Street in New York City; recorded frequently as both a leader and a sideman; had short periods with Raymond Scott, John Kirby, and Sid Catlett; and toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic during several seasons in the 1950s.
Webster recorded a classic set with pianist Art Tatum and generally worked steadily, but in 1964 he moved permanently to join other American jazz musicians in Copenhagen, Denmark where he played when he pleased during his last decade. Although not all that flexible, Webster could swing with the best, and his tone was a later influence on such diverse players as Archie Shepp, Lew Tabackin, Scott Hamilton, David Murray, and Bennie Wallace. In 1971 Webster reunited with Duke Ellington and his big band for a couple of shows at the Tivoli Gardens in Denmark
Ben Webster died in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1973 and was interred in the Assistens Kirkegård in the Nørrebro section of Copenhagen.
After Webster's death, Billy Moore Jr. created The Ben Webster Foundation, together with the trustee of Webster's estate. Since Webster's only legal heir, Harley Robinson in Los Angeles, gladly assigned his rights to the foundation, The Ben Webster Foundation was confirmed by The Queen of Denmark's Seal in 1976. In the Foundation's trust deed, one of the initial paragraphs reads: "to support the dissemination of jazz in Denmark".
It is a beneficial Foundation, which channels Webster's annual royalties to musicians, both in Denmark and the U.S. An annual Ben Webster Prize is awarded to a young outstanding musician. The prize is not large, but considered highly prestigious. Over the years, several American musicians have visited Denmark with the help of the Foundation, and concerts, a few recordings, and other jazz-related events have been supported.
Webster's private collection of jazz recordings and memorabilia is archived in the jazz collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark, Odense.
Ben Webster has a street named after him in southern Copenhagen, "Ben Websters Vej" (Ben Webster's Street).
Body and Soul
Ben Webster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
The lyrics to Ben Webster's "Body and Soul" express deep longing and heartache over unrequited love. The singer is pleading for the attention and affection of their beloved, expressing their profound sadness and loneliness in the absence of this love. The lyrics also convey a sense of disbelief and confusion as to why the object of their affection seems to be turning away from the potential for romance. Despite all of this pain, the singer remains devoted and willing to surrender themselves body and soul to their love.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I am feeling unhappy and alone
For you I sigh, for you dear only
I deeply long for you and no one else
Why haven't you seen it
I wonder why you haven't noticed my love for you
I'm all for you body and soul
I give my whole self to you, with every fiber of my being
I spend my days in longing
I constantly yearn and desire for you
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I question why you are treating me unfairly
I tell you I mean it
I am sincere about my love for you
I'm all for you body and soul
I give my whole self to you, with every fiber of my being
I can't believe it
I am having trouble accepting the situation
It's hard to conceive it
It is difficult for me to understand why things are the way they are
That you'd turn away romance
I am surprised and hurt that you are rejecting my love
Are you pretending
I am questioning if your words and actions are genuine
It looks like the ending
It seems like our love story is coming to an end
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
I am hoping for another opportunity to show you my love
My life a wreck you're making
You are causing chaos and ruin in my life
You know I'm yours for just the taking
You have all of me and I am willingly yours
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I am willing to submit and give myself completely to you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL MICHAEL BARRY, PHIL SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wyndhl eodumegwu
Ben can swing, can he not?
He CAN, besides being a balladeer.
BuckshotLaFunke1
Thank heavens I heard him live in his last year or so. Velvet, purple sound.
pete potter
the mellowest of the great tenor men. patient, breathy and expressive
f.w.
Strange that he was just the opposite when he wasn't playing! According to some he once slapped Duke Ellington!!
dtenner
One might think that no other tenor saxophonist could equal Hawkins on Body and Soul--but this record shows Webster doing exactly that!
BuckshotLaFunke1
Jim Jasion, thanks. That concert was almost transcendental. Over forty years I witnessed one other concert like that, by Shura Cherkassky, Horowitz's friend. He played some two months before his death, and his Haendel, Chopin and Liszt were effortless. It was only much later that I realized how difficult these pieces are in the hands of lesser concert pianists and how he had played them with complete abandon. But when you count me lucky, you yourself must be susceptible to music like this!
f.w.
Smooth doesn't get any smoother than this! Ben gives Coleman Hawkins a run for his money until Cozy Cole wakes us all up!!!
Ron Brams
Beautiful nobody does the tune better
Remis Rancys
this is soul and body
Noel Ngui
haha