Benjamin Francis Webster (Kansas City, Missouri, USA, March 27, 1909 – Amst… Read Full Bio ↴Benjamin Francis Webster (Kansas City, Missouri, USA, March 27, 1909 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 20, 1973) was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist.

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).

How Deep Is the Ocean
Ben Webster Lyrics

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How much do I love you?
I'll tell you no lie
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?

How many times a day do I think of you?
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?

How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?

And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?

How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?

And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?

How high is the sky?
How high is the sky?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ben Webster's song "How Deep Is the Ocean" express the depth of the love that the singer has for someone else. He starts by proclaiming that he won't lie about how much he loves this person. Then, he uses comparisons of vast things to attempt to convey the magnitude of his love. He asks how deep the ocean is and how high the sky is, both infinite and immeasurable things, to try to express his love's depth and height. The next two lines ask rhetorical questions about frequency: How many times a day does he think of this person? How many roses are sprinkled with dew? Both these questions suggest that the singer thinks of this person constantly, which is another indication of the depth of his love. The next verse explores distance. How far would he travel to be near this person? How far is the distance to a star? These questions indicate that no distance is too great to overcome to be with this person. Finally, the last two lines of the song are the most emotionally charged. The question of how much he would cry if he ever lost the person he loves is both poignant and realistic. The singer's love is so profound that the thought of losing the other person brings tears to his eyes.

Overall, the song uses powerful imagery and emotional language to illustrate the intensity of love felt by the singer. The comparisons used throughout the song are familiar and universal, and this makes the feelings expressed more relatable and poignant. One does not have to be in love to appreciate the raw emotion of this song. Anyone who has felt strongly about another person can understand the depth and intensity of the feelings portrayed in this song.

Line by Line Meaning

How much do I love you?
I am going to tell you the truth about the intensity of my love for you.

I'll tell you no lie
I am being completely honest with you.

How deep is the ocean?
I am trying to measure the depth of my feelings for you by comparing it to how deep the ocean is.

How high is the sky?
My love for you is immeasurable, just like how high the sky is.

How many times a day do I think of you?
You occupy my thoughts throughout the day, and I constantly wonder about you.

How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
Just like the dew on roses, my thoughts of you are fresh and persistent.

How far would I travel To be where you are?
I would readily traverse any distance just to be with you.

How far is the journey From here to a star?
The distance between us and a star reflects the vastness of my longing to be with you.

And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
Losing you would break me, and I would cry uncontrollably because of the deep love and emotional attachment I have to you.

How high is the sky?
My love is immeasurable, and no matter how high the sky is, it cannot be compared to the depth of my love for you.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Irving Berlin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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