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).

In a Sentimental Mood
Ben Webster Lyrics

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In A Sentimental Mood
I can see the stars come thru my room
While your loving attitude
Is like a flame that lights the gloom
On the wings of ev'ry kiss
Drift a melody so strange and sweet
In this sentimental bliss you make my
Paradise complete

Rose pearls seem to fall
It's all like a dream to call you mine
My heart's lighter thing
Since you made me this night a thing divine
In A Sentimental Mood
I'm within a world so heavenly
For I never dreamt
That you'd be loving sentimental me
In A Sentimental Mood
I can see the stars come thru my room
While your loving attitude
Is like a flame that lights the gloom
On the wings of ev'ry kiss
Drift a melody so strange and sweet
In this sentimental bliss you make my
Paradise complete
Rose pearls seem to fall
It's all like a dream to call you mine
My heart's lighter thing
Since you made me this night a thing divine
In A Sentimental Mood
I'm within a world so heavenly

For I never dreamt
That you'd be loving sentimental me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ben Webster's "In a Sentimental Mood" are a poetic and romantic tribute to the transformative power of love. The singer of the song marvels at the way his lover's affection brightens up the world around him. He likens her loving attitude to a flame that lights up the darkness, and describes the melodies of their kisses as "so strange and sweet." The singer is overwhelmed by his feelings of bliss and contentment in his lover's arms, and feels as though he is living in a world that is "heavenly."

The singer is also amazed by the fact that his lover is able to love him, despite his own sentimental nature. He never dreamed that someone like her would be able to appreciate his romanticism, but she has made him feel divine. The imagery of rose pearls falling creates a dreamlike atmosphere that further emphasizes the singer's sense of enchantment.

Overall, the lyrics of "In a Sentimental Mood" celebrate the transformative power of love, and the ways in which it can make even the most mundane experiences seem magical.

Line by Line Meaning

I can see the stars come thru my room
I am lying in bed and can see the stars shining through my window

While your loving attitude Is like a flame that lights the gloom
The way you love me brightens up my life, like a flame in the darkness

On the wings of ev'ry kiss Drift a melody so strange and sweet
Every time we kiss, a beautiful and unusual melody seems to float in the air

In this sentimental bliss you make my Paradise complete
Being with you is like being in paradise, and it completes me

Rose pearls seem to fall It's all like a dream to call you mine
It feels like even rose petals are falling around us, and it's like a dream to have you as mine

My heart's lighter thing Since you made me this night a thing divine
You have made this night so special and divine for me that my heart feels lighter and happier

I'm within a world so heavenly For I never dreamt That you'd be loving sentimental me
I am in a heavenly world because I never thought someone as wonderful as you would love me, who is so sentimental

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Manny Kurtz

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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