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).
Solitude
Ben Webster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You haunt me
With dreadful ease
Of days gone by
In my solitude
You taunt me
With memories
I sit in my chair
And filled with despair
There's no one could be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm afraid
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
I sit in my chair
Filled with despair
There's no one, no one
No onecould be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm afraid
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
The song "Solitude" by Ben Webster is a soulful and melancholic ballad that describes the feeling of loneliness and longing for a loved one who is no longer present. The lyrics are a reflection of the inner thoughts and emotions of the singer who is haunted by memories of the past. The first verse establishes the theme of the song with the line "In my solitude, you haunt me." The singer is haunted by the presence of their loved one, who is no longer with them. The phrase "dreadful ease" implies that the memories come effortlessly and are painful to bear.
The second verse continues with the theme of memory when the singer declares, "You taunt me with memories that never die." The singer reflects on the despair and hopelessness they feel, sitting alone with their thoughts. The phrase "gloom everywhere" conveys the pervasive sense of sadness that permeates the singer's life. The final verse is a prayer to the "Dear Lord above" to send back the singer's love. The overall tone of the song is one of sadness, longing, and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
In my solitude
Within the confinement of my lonely life
You haunt me
Your memories linger in my mind and grief me
With dreadful ease
With a painful and effortless familiarity
Of days gone by
About the days that has passed and now distant
You taunt me
You tease me with my unfulfilled desires
With memories
With thoughts of the past
That never die
That continue to exist within me
I sit in my chair
I remain seated in my lamentable state
And filled with despair
Consumed by hopelessness
There's no one could be so sad
No one can be as miserable as me
With gloom everywhere
With sadness and darkness surrounding me
I sit and I stare
I am idle and lost in thought
I know that I'll soon go mad
I am aware that soon my grief will drive me to insanity
In my solitude
Within the confinement of my lonely life
I'm afraid
I am scared for what is to come
Dear Lord above
God in heaven
Send back my love
Return to me the one I love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, EDDIE LANGE DE, IRVING MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ghairraigh
"(In My) Solitude" performed by Ben Webster. Composed in 1934 by Duke Ellington, lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills.
In my solitude
You haunt me
With dreadful ease
Of days gone by
In my solitude
You taunt me
With memories
That never die
I sit in my chair
And filled with despair
There's no one could be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm afraid
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
I sit in my chair
Filled with despair
There's no one
Could be so sad
With gloom everywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm afraid
Dear Lord above
Send me back my love
- Tenor Sax, Ben Webster, the master of the Ballad.
Piano - Dick Katz, Bass - Spike Heatley, Drums - Tony Crombie.
{Organist Alan Haven lays out.}
Album: "Big Ben Time" (Recorded in London, January 1957).
LINK: http://youtu.be/VihgeOi0Rn8
Don Zuck
My wife died 3 months ago of cancer and for some reason this beautiful jazz brings back great memories of the good times we had.
Геннадий Ильвутченко
Непревзойдённый мастер баллад!!! Браво!!!
Darby Hughes
So good!! Takes about 2 seconds of listening to Ben Webster to be moved & realize you're listening to greatness.
David Cullen
Ben's sax -- it's like a voice. What beauty!
James David Dupre
Yeah, Coleman Hawkins put tenor sax on the map; Lester Young changed the tone, but no one could touch Ben Webster on those ballads. Even if he repeated his favorite solo lines too often in many songs, he still nails this one, unquestionably!
Cheesecake
Pure magic🥂
Donato Vera Padilla
Ben Webster, un monstruo en el recitativo de tenor. Habla, canta, ríe, llora con el instrumento. Inigualable desde todo punto, imposible.
Arturo Garcia
Genial! Que bien expresado!!
Omagbemi Kakayor
Pure class! Nothing more to be said.
alma tadelma
Mi hai regalato 4 minuti di splendore, sai quelli che ti fanno riamare la vita. Grazie.