As a youth, Carter lived in Harlem around the corner from Bubber Miley who was Duke Ellington's star trumpeter. Carter was inspired by Miley and bought a trumpet, but when he found he couldn't play like Miley he traded the trumpet in for a saxophone.
Carter began playing professionally at 15. He first recorded in 1928 and formed his first big band the following year. He played with Fletcher Henderson in 1930 and 1931, then briefly led McKinney's Cotton Pickers before returning to lead his own band in 1932. The few recordings his band made between 1933 and 1934 are considered by most jazz scholars to be milestones in early swing arranging. They were sophisticated and very complex arrangements, and a number of them became swing standards which were performed by other bands ("Blue Lou" is a great example of this.) He also arranged for Henderson and Duke Ellington during these years and wrote two hits, "Blues in My Heart" and "When Lights are Low." By the early 1930s he and Johnny Hodges were considered the leading alto players of the day. Carter also quickly became a leading trumpet soloist, having rediscovered the instrument. He recorded extensively on trumpet in the 1930s. Also, in 1933, Carter took part in an amazing series of sessions that featured the British band leader Spike Hughes, who came to New York specifically to organize a series of recordings featuring the best Black musicians available. These 14 sides were only issued in England at that time, though they are available on CD and worthwhile looking for. (The musicians were mainly made up from member of Carter's band and from Luis Russell's.)
In 1935 he moved to Europe, where he became staff arranger for the British Broadcasting Corporation dance orchestra and made several records. He returned to the United States in 1938 and led a big band and sextet before moving to Los Angeles in 1943 to write for movie studios. Carter continued writing and performing into his 90s. He arranged for Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan, among many others.
His biggest hit was "Cow Cow Boogie", a song he co-wrote with Don Raye and Gene DePaul, which was a hit for Ella Mae Morse in 1942.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Carter was one of the first black men to compose music for films. He was an inspiration and a mentor for Quincy Jones when Jones began writing for television and films in the 1960s. Also in the 1940s, Carter's successful legal battles in order to obtain housing in then-exclusive neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area made him a pioneer in an entirely different area.
He also appears uncredited in the 1952 film, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, as a sax player.
Carter was admired for his ability to write saxophone solis, which are sections of music that the entire section plays as one unit in the manner of a solo.
Carter was a member of the music advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also a member of the Black Film Makers' Hall of Fame and in 1980 received the Golden Score award of the American Society of Music Arrangers. Carter was also a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1996 and received honorary doctorates from Princeton, Harvard, Rutgers, and the New England Conservatory.
He died, aged 95, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles of what is thought to have been bronchitis.
Devil
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soon begins bewitching me
It's that old devil moon that you stole from the skies
It's that old devil moon in your eyes
You and your glance make this romance too hot to handle
Stars in the night blazing their light can't hold a candle
To your razzle-dazzle
Full of butterflies inside
Want to cry, want to croon, want to laugh like a loon
It's that old devil moon in your eyes
Just when I think I'm free as a dove
Old devil moon, deep in your eyes, blinds me with love
Benny Carter's song Devil in 2-3 is a romantic ballad that describes the power of love and the irresistible attraction that a person can feel towards another. The lyrics start by describing how the singer looks into the eyes of their lover, and suddenly sees something that bewitches them, the old devil moon that the lover has stolen from the skies. It is a metaphor for the power of their love that is so strong it feels like it comes from an otherworldly source.
The second verse continues to describe the effect that the lover has on the singer. Their glance and the romance that they share are too hot to handle, and even the stars in the sky pale in comparison to the radiance of their love. This razzle-dazzle that the lover has is described as making the singer feel like they are flying on a magic carpet ride, full of butterflies inside. The singer is overwhelmed by their emotions, and they want to cry, croon, and laugh like a loon because of the power of the love that they feel.
Finally, the lyrics describe how the old devil moon blinds the singer with love. Even when they think they are free as a dove, the powerful and all-encompassing force of this love will come back to blinded them once again.
Overall, the song Devil in 2-3 is a classic example of a love song that uses powerful metaphors and imagery to describe the feelings of the singers. It captures the all-consuming power of love and the emotions that it can evoke.
Line by Line Meaning
I look at you and suddenly something in your eyes I see
When I see you looking back at me, there is something inside of you that is captivating and draws me in.
Soon begins bewitching me
Before I know it, I am under your spell and cannot resist your charms.
It's that old devil moon that you stole from the skies
The intense feelings that I am experiencing must be from a powerful force, like the devil moon that you took down from the sky and brought into your eyes.
It's that old devil moon in your eyes
Every time I look into your eyes, it feels like I am staring directly into that devil moon that has bewitched me.
You and your glance make this romance too hot to handle
Being with you and experiencing your attention is so magical and intense that it is almost overwhelming and too much to handle.
Stars in the night blazing their light can't hold a candle
Even the bright stars of the night sky cannot compare to the light and energy that radiates from you.
To your razzle-dazzle
Your captivating charm and charisma create a dazzling and mesmerizing effect that is impossible to resist.
You've got me flyin' high and wide on a magic carpet ride
My feelings for you are so powerful that it's like I'm soaring through the sky on a magical carpet ride, experiencing everything in an amplified way.
Full of butterflies inside
My stomach is filled with fluttering butterflies, all because of the way that you make me feel.
Want to cry, want to croon, want to laugh like a loon
I am overwhelmed with such intense emotions that I feel like I could cry, sing out loud in joy, or even laugh uncontrollably like a crazy person.
It's that old devil moon in your eyes
Once again, I am reminded that the source of these overpowering emotions is the devil moon that is contained within your eyes.
Just when I think I'm free as a dove
At times, I might think I am free from the hold that this devil moon has on me, like a dove soaring through the sky...
Old devil moon, deep in your eyes, blinds me with love
...but then I gaze into your eyes once more, and am instantly blinded by the deep, powerful love that emanates from them.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: Burton Lane, E. Y. Harburg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind