Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz… Read Full Bio ↴Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognised as such by other jazz musicians who called him King.

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.

In a Little Spanish Town
Benny Carter Lyrics

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Evenings are crowded with memories
Thrilling me again
Like that night in spain
Someone is sharing my memories
Wonder does she grieve
Every lovely evening

In a little Spanish town

'Twas on a night like this
Stars were peek-a-booing down
'Twas on a night like this
I whispered "Be true to me"
And she sighed: "Si, Si"
Many skies have turned to gray
Because we're far apart
Many moons had passed away
And still she's in my heart
We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
In a little Spanish town
'Twas on a night like this

Somehow I keep on remembering
Tears that said goodbye
Shining in her eye
Wonder does she keep remembering
Promises of mine
When the moon is shining

In a little Spanish town
'Twas on a night like this
Stars were peek-a-booing down
'Twas on a night like this
I whispered "Be true to me"
And she sighed: "Si, Si"
Many skies have turned to gray
Because we're far apart
Many moons had passed away
And still she's in my heart

We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
In a little Spanish town

Overall Meaning

The song "In a Little Spanish Town" by Benny Carter describes memories of a romantic encounter on a starry night in Spain. The singer reminisces over the intense moments shared with a woman in the past, wondering if she longs for those same moments as well. The memories are both joyful and melancholic as he recalls the promises they made to each other and the pain of separation. Even though many years have gone by, the memory of that passionate night remains vivid for the singer, and he wonders if she feels the same way.

The lyrics are rich in imagery that reflects the feelings of the singer. The stars "peek-a-booing down" suggests a playful atmosphere and lends a childlike quality to the memories. The woman's response of "Si, Si" affirms her agreement to stay true to the singer while the tears in her eyes upon saying goodbye reveal her pain at the separation. The moon is often used as a symbol of love and longing, and in this song, it highlights the romantic promise made between the singer and his love interest.

Overall, "In a Little Spanish Town" is a nostalgic and romantic song that touches on the bittersweetness of memories and the pain of separation. It captures the power of a single moment to stay with us for a lifetime, and the emotional complexity of a past love that remains unforgettable.

Line by Line Meaning

Evenings are crowded with memories
Recalling past experiences that come back to my mind during the night

Thrilling me again
Exciting me once more, as if I was experiencing those memories all over again

Like that night in Spain
Similar to the night spent in Spain, which brings back memorable moments

Someone is sharing my memories
Wondering if another person who was also present is also reminiscing these memories

Wonder does she grieve
Asking if she also feels the same sense of loss and longing I do

Every lovely evening
During every nice night, memories come back, making it an emotional moment

In a little Spanish town
Referring to a specific town in Spain with special meaning to the song's narrator

'Twas on a night like this
Starting a specific story that happened at that town, beginning with that night

Stars were peek-a-booing down
Stars that would intermittently show and hide behind clouds during that night

I whispered "Be true to me"
Expressing my hopes and feelings to the other person in a private moment with soft words

And she sighed: "Si, Si"
Reassuring me with a response in Spanish that means "Yes, Yes"

Many skies have turned to gray
Referring to many days that passed where things haven't been as happy since that night

Because we're far apart
Expressing distance that now separates the two people mentioned in the story

Many moons had passed away
Numerous months went by since that special time

And still she's in my heart
Showing that the other person still holds a special place in the singer's heart, even over time and distance

We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
A commitment was made with a kiss to signify the promise and the seriousness of their feelings

Somehow I keep on remembering
Continuing to recall these events, they still linger on in my mind

Tears that said goodbye
The sadness of the farewell is remembered in the way tears were shed

Shining in her eye
Referring to the other person, whose eyes shone with tears (and could mean that she also felt emotional)

Wonder does she keep remembering
Asking whether the other person is also reliving these memories frequently

Promises of mine
Describing vows and commitments made to the other person

When the moon is shining
Indicating that when the moon is out, those memories are very strong and present in their minds

Many skies have turned to gray
The dark and gloomy weather is used to express the melancholy that the singer feels

Because we're far apart
Again, highlighting the distance between the two people and the sadness it brings

Many moons had passed away
Reminding how time has gone by since then

And still she's in my heart
Despite the passing of time and the distance, the other person remains important and missed

We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
Repeating the line from an earlier verse to conclude the song

In a little Spanish town
Again, repeating the first line to close this song that tells the story of a special night in Spain and the memories that remain.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOE YOUNG, MABEL WAYNE, SAM M. LEWIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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