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.
Rose Room
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little room where all the roses bloom
I want to lead you into Nature's hall
Where ev'ry year the roses give a ball
They have an orchestra up in the trees
For their musicians are the birds and bees
And they will sing us a song
As we are strolling along
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
Where the honey bees are "A-Maying"
There all the roses are swaying
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
For 'tis ever then I am pining
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Somewhere in Roseland
Beside a beautiful rose
The ball is over and tulips meet
Their little kisses are so short and sweet
The lilies nod to the forget-me-nots
When they're departing in their flower pots
But all the roses with their spirits high
Remain to love until they droop and die
And dear, why shouldn't it be
Just so with you and with me
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
Where the honey bees are "A-Maying"
There all the roses are swaying
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
For 'tis ever then I am pining
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Somewhere in Roseland
Beside a beautiful rose
The song "Rose Room" by Benny Carter and His Orchestra is a charming invitation to take a stroll through a garden where roses bloom and music fills the air. The lyrics describe a dreamlike scenario where the flowers come alive and host a ball, with the birds and bees serving as the orchestra. The singer wants to share this magical experience with someone special, walking through Roseland and enjoying the scent of roses while listening to the melody of nature.
The second verse adds more details to the scene, mentioning the bees buzzing around and the roses swaying in the breeze. The moonlight makes everything even more romantic, and the singer longs to share this moment with someone by their side. The last verse brings a bittersweet note, as the ball is over and the flowers begin to wilt, reminding us that beauty and joy are fleeting. Nevertheless, the singer suggests that we should cherish the moments we have and love each other while we can.
Overall, "Rose Room" paints a vivid and poetic picture of a natural paradise, where music and flowers intertwine and feed our senses. The song is a tribute to the wonders of nature and the power of imagination to transport us to enchanted realms.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to take you to a little room
I desire to show you a small space
A little room where all the roses bloom
Where every rose flourishes
I want to lead you into Nature's hall
I wish to escort you to the natural world
Where ev'ry year the roses give a ball
Where annually, roses host a celebration
They have an orchestra up in the trees
The birds and bees are the musicians
For their musicians are the birds and bees
The avian and insect inhabitants provide the melody
And they will sing us a song
They will hum a tune to us
As we are strolling along
While we take a walk together
In sunny Roseland, where summer breezes are playing
Roseland in the summer is filled with warm gusts of wind
Where the honey bees are "A-Maying"
The bees are enjoying their romantic pursuits
There all the roses are swaying
All the roses are moving with grace
Dancing while the meadow brook flows
They dance while the nearby stream drifts
The moon when shining is more than ever designing
The moon appears lovelier than ever
For 'tis ever then I am pining
That is when I long the most
Pining to be sweetly reclining
Longing to rest comfortably
Somewhere in Roseland
Anywhere in Roseland
Beside a beautiful rose
Next to a stunning flower
The ball is over and tulips meet
The soirée concluded and tulips greet
Their little kisses are so short and sweet
Their brief kisses are charming
The lilies nod to the forget-me-nots
The lilies acknowledge the forget-me-nots
When they're departing in their flower pots
When they are departing in their planters
But all the roses with their spirits high
Despite everything, the roses still stay cheerful
Remain to love until they droop and die
They keep loving until they wilt and expire
And dear, why shouldn't it be
Darling, is that not reasonable?
Just so with you and with me
The same should occur with us
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ART HICKMAN, HARRY WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spark_6710
A great jazz standard number! One of my very favorites all time! Cole porter ripped it off & wrote Manhattan! Thanks for posting this! Truly enjoyable! Gem!!!