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.
September Song
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
Benny Carter's song "September Song" is a poignant ode to the fleeting nature of time and the importance of cherishing the moments we have with the ones we love. The first verse highlights the contrast between the long stretch of time between May and December, and the sudden acceleration of time in September, as the weather turns and the leaves begin to fall. It's a reminder that life is like a clock ticking away, and we must make the most of the time we have.
The second verse speaks directly to the theme of the song, emphasizing the preciousness of the present moment. September and November are described as a few precious days, and the singer vows to spend those days with the person they love. Although time is fleeting and cannot be stopped, the song suggests that we can make the most of what we have by cherishing the moments we have with the people we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
The time from May to December seems like an exceedingly long period.
But the days grow short when you reach September
While the period from May to December seems long, the days start getting shorter as soon as September sets in, indicating that time is quickly passing by.
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
Autumn is a time for nature to transform itself, with the leaves on trees changing colors and becoming fiery, symbolic of the endings and beginnings of life.
One hasn't got time for the waiting game
There's no time to waste in life as it can be over before you know it, and every moment counts, so you cannot afford to wait on any decisions because the time might not be there tomorrow.
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
As time moves forward from September onward, it feels as though the days are slipping by faster and faster, with each day becoming more and more precious.
September, November
Mention of September and November together represents the passing of time from the start of autumn to the brink of winter, symbolizing the inevitable passage of life and the importance of appreciating every moment.
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
Despite the inevitability of time passing and days becoming more precious, the singer emphasizes that he intends to take advantage of the remaining time and live it with someone special.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind