Ben Webster: Milestones of a Jazz Legend (10 CDs)

Benjamin Francis Webster (1909-1973) was one of the most charismatic tenor saxophonists in the history of Jazz and an incomparable master of the ballad. His hometown Kansas City was also the birthplace of "Swing" in the 1930s, and important musicians such as Benny Moten, Count Basie and Lester Young started their careers here. Webster joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra from 1940-43, which also featured legendary bassist Jimmy Blanton. This "Webster-Blanton Band" is considered to be a highlight in Ellington's career and an important step in Webster's. After this, "The Brute" worked mainly in smaller groups, sometimes recorded by producer Norman Granz who paired him with pianist Oscar Peterson, one of his most congenial partners, as evidenced in the milestones "Soulville" and "Meets Oscar Peterson". In addition to wonderful ballads programs with strings, Ben Webster recorded many successful albums alongside other Jazz stars like Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan and Gene Krupa. He also excelled as a companion and soloist with jazz singers, as the original albums with Billie Holiday and Jimmy Witherspoon documented here prove.

CD 1
KING OF THE TENORS
THE SOUL OF BEN WEBSTER
1.
Tenderly
2.
Jive At Six
3.
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
4.
That's All
5.
Bounce Blues
6.
Pennies From Heaven
7.
Cotton Tail
8.
Danny Boy
9.
Fajista
10.
Chelsea Bridge
11.
Charlotte's Piccolo
12.
Coal Train
13.
When I Fall In Love
14.
Ev's Mad
15.
Ash

[CD 2]
SOULVILLE
BEN WEBSTER MEETS OSCAR PETERSON
1.
Soulville
2.
Late Date
3.
Time On My Hands
4.
Lover Come Back To Me
5.
Where Are You
6.
Makin' Whoopee
7.
Ill Wind
8.
The Touch Of Your Lips
9.
When Your Lover Has Gone
10.
Bye-bye, Blackbird
11.
How Deep Is The Ocean
12.
In The Wee, Small Hours Of The Morning
13.
Sunday
14.
This Can't Be Love

[CD 3]
BEN WEBSTER --MUSIC WITH FEELING
THE WARM MOODS
1.
Chelsea Bridge
2.
Willow Weep for Me
3.
There Is No Greater Love
4.
Teach Me Tonight
5.
Until Tonight
6.
We'll Be Together Again
7.
Blue Moon
8.
Early Autumn
9.
My Greatest Mistake
10.
What Am I Here For ?
11.
The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
12.
Stella by Starlight
13.
With Every Breath I Take
14.
Accent on Youth
15.
But Beautiful
16.
Time After Time
17.
Nancy (With the Laughing Face)
18.
I'm Beginning to See the Light
19.
It Was So Beautiful
20.
The Whiffenpoof Song
21.
It's Easy to Remember
22.
There's No You

[CD 4]
COLEMAN HAWKINS ENCOUNTERS BEN WEBSTER
GERRY MULLIGAN
1.
Blues for Yolande
2.
It Never Entered My Mind
3.
La Rosita
4.
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
5.
Prisoner of Love
6.
Tangerine
7.
Shine On, Harvest Moon
8.
Chelsea Bridge
9.
The Cat Walk
10.
Sunday
11.
Who's Got Rhythm
12.
Tell Me When
13.
Go Home

CD 5

NORMAN GRANZ'JAM SESSION VOL. 7
NORMAN GRANZ' JAM SESSION VOL. 8
1.
Blue Lou
2.
Just You Just Me
3.
Jam Blues
4.
Ballad Medley: Tenderly /I've Got The World On A String/What's New?/I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good/Don't Blame Me/Imagination/Someone To Watch Over Me/Body And Soul /She´s Funny That Way

[CD 6]
JIMMY WITHERSPOON FEAT. BEN WEBSTER
--ROOTS JIMMY WITHERSPOON, GERRY MULLIGAN, BEN WEBSTER --AT THE RENAISSANCE
1.
I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
2.
I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
3.
Key To The Highway
4.
Did You Ever
5.
Confessin' The Blues
6.
Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
7.
Your Red Wagon
8.
Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound
9.
Cherry Red
10.
It's A Low Down Dirty Shame
11.
Just A Dream
12.
Please, Mr. Webster
13.
Time's Gettin' Tougher Than Tough
14.
How Long
15.
Corina, Corina
16.
C.C. Rider
17.
Roll 'Em Pete
18.
Every Day
19.
Outskirts Of Town
20.
Kansas City
21.
Trouble In Mind
22.
St. Louis Blues

[CD 7]
BEN WEBSTER & "SWEETS" EDISON
BEN WEBSTER AND MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
1.
Confirmation
2.
Lady Be Good
3.
Poutin'
4.
You Are Too Beautiful
5.
Billy's Bounce
6.
The Nearness Of You
7.
Danny Boy
8.
Cotton Tail
9.
Better Go
10.
How Long Has This Been Going On
11.
Kitty
12.
My Romance
13.
Did You Call Her Today
14.
Embraceable You

[CD 8]
BILLIE HOLIDAY --SONGS FOR DISTINGUE LOVERS
BILLIE HOLIDAY --BODY AND SOUL
1.
Day In, Day Out
2.
A Foggy Day
3.
Stars Fell On Alabama
4.
One For My Baby (And One For The Road)
5.
Just One Of Those Things
6.
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
7.
Body And Soul
8.
They Can't Take That Away From Me
9.
Darn That Dream
10.
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
11.
Comes Love
12.
Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You
13.
Embraceable You
14.
Moonlight In Vermont

[CD 9]
ART TATUM --BEN WEBSTER QUARTET
RICHARD "GROOVE" HOLMES WITH BEN WEBSTER --GROOVE
1.
Gone With the Wind
2.
All the Things You Are
3.
Have You Met Miss Jones?
4.
My One and Only Love
5.
Night and Day
6.
My Ideal
7.
Where or When
8.
Them That's Got
9.
That Healin' Feelin'
10.
Seven Come Eleven
11.
Deep Purple
12.
Good Groove

[CD 10]
HARRY "SWEETS" EDISON
--GEE BABY, AIN'T I GOOD TO YOU GENE KRUPA SEXTET
1.
Blues For Piney Brown
2.
Blues For The Blues
3.
Blues For Bill Basie
4.
Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You
5.
You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
6.
Taste On The Place
7.
Moonlight In Vermont
8.
Payin' Them Dues Blues
9.
Swedish Schnapps
10.
I'm Coming Virginia
11.
Showcase
12.
Midget
13.
Jungle Drums

[CD 2]
SOULVILLE
BEN WEBSTER MEETS OSCAR PETERSON
[CD 3]
BEN WEBSTER --MUSIC WITH FEELING
THE WARM MOODS
[CD 4]
COLEMAN HAWKINS ENCOUNTERS BEN WEBSTER
GERRY MULLIGAN
[CD 5]
NORMAN GRANZ'JAM SESSION VOL. 7
NORMAN GRANZ' JAM SESSION VOL. 8
[CD 6]
JIMMY WITHERSPOON FEAT. BEN WEBSTER
--ROOTS JIMMY WITHERSPOON, GERRY MULLIGAN, BEN WEBSTER --AT THE RENAISSANCE
[CD 7]
BEN WEBSTER & "SWEETS" EDISON
BEN WEBSTER AND MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
[CD 8]
BILLIE HOLIDAY --SONGS FOR DISTINGUE LOVERS
BILLIE HOLIDAY --BODY AND SOUL
[CD 9]
ART TATUM --BEN WEBSTER QUARTET
RICHARD "GROOVE" HOLMES WITH BEN WEBSTER --GROOVE
[CD 10]
HARRY "SWEETS" EDISON
--GEE BABY, AIN'T I GOOD TO YOU GENE KRUPA SEXTET