A classic set in the best Verve Records mode – as these two mature giants of the tenor sax get lots of room to open up and solo with a great rhythm section at the core! Both Hawkins and Webster have a fantastic sense of tone and timing – and the space of the record really lets you hear the charms of both in equal measure – with backing from Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't "encountering" each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely – and titles include "Blues For Yolande", "Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

Mulligan always sounds great next to a tenor – especially in the Verve series that has him teamed up with players like Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond, or Stan Getz. This release, cut with Ben Webster upfront, is one of the best of that series – and features the pair blowing easily and soulfully on some long tracks with rhythm by Jimmy Rowles, Leroy Vinnegar, and Mel Lewis. Titles include "Go Home", "The Cat Walk", "Sunday", "Who's Got Rhythm", and "Tell Me When". CD

Classic late Webster material, recorded in a laidback setting for Verve, with associates that include Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson, Roy Eldridge, Jimmy Jones, and Les Spann. Side one is a very long version of "In A Mellow Tone", with a blowing session solo approach – and side two features shorter tracks like "Budd Johnson", "Young Bean", and "De Dar". CD

Great 40s material – with Hot Lips Page on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

A previously unreleased live date from late in the career of Ben Webster – recorded at The Renaissance in Hollywood in 1960, but unissued until nearly 25 years later! The group features Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Butler on drums – and tracks are all longish, and live-feeling – with that sense of fragility that marked some of Webster's later recordings in this mode, and even further deepened the humanity in his tone. And while the recording quality is definitely "live" at times, Ben's tone comes through loud and clear – different than on some of the tighter Verve recordings of a few years before, but in a way that's really great. Titles include "Georgia On My Mind, "Caravan", "Stardust", and "Ole Miss Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Emarcy session as a leader from this tremendous tenorist – with some tracks that have Ben Webster in a small group with John Kirby on bass, Benny Carter on alto, and Maynard Ferguson on trumpet – and three more with larger arrangements from Johnny Richards! LP, Vinyl record album

A great late date from Ben Webster – one that has the tenorist working with a Dutch rhythm section that features Cees Slinger on piano, Jacques Schols on bass, and John Engels on drums – stretching out nicely on long tracks that include "Work Song", "The Preacher", "Straight No Chaser", and "John Brown's Body". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben Webster's tenor is accompanied by Oscar Pettiford on bass, Johnny Guarnieri on piano and David Booth on drums. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Strong later work from the great Ben Webster – three albums in a single set! On the first record, Ben Webster plays live in Harlem – not the uptown scene in New York, but the Dutch city that became a surprisingly strong showcase for American players overseas! The date's got that easygoing style of some of Webster's best late live performances – a laidback rhythm trio, and Ben himself blowing these raspy, blue-tinged notes that are full of feeling – even when in a familiar setting – that quality that can make even subtle handling of a standard pop out with such Webster-like charm! The group features Tete Montoliu on piano, Rob Langereis on bass, and Tony Inzalaco on drums – and titles include "Stardust", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Sunday", "For All We Know", and "Perdido". Live In Stockholm is a posthumous release of live material recorded in Sweden, during a time when tenor genius Ben Webster was doing some of his best work overseas! The tracks here feature Ben in a few different settings – with piano from Teddy Wilson or Lasse Sjosten, bass from Red Mitchell or Sture Nordin, and drums from Ed Thigpen and Frederik Noren. But maybe best of all is the trumpet work on most tracks – played by either Arne Ryskog or Rolf Ericson, both players whose presence really brings a lot – and makes the record a bit different than some of those other "older American soloists with a European rhythm section" dates of the time. Titles include "Indiana", "C Jam Blues", "The Theme", "Satin Doll", "I Got Rhythm", and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". The last album is a late live set from Ben Webster – recorded in Norway with an unusual rhythm section that really lets Ben open up and do his thing, always with that fantastic twist on his tone he developed later in life! The group features Tore Sandnaes on piano, Bjorn Alterhaug on bass, and Kjell Johansen on drums – and titles include "In A Mllotone", "Sunday", "Satin Doll", "Perdido", "I Got Rhythm", and "Stardust". CD

Features Ole Kock Hansen on piano, Bo Stief on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. Titles include "Set Call", "Old Folks", "I Got Rhythm", and "Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

About as classic as you can get for Ben Webster on Verve Records – a nicely mature, nicely laidback session that really captures the energy promised in the title! The sidemen are all in an easygoing, soulful mode – Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Ben blows these beautifully deep, well-crafted lines on tenor over the top – always with that raspy tone that had already influenced a generation, but which hardly ever got a better showcase than this! Titles include "Time On My Hands", "Where Are You", "Soulville", "Late Date", and "Ill Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare meeting of these two American giants of the tenor sax – brought together at the end of the 60s in Europe, both recording late in their careers, but with a laidback and open approach that's really wonderful! The format here is quite loose – a bit like some of the late hours, swing-based sides on Prestige at the end of the 50s – with longish tracks that let both players state their solos in clean, well-recorded phrasings – with gentle support from a trio that includes Tete Montoliu on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums. There's a few faltering moments at times, but they also add a nice degree of humanity to the record – kind of a dimming genius that might not have been allowed on an American session by either player, but which speaks volumes here for the time and distance both players had travelled! Titles include "Caravan", "Sundae", "Blues For Dottie Mae", and "Perdido". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben & Sweets finds tenor Webster and trumpeter Edison in wonderful form – both veterans complementing the other brilliantly – with a crack group that includes Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass and Clarence Johnson on drums. The overall groove is very melodic, but it's still got plenty of kick underneath! Titles include "Better Go", "How Long Has This Been Going On?", "Kitty", "My Romance" and "Did You Call Her Today" and George & Ira Gerswin's "Embraceable You". CD

Ben & Sweets finds tenor Webster & trumpeter Edison in wonderful form – both veterans complementing the other brilliantly – with a crack group that includes Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass and Clarence Johnson on drums. The overall groove is very melodic, but it's still got plenty of kick underneath! Titles include "Better Go", "How Long Has This Been Going On?", "Kitty", "My Romance" and "Did You Call Her Today" and George & Ira Gerswin's "Embraceable You". LP, Vinyl record album

A previously unreleased live date from late in the career of Ben Webster – recorded at The Renaissance in Hollywood in 1960, but unissued until nearly 25 years later! The group features Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Butler on drums – and tracks are all longish, and live-feeling – with that sense of fragility that marked some of Webster's later recordings in this mode, and even further deepened the humanity in his tone. And while the recording quality is definitely "live" at times, Ben's tone comes through loud and clear – different than on some of the tighter Verve recordings of a few years before, but in a way that's really great. Titles include "Georgia On My Mind, "Caravan", "Stardust", and "Ole Miss Blues". CD features 4 more bonus tracks – "Gone With The Wind", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Mop Mop", and "Renaissance Blues". CD

Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Ray Nance on trumpet, Lou Levy and Russ Freeman on piano, Emil Richards on vibraphone, Joe Mondragon and Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson and Mel Lewis on drums. CD

Beautifully laidback blowing from the great Ben Webster – captured here in perfect late 50s formation, with wonderful rhythm support from the Oscar Peterson Trio! The tunes aren't super-long, but still have a relatively open feel – possibly improvised in the studio, with a mellow but deeply soulful sound throughout, thanks to Webster's massive tone on the tenor sax. Peterson's on piano, and other players include Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – and titles include "The Touch Of Your Lips", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Sunday", and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty compelling session – one that features Ben Webster playing with the first version of the Modern Jazz Quartet! The recording quality of the material is a bit rough, but Webster's tone cuts right through any shortcomings of the setting – blowing deeply over rhythms by the team of John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. Titles include "Poutin", "Confirmation", "Lady Be Good", "Nearness Of You", and "Cotton Tail". CD

Includes 66 tracks on 3 CDs. Notable sidemen include Wallace Jones and Cootie Williams on trumpet, Rex Stewart on cornet, Tricky Sam Nanton and Lawrence Brown on trombone, Johnny Hodges on alto and soprano sax, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Fred Guy on guitar, Jimmy Blanton on bass, and Sonny Greer on drums. CD

Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, trumpet: Rex Stewart, cornet, Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown, trombone, Juan Tizol, valve trombone, Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Ben Webster, Harry Carney. Chauncey Haughton, reeds. Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, piano, Fred Guy, guitar, Jimmie Blanton, Alvin "Junior" Raglin, bass, Sonny Greer, drums: lvie Anderson, Herb Jeffries, Ray Nance, vocals. Arrangements by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. CD

Easy-going Verve swing at its best – the kind of small group session that let a player like Harry "Sweets" Edison shine in a way that he didn't always get to do in a larger group! For this set, Edison's joined by Ben Webster on tenor sax, Barney Kessel on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Alvin Stoller on drums and Joe Mondragon on bass – in a format that features tunes that are a bit shorter than on some of the other Verve swing sides of the time, but still very much with a relaxed and open-ended feel. Titles include several Edison originals – including "Hollering At The Watkins", "Used To Be Basie", "Studio Call", "Opus 711", "K.M. Blues", and "Walkin With Sweets". CD

15 great tracks from Roy's Verve years – accompanied here by Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Johnny Hodges on alto, Gene Krupa on drums, and Oscar Peterson on piano! CD

Recorded in January of 1943 – with Ellington on piano, Ray Nance on trumpet and violin, Rex Stewart and Harold Baker on trumpets, Juan Tizol and Lawrence Brown on trombones, Johnny Hodges on alto, and Ben Webster on tenor. CD

Notable sidemen include Ben Webster, Jimmy Blanton, Ivie Anderson, Rex Stewart, Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard, Cootie Williams, and Tricky Sam. CD

The Duke takes his famous orchestra – including Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Barney Bigard, and Jimmy Blanton – to Fargo, North Dakota. The complete concert features performances of "Stompy Jones", "Ferryboat Serenade", "Sepia Panorama", "Slap Happy", "Sidewalks Of New York", "Caravan", and "Congo Brava". 50 tracks total. CD

With the classic Ellington Orchestra line-up featuring Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Tyree Glenn, Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

With Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard, Al Sears, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, Ivie Anderson, and Kay Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

Ella's performing songs written by or associated with Duke–what could be better? Here she's backed by two different Ellington groups–-one a big band, the other a small group, whose members included Stuff Smith, Barney Kessel, and Ben Webster. Titles include "Rockin' In Rhythm", "Caravan", "Take The A Train", "Clementine", and "Perdido", all performed with the with the big band, and "Satin Doll", "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", "Cottontail", and "Do Nothing Till You Here From Me", backed by the small group. Sublime! CD

Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins on alto saxophone, Bill Pemberton on bass, Buster Bailey on baritone clarinet, Jimmy Crawford on drums, Al Casey on guitar, Red Richards on piano, Garvin Bushell and Hilton Jefferson on saxophone, Haywood Henry on tenor saxophone, Benny Morton, Dickie Wells, and J.C. Higginbotham on trombone, and Emmett Berry, Joe Thomas, Rex Stewart, and Taft Jordan on trumpet. LP, Vinyl record album

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke. 43 tracks total. CD

Scott Hamilton's first two albums in one great package! Good Wind is the great opening statement from tenorist Scott Hamilton – a young player who emerged in the late 70s, but one with a definite old school sound! Scott blows here with a wind that's plenty good – very deep-toned, and with a raspy, honest quality that almost takes us back to Ben Webster in the 50s – quite a surprise for the Concord Records sound. The record's got a very well-matched group, too – Nat Pierce on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, Bill Berry on trumpet, and Jake Hanna on drums – all of whom give Hamilton's tenor plenty of space to dominate the session. Titles include "Stuffy", "Indiana", "Blue Room", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Ill Wind", and "Broadway". Scott Hamilton 2 builds on the same foundation as its predessor, but swaps Berry's trumpet for guitarist Cal Collins. Tracks include "East Of The Sun", "There Is No Greater Love", and the Hamilton original "Blues For The Players". CD

Features work with Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra, the Mound City Blue Blowers, Ben Webster, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Benny Carter, Max Roach, and Duke Ellington. CD

The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great live set from alto genius Johnny Hodges – a set that's right up there with some of his best studio albums on Verve at the time! As with those records, Johnny's taking a slight sidestep from the world of Duke Ellington here – working with similar material and familiar players, but also really stretching out on these beautiful solos that focus on his warm, raspy charm on the alto – that quality that made Hodges as important to the sound of mid 50s jazz as Ben Webster or Lester Young on the tenor! The group's a septet, and other players include Lawrence Brown on trombone, Harry Carney on baritone, Al Williams on piano, and Ray Nance on cornet – on titles that include "All Of Me", "Blues For Madeline", "Solitude", "Mood Indigo", "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me", "Jeep's Blues", "Rockin In Rhythm, and a nice long take on "Perdido". CD

Great work as a leader from this legendary Duke Ellington altoist – working here with Ben Webster on tenor, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Emmett Berry on trumpet, Leroy Lovett on piano, and Lloyd Trotman on bass – plus some tracks that Flip Phillips and Al Sears on tenor, and Sonny Green on drums. Titles include "In A Mellow Tone", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Solitude". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work from the great Billie Holiday – the kind of mature set that made Verve Records such a perfect home for the singer in the 50s! Where other labels might have pushed too much to try to get Billie into more commercial, or more straightforward modes – Verve just relaxes into the kind of small combo sound that usually had the singer at her best – pairing Holiday with a great lineup that includes Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar. The songs are short and focused – with Billie at the top of her form on familiar standards like "Comes Love", "Darn That Dream", "Body & Soul", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "Embraceable You". This deluxe reissue features 3 takes of "Comes Love", new notes, great sound, and a cool looking package! CD

Late work from the great Billie Holiday – the kind of mature set that made Verve Records such a perfect home for the singer in the 50s! Where other labels might have pushed too much to try to get Billie into more commercial, or more straightforward modes – Verve just relaxes into the kind of small combo sound that usually had the singer at her best – pairing Holiday with a great lineup that includes Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar. The songs are short and focused – with Billie at the top of her form on familiar standards like "Comes Love", "Darn That Dream", "Body & Soul", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "Embraceable You". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work from the great Billie Holiday – the kind of mature set that made Verve Records such a perfect home for the singer in the 50s! Where other labels might have pushed too much to try to get Billie into more commercial, or more straightforward modes – Verve just relaxes into the kind of small combo sound that usually had the singer at her best – pairing Holiday with a great lineup that includes Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar. The songs are short and focused – with Billie at the top of her form on familiar standards like "Comes Love", "Darn That Dream", "Body & Soul", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "Embraceable You". LP, Vinyl record album