Ben Webster : Master Of Jazz

The All Music Guide rating for this album on a 1-9 scale (9=best) is: 7

The All Music Guide rating for this album among this artist's works on a 1-9 scale (9=best) is: 6

  Aage Bertelsen - Strings
  Albert 'Tootie' Heath - Drums
  Allan Botschinsky - Trumpet
  Anton Kontra - Strings
  Axel Windfel - Trombone
  Ben Webster - Sax (Tenor)
  Bent Juul Nielsen - Reeds
  Bent Schjaerff - Piano
  Bjarne Rostvold - Drums
  Borge Madsen - Strings
  Dexter Gordon - Reeds, Sax (Tenor)
  Erling Christensen - Strings
  Finn Ziegler - Strings
  Holger Bjerre - Strings
  Hugo Rasmussen - Bass
  Jesper Thilo - Reeds
  Kurt J. Jensen - Strings
  Mogens Holm Larsen - Strings
  Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen - Bass
  Ole Kock Hansen - Piano
  Ole Kurt Jensen - Trombone
  Ole Molin - Guitar
  Ole Streenberg - Drums
  Ove Winther - Strings
  Palle Bolvig - Trumpet
  Palle Mikkelborg - Trumpet
  Per Espersen - Trombone
  Per Ludolph - Strings
  Perry Knudsen - Trumpet
  Sahib Shihab - Reeds
  Stanley Carlson - Strings
  Torolf Molgaard - Trombone
  Uffe Karskov - Reeds

This 13-cut set in the Storyville Masters of Jazz series is a showcase of Ben Webster at the very end of his career, from 1967-1970 recorded in Europe. There are a number of stellar players on Storyville Ben Webster , including Dexter Gordon , Palle Mikkelborg , Tootie Heath , and of course, a slew of European sessions players who are truly the cream of the crop. Webster is featured in numerous settings from trio, quartet, quintet, and larger, to units where he is backed by a small string section. Of all the swing and bop era saxophonists, Charlie Parker included, no one blew over string sections like Webster . His lyricism is so utterly tender and understated that he literally trounces all other players who did sessions like this. Check cuts like 'Come Sunday' or the other ballads here, such as 'Old Folks,' 'In a Mellotone,' and 'Going Home.' This set is one of those special cases where a recording makes the case that a truly seasoned veteran goes out at the top of his game, rather than in decline. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide