Ben Webster Pays His Dues to Duke
Webster plays Ellington's songs like a man who's lived inside them for years.
Ben Webster recorded Plays Duke Ellington (1959) for Verve, and it's exactly what it sounds like: a big, warm tenor saxophone working through a set of Duke Ellington compositions with a small group behind him. No tricks, no reinvention. Webster loved this material, and it shows in every measure.
What makes the record worth your time is Webster's tone. By the late 1950s he had developed one of the most distinctive sounds in jazz — breathy on ballads, gruff and insistent when he pushed harder. On slower pieces like 'Tenderly' and 'All Too Soon' he practically sighs through the melody, holding notes just long enough that you feel the weight of them. The rhythm section stays out of the way, which is the right call. Oscar Peterson sits in on piano for some sessions, and while Peterson is Peterson — busy, brilliant, occasionally a lot — he finds a way to give Webster room. That restraint is worth noting because it doesn't always happen.
This isn't a record full of surprises. Webster doesn't tear these songs apart or push them somewhere unexpected. He plays them straight, with feeling, and that's the point. If you're looking for someone reimagining Ellington, look elsewhere. If you want to hear what it sounds like when a musician just genuinely loves a composer's work and wants to spend an hour inside it, this is a good place to start. It holds up well alongside Webster's other Verve work from the period, and for anyone getting into his playing, it's an honest and accessible entry point.
