Carter, Bennett Lester

▪ 2004

“Benny” 

      American musician and composer (b. Aug. 8, 1907, New York, N.Y.—d. July 12, 2003, Los Angeles, Calif.), was the elder statesman of jazz, one of the most original and influential swing era saxophonists, and a pioneer arranger who helped set the big band style; he was an accomplished trumpeter and also played clarinet and trombone. Most important, he was an alto saxophonist with a pure tone and an elegant melodic style. While grace and spontaneity were his most evident qualities, a subtle yet rigorous sense of form was at the heart of his soloing; in time he adopted the fanciful rhythms of bop. He composed, arranged, and soloed with top bands before leading his own big band in 1933–34, during the depths of the Depression. He spent 1935–38 in Europe, with bands in England, The Netherlands, and France. Back in the U.S. during the height of the swing era, he formed more big bands and, in 1943, composed his first film score (Stormy Weather). For the next 29 years he composed film and television sound track music and appeared only irregularly as a soloist, He also composed for bandleader Count Basie and for many singers (including Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald), and he recorded the noted album Further Definitions (1961). Carter was one of the first African American composers with an extensive Hollywood career. He also taught at Princeton University and was a busy jazz soloist, forming bands for festivals and worldwide tours and performing for three U.S. presidents.

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