Died On This Date (July 12, 2003) Benny Carter / Jazz Great
themusicsover Benny Carter
August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003
Benny Carter was a premier jazz horn player for over 60 years. He was loved for his abilities on the saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet. Throughout his career, he’s won numerous awards including Grammys and the National Medal of Arts. Carter made his first recordings in 1928 and never looked back. Over the years he’s played with the biggest names in jazz including Fletcher Henderson, Django Reinhardt and Coleman Hawkins. As an arranger, he’s worked with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and many more. Remarkably, Carter continued working until he retired at the ago of 90. He passed away five years later.
What You Should Own
Jelly Roll Morton is considered Jazz’s first great composer and by at least himself, the inventor of jazz. Regardless, his contribution to the form cannot be denied. Starting out in New Orleans, reportedly playing the local bordellos as a teenager, Morton soon hit the road landing in Los Angeles, Chicago and finally New York where his reputation as a braggart kept him from landing the sidemen he wanted, adversely effecting his career. He did make some outstanding recordings though, but he never was able to get the acclaim he deserved until after his death, again, likely due to his reputation. Jelly Roll Morton died as a result of ongoing asthma troubles at just 50. His place in American music was finally recognized in the coming years when New Orleans jazz went through a revival.
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