‘Who’s Benny Waters?’ they said. Even the more knowledgeable of us turned to the Chilton ‘Who’s Who Of Jazz’ for information. Well, those enterprising, curious and fortunate few who turned up at Benny’s first performance, in this country – at the Great Harry, Warsash – knew from the first dynamic note of tenor saxophone. This was no septuagenarian sax player from the doodling twenties, but a thoroughly schooled musician, who studied piano and theory for years at Boston Conservatory.
He may have recorded with King Oliver, but he has also been through all the permutations of big bands – Charlie Johnson (1925-32), Henderson (1935), Hopkins (40/41), Lunceford (1942) and small groups like ‘Hot Lips’ Page (1938), arranging and playing tenor, alto and clarinet and to this day leading his own band at La Cigale in Paris, having been in France for well over twenty years.
Ben acknowledged his great admiration for Don Byas with a superb I Can’t Get Started With You and his version of Laura (was that a tongue-in-cheek nod to Ben Webster?) Lover Man and other standards, had the thin but enrapt audience on the edge of their seats. It was particularly interesting to watch the reactions of tenor and clarinet players in the audience! His clarinet playing is as forceful, in many ways, as his tenor, and his experienced guidance carried the more than adequate backing by Reg Pettit (bs), Roy White (dm), and Colin Collinson (pno) through his often florid and extended cadenzas and codas.
We also heard Ben Webster the vocalist in numbers like Them There Eyes and Lady Be Good. The voice is big and firm like his tenor-playing and his effervescent personality comes through with great effect. Excellent support came throughout the evening from the Mike Blakesley Sextet, the front line also joining with Ben and the rhythm section on the final C Jam Blues and Cherokee, with Mike’s trombone well featured and Teddy Layton’s tenor standing up well to the competition. Cuff Billett’s feature had earlier included House In Harlem For Sale, the old Red Allen favourite, with his spectacular self-duet on trumpet and flugelhorn.
If Benny Waters had been given a fraction of the publicity and recording opportunities offered to some of the big ‘names’ we should not have been asking who he was – we’d know.
Come back Benny – anytime, but soon!
