Benny Carter and His Orchestra - Further Definitions (1997)

Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 - July 12, 2003) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King (coined by Ben Webster). In 1958, performed with Billie Holiday at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival.

FURTHER DEFINITIONS is a serious contender for Benny Carter's most essential disc (though he churned out astounding amounts of high-quality work for more than 70 years). This 1961 album was a revisitation of a '37 session Carter cut with Coleman Hawkins, Django Reinhardt, and two European saxophonists. Hawkins brings his glorious tenor back for the '61 set, while guitarist John Collins fills Reinhardt's shoes. Charlie Rouse appears on tenor sax, with Phil Woods on alto, while the crack rhythm section of Dick Katz (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), and Jo Jones (drums) completes the personnel.

The set is, arguably, an improvement on the original, with its beautiful sound engineering, excellent arrangements (the four-horn line approximates a big band at times), and shining solo performances all around. "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Body and Soul" (on which Hawkins, of course, takes a magnificent, extended solo) are here, as are two fine Carter originals, the lush and lazy "Blue Star" and "Doozy," a sprightly bop number. The "Additions to FURTHER DEFINITIONS" section (tracks 9-16), a 1966 session with different personnel and a batch of Carter originals, is an excellent bonus. Carter's trademark attention to superior musicianship and quality characterize both of these highly recommended sessions.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.