Year: Reissued in 2003 - Originally Released in 1957
Record Label: Verve
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Ben Webster (tenor saxophone, piano); Oscar Peterson (piano); Herb Ellis (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Stan Levey (drums)
Review: There is some--actually plenty--of truth to the observation that the major labels are finding value in re-releases some of their classic recordings from extensive catalogs recorded in the 1950’s and 1960’s. While the criticism is that such mining of past recordings reduces the opportunities for practicing jazz musicians to record, the advantage is that some of these classic albums are digitized and enhanced for the greatest possible clarity. Plus, the re-releases bring some of the greatest jazz musicians, the innovators, to the attention of an audience a generation or two younger.
Ben Webster’s Soulville is notable for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he is backed up with Oscar Peterson’s trio, plus Stan Levey on drums. Even though many listeners expect an over-the-top performance from Peterson’s trio every time they play, he shows great restraint and respect for the saxophonist throughout Soulville, for Peterson’s trio advances the spirit of a tune while allowing Webster plenty of freedom to stretch out and express himself through each of the tunes on the CD.
Soulville is notable also because it allows us to appreciate Webster’s conversational approach to the saxphone as he invests each note with meaning, slightly dramatic swelling contrasted with rapidly diminishing volume to claim attention and meaning. With minimal vibrato, Webster adds value to the music by unexpectedly accenting a phrase or doing from bravado to delicacy in the space of a single measure. Over and over again on Soulville, Webster plays as if he were singing through his horn, and he conveys a narrative and a feeling that his audiences can’t miss.
Another notable aspect of Soulville is that Webster, forever known as one of the greatest jazz saxophonists, plays piano on the last three tracks. Obviously, Webster never gained reputation as a jazz pianist, his genius on the saxophone vastly exceeding his talent on the piano. Yet, the final tracks provide an appreciation of Webster’s sense of rhythm and sources of inspiration. Indeed, Webster seems to lose the thread of the melody several times, stopping and starting over again in the space of a single measure.
Still, who could imagine more of a dream combination: Ben Webster with the Oscar Peterson Trio? The results, as on “Makin’ Whoopee” or “Late Date” are those of personalization and a sense of blues, even at faster tempos or humorous comment. Soulville provides a reason to appreciate Ben Webster all the more as his instrument’s voice dominates each of the tracks, a lifetime of experience encapsulated in each of his interpretations of standards or his own rocking or blues-drenched compositions.
Tracks: Soulville, Late Date, Time On My Hands, Lover Come Back To Me, Where Are You, Makin’ Whoopee, Ill Wind, Who, Boogie Woogie, Roses of Picardy
Record Label Website: http://www.ververecords.com
Reviewed by:
Don Williamson
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