Art Tatum and Ben Webster – The Tatum Group Masterpieces
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Saxophone – Ben Webster [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ben Webster]
Piano – Art Tatum
Bass – Red Callender
Drums – Bill Douglass
Written by Allie Wrubel (A1), Herb Magidson (A1), Jerome Kern (A2), Oscar Hammerstein II (A2), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (A3, B3), Guy Wood, Robert Mellin (A4), Cole Porter (B1), Newell Chase (B2), Leo Robin (B2), Richard A. Whiting (B2)
1 LP, Standard sleeve printed by Stoughton Printing
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions - Pablo Series
Original Label : Verve
Recorded September 11, 1956, Los Angeles California
Produced by Norman Granz
Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab
Photography by Phil Stern
Originally released in 1958
Reissued in August 2024
Tracks :
Side A:
- Gone With the Wind
- All the Things You Are
- Have You Met Miss Jones
- My One and Only Love
Side B:
- Night and Day
- My Ideal
- Where or When
Reviews :
"The only album-length collaboration between pianist Art Tatum and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster (accompanied by a rhythm section of Red Callender, bass, and Bill Douglass, drums) was this September 11, 1956, session under the auspices of Norman Granz's Verve Records label. (It was also Tatum's last recording session before his death.) Granz probably suggested the repertoire of standards by the likes of Kern and Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, and Cole Porter, but the melodies, of course, only provide a framework. On each track, Tatum leads things off, with Callender and Douglass coming in discreetly (and low in the mix). Then, at a certain point, Webster appears in the foreground, playing comparatively few notes and sticking much more to the melody than his partner. This is a good approach, since Tatum never subsides to simple comping; he just keeps soloing away under Webster's rich tenor tones until Webster stops playing, and then keeps on to the end. So, although this is billed as a group effort, it's not a group of equals or really one in which the players are cooperating with each other. Tatum might as well be playing solo, since he takes very little account of what's happening around him. Granz makes it work by varying the volume of the different instruments in the mix, and the result is a fascinating study in contrasts." AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann.
"On September 11, 1956, producer Norman Granz ingeniously brought Tatum together in Los Angeles with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, bassist Red Callender and drummer Bill Douglass. It would be Tatum's last studio session before dying of uremia on November 5 at age of 47.
Seven songs were recorded—Gone With the Wind, All the Things You Are, Have You Met Miss Jones?, My One and Only Love, Night and Day, My Ideal and Where or When. The album was released originally on Verve as The Art Tatum-Ben Webster Quartet in 1958. It was reissued on vinyl in 1975 on Granz's Pablo label as The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Volume Eight and then as a CD in 1992 with three bonus tracks: two alternate versions of Gone With the Wind and an alternate of Have You Met Miss Jones? A ballad album, the recording feels as if it's taken in slow motion, but that's part of its charm. Tatum is in fine form setting up most songs with lavish introductions before Webster sweeps in with his forceful, breathy horn. The opening track, Gone With the Wind, is a perfect example. Tatum takes two choruses, one with a straightforward approach and the second with a more dashing attack and loads of cascades. Then Webster glides in with a beautiful swinging solo. Listening to Tatum, you'd never know he had a fatal health problem. Each song is lovingly framed and executed, and the contrast between his lush technique and Webster's sandy solos is swing at its finest." Jazz Wax Review by Marc Myers.
Ratings :
Discogs : 4.57 / 5 ; AllMusic : 5 / 5 ; The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings : 4 / 4