
Ben Webster And Associates
Ben Webster - tenor sax [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ben Webster]
Coleman Hawkins - tenor saxophone [click here to see more vinyl featuring Coleman Hawkins]
Budd Johnson - tenor saxophone
Roy Eldridge - trumpet
Jimmy Jones - piano
Les Spann - guitar
Ray Brown - bass [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ray Brown]
Jo Jones – drums
Written by Duke Ellington (A1), Milt Gabler (A1), Ben Webster (B1-2, B4), Sammy Cahn (B3), Jule Styne (B3)
1 LP, Gatefold Jacket by Stoughton printing
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Verve Acoustic Sounds Series
Original Label : Verve Records
Recorded April 9, 1959 in New York City
Original session produced by Norman Granz
Reissue produced by Chad Kassem
Remastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab
Originally released in 1959
Reissued in 2025
Tracks:
Side A:
- In A Mellow Tone
Side B:
- Young Bean
- Budd Johnson
- Time After Time
- De-Dar
Reviews:
"Wow! Look at the front line of saxes! This early stereo recording happened almost by accident, putting the two oldsters who had really paid their dues together with the youngest of the trio, Budd Johnson, who even had one track named for him. Ben Webster had walked into a grill just off Broadway, and ran into Budd. He told him of the impending date in the studio with Hawkins and said “What are you doing at 2:30 tomorrow?” Johnson had no plans, so Webster said “OK, bring your sax and we’ll all be on the date together.”
And this is it! In spite of the tendency of early stereo sessions to be all left and right with a big hole in the middle, the three saxes are evenly laid out across the terrific soundstage. (Perhaps some judicious mixing was done in the remastering.) There’s little difficulty in identifying the unique styles of the three saxists. Ben was playing in the Ellington band when In a Mellow Tone was premiere in 1940. It’s my personal favorite of the five tracks. There’s a knockout bass solo by steadfast Ray Brown, and Leslie Spann achieves Django-like octave playing on his great solo. Ben’s deep and rich solo near the end is something to behold.” John Henry, Audiophile Audition, July 2012
“Ben Webster and Associates is a 1959 session that took full advantage of the long-playing LP format. Highlighted by the 20-minute version of Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone" in which tenor titans Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, and Budd Johnson plus trumpeter Roy Eldridge stretch out, not so much in a cutting contest as a laid-back jam session amongst friends. This summit meeting turned out to be a tribute to another tenor master of the same generation, Lester Young, who had died less than four weeks before this session. The chosen rhythm section of Jimmy Jones on piano, Les Spann on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Jo Jones on drums equally matches the performance of the featured horns. Also tackled for this session were three Webster originals: "De-Dar," "Young Bean," and "Budd Johnson" and the standard "Time After Time." Unfortunately no bonus tracks are included (if they even exist) but the excellent sound restoration more than makes up for it.” AllMusic Review by Al Campbell
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4,86 / 5