Ben Webster

[Skip Ellis]

Always been a big Ben Webster fan - love his tone; I wonder who would be an equivalent player in the guitar world? Wes on "One For My Baby" would be close IMHO. Others?

[ruger9]

I love Ben Webster. I have never heard any guitar player approach what Webster does. Regardless of the instrument played, Webster was a unique, individual talent.

I do hear the slight similarity in the Wes tune, but only that it's "dark and mellow", which would put Kenny Burrell in the same company. But with the sustain the saxophone has, and the way Webster held and ... breathed... a note.... the only guitar player I've ever heard do anything even resembling that is Jeff Beck.

[sgcim]

I can't think of any guitarists who had BW's breathy sound, but the clarinetist Tony Scott was one musician who was strongly influenced by BW, especially on ballads:

[Jimmy Smith]

One of the most legendary pairings and albums I think is Art Tatum and Ben Web.

[JCat]

I love Ben Webster. The Holiday/Webster sessions with Barney Kessel on guitar is a legendary album. So much inspiration in there and Barney's performance is stellar, very melodic guitar playing.

Horn players express tones with their breath. Guitarists and keyboardists can't do that, but guitarists can utilize dynamics, bends and nuances. First and foremost we can try to match Ben's melodic approach, as demonstrated by Barney.

[Jimmy blue note]

Ben Webster had a real voice on the instrument. His breath informed each note in a way that a spoken or sung voice brings a lyric to life. It's dynamics and space as much as note choice. I've been searching for a guitarist that could do that.
I know it's not what you're looking for from that era, but I haven't heard s guitar "sing" with that breathiness until I first heard Bill Frisell in the 90's. I think he was sparked by that same sensibility, but it's not the phrasing of the late swing era so it doesn't sound like anything like Ben, but the use of breathy dynamics... guitar has a hard time matching Ben Webster, or Gene Ammons, or Don Byas in lyric dynamics.

[grahambop]

Jim Hall played with Ben Webster and said he learned a lot from him, i.e. to use fewer notes, and think more melodically.

He talks about it about halfway through this interview:

The Never Published Interview Of The Legendary Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar Today

Jim used a lot of legato/glissando type phrasing, which is probably a bit nearer to Ben’s style than most guitarists.

[AndyV]

Ben had a beautiful, tasteful style. I was always surprised at the amount of air you could hear escaping as he played. I agree that there isn't really a guitaristic equivalent to that sound. Playing with a volume pedal in a windy area might be closest.

A favorite Webster cut of mine:

[Alter]

He is the most sentimental, even romantic sax player. He reminds me of the way Nat King Cole sings. Maybe Peter Bernstein with his excellent sense of melody comes close.. But really, his thing is a sax thing that has to do with how close the sound of the instrument is to the human voice..

[ruger9]

He is the most sentimental, even romantic sax player. He reminds me of the way Nat King Cole sings..

Perfect!!!

[sgcim]

Jim Hall played with Ben Webster and said he learned a lot from him, i.e. to use fewer notes, and think more melodically.

He talks about it about halfway through this interview:

The Never Published Interview Of The Legendary Jim Hall - Jazz Guitar Today

Jim used a lot of legato/glissando type phrasing, which is probably a bit nearer to Ben’s style than most guitarists.

Good interview. I always thought that Jimmy Giuffre had an important influence on JH's playing This was the first time that someone asked him about it