This week on the MCG Jazz Spotlight Show, we welcome back drummer and jazz historian Thomas Wendt for a monthly visit, this time focusing on the remarkable compositional voice of Benny Carter.
We’ll trace Carter’s evolution through key recordings, starting with early classics like “All of Me” from 1940 and “I Can’t Escape from You,” recorded in Los Angeles in 1944—glimpses of a writer already shaping melody with unmistakable clarity and sophistication.
From there, we move into his later catalog, including Aspects with “Something for October,” a beautifully concise snapshot of Carter’s mid-century writing style. We’ll spend time with Central City Sketches, featuring “Hello,” “Central City Blues,” “People,” and “Sky Dance,” a suite that blends swing tradition with a more modern, narrative approach.
The program also highlights Carter’s large-scale works, including selections from Harlem Renaissance Suite like “Lament for Langston” and “Sunday Morning,” as well as theTales of the Rising Sun Suite with “August Moon” and “Tea Time,” showcasing his ability to paint vivid musical landscapes well into the later years of his career.
It’s a portrait of Benny Carter not just as a legendary performer, but as a composer whose voice remained elegant, expressive, and unmistakably his own across more than five decades. | 
Comments
Post a Comment