Carter, Benny (1907-2003), was an American jazz musician, composer, arranger, and bandleader who had one of the longest careers in jazz history. Carter began playing in jazz bands in 1924 and was still performing in the 1990’s.
Carter ranks among the most versatile personalities in jazz. He gained acclaim for his mastery of the alto saxophone and trumpet. He composed and arranged music for such bandleaders as Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and Benny Goodman. Carter also composed for motion pictures, including An American in Paris (1951), Red Sky at Morning (1970), and Buck and the Preacher (1972). Some of his compositions became jazz standards, including “Blues in My Heart” (1931), “Lonesome Nights” (1934), “When Lights Are Low” (1936), “Back Bay Boogie” (1940), and “Cow Cow Boogie” (1941).
Bennett Lester Carter was born in New York City on Aug. 8, 1907. He led his first important band from 1933 to 1935 and then moved to Europe for three years. He arranged music for the British Broadcasting Corporation in London, led a band in the Netherlands, and made a number of classic jazz recordings in Paris. He recorded widely in the 1950’s and 1960’s, many of the records featuring his rich, smooth alto saxophone sound. He also arranged for such vocalists as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Ray Charles.
In the 1970’s, Carter began a career as a jazz educator, teaching jazz in American colleges. A new generation of jazz fans was introduced to Carter in the 1980’s and 1990’s through his concert and nightclub performances and a wave of reissues of his earlier records. He died on July 12, 2003.
