Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
pianist and band leader born and raised in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, United States.
He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of the 1930s big bands. The jazz standard "
Moten Swing
Moten is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
*Bennie Moten (1894–1935), American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri
*Benny Moten (1916–1977), American jazz bassist
*Eddie Moten (born 1981), American footbal ...
" bears his name.
Career
Moten started making music from an early age and developed as a pianist, pulling together other musicians in a band. His first recordings were made (for
OKeh Records
Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
) on September 23, 1923, and were rather typical interpretations of the
King Oliver and others. They also showed the influence of the ragtime that was still popular in the area, as well as the stomping beat for which his band was famous. These OKeh sides (recorded 1923–1925) are some of the more valuable acoustic jazz 78s of the era; they are treasured records in many serious jazz collections.
They signed with Victor Records in 1926, and were influenced by the more sophisticated style of Fletcher Henderson. More often than not, their pieces featured a hard stomp beat that was extremely popular in Kansas City. Moten continued to be one of Victor's most popular orchestras through 1930. Their song " Kansas City Shuffle" was recorded during this time. (The band recorded prolifically, and many of their records were issued in Victor's regular series, not specifically marketed to the Black community as some other bands were.)
By 1927, Moten's orchestra contained many names associated with Kansas City music, and included Harlan Leonard (alto sax), Jack Washington (alto and baritone sax),
Ed Lewis Edward Lewis may refer to:
Politicians
*Edward Lewis (Devizes MP) (1650–1674), British MP for Devizes, 1669–1674
*Edward Lewis (Radnor MP), British MP for Radnor, 1761–1768, 1769–1774 and 1775–1790
*Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837–1892 ...
and Lamar Wright (trumpets) and Willie McWashington (drums). His orchestra featured the standard Kansas City style at the time: smooth sax chorus over tinkling piano and a bass drum beat.
Moten's popular 1928 recording of "
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
" on Victor V-38021 (itself a remake of the first version on OKeh from late 1924) stayed in Victor's catalog over the years. (It was reissued as 24893 in 1935, as Victor phased out any remaining V-38000 series that were still in the catalog.) In the late 1940s, it became a big jukebox hit (by then, reissued as 44-0004). It remained in print (as a vinyl 45) until RCA stopping making vinyl records.
By 1928, Moten's piano was showing some boogie woogie influences, but the real revolution came in 1929, after he recruited
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...
,
Walter Page
Walter Sylvester Page (February 9, 1900 – December 20, 1957) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, best known for his groundbreaking work as a double bass player with Walter Page's Blue Devils and the Count Basie Orchestr ...
, and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page. Walter Page's walking bass lines gave the music an entirely new feel compared to the 2/4 tuba of his predecessor Vernon Page, colored by Basie's understated, syncopated piano fills. Another boon to the band was adding Jimmy Rushing as their primary vocalist.
Their final session showed the early stages of what became known as the "Basie sound," four years before Basie recorded under his own name. (They made 10 recordings at Victor's Camden, New Jersey, studios on December 13, 1932, during a time when the band was suffering significant financial hardship.) By this time Ben Webster and Rushing had joined Moten's band, but Moten himself did not play on these sessions. These sides were mostly arranged by Eddie Durham, and they include a number of tunes that later became
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
classics:
* "Toby"
* "
Moten Swing
Moten is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
*Bennie Moten (1894–1935), American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri
*Benny Moten (1916–1977), American jazz bassist
*Eddie Moten (born 1981), American footbal ...
"
* " The Blue Room"
* "Imagination" (vocals: Sterling Russell Trio)
* "
The complete personnel of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, as of 1926-1927 when the band was at the peak of its early popularity, was:
*
Ed Lewis Edward Lewis may refer to:
Politicians
*Edward Lewis (Devizes MP) (1650–1674), British MP for Devizes, 1669–1674
*Edward Lewis (Radnor MP), British MP for Radnor, 1761–1768, 1769–1774 and 1775–1790
*Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837–1892 ...
, trumpet
* Lamar (or Lammar) Wright, trumpet
* Thamon Hayes, trombone
* Harlan Leonard, alto sax
* Jack Washington, alto and baritone saxes
* Woodie Walder, tenor sax
* Bennie Moten, piano
* Leroy Berry, banjo
* Vernon Page, tuba
* Willie McWashington, drumsThis personnel is found on the cover of RCA's "Label X" reissue album ''Bennie Moten's Kansas City Jazz (Volume 1)'' (LVA-3004), which erroneously lists the tuba player as Walter Page.