''Songbook Volume II'' is an album by American saxophonist and composer

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, released in 1997 by

MusicMasters Records MusicMasters was a record label based in Ocean, New Jersey. History MusicMasters was founded in the late 1970s by Albert Nissim and his sons Robert and Jeffrey, who owned the Musical Heritage Society, which had previously only licensed Europea ...

.Benny Carter: Selected Discography - Bibliography
accessed June 10, 2019

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

reviewer Ken Dryden stated, "The 1997 release of this CD helped Benny Carter celebrate his 90th birthday, featuring 14 of his original ballads by a dozen guests, in addition to a warm tribute to his wife of many years, 'When Hilma Smiles,' sung by Carter himself in a friendly, unpretentious manner. His smooth alto sax hasn't lost anything over the decades, and the top-notch cornet of Warren Vaché is also a nice touch".

Track listing

All compositions by Benny Carter, except where noted. # "My Mind Is Still On You" (Benny Carter, John Moen,

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

) – 3:22 # "Echo of My Dream" – 5:07 # "Rock Me to Sleep" (Carter, Paul Vandervoort II) – 5:58 # "Stop Me Before I Fall in Love Again" – 4:01 # "He Doesn't Need Me Now" (Carter, Vandervoort) – 8:31 # "Doozy" – 6:02 # "Nevermore" – 5:07 # "Malibu" – 7:04 # "Blue Moonlight" – 5:50 # "Evening Star" – 5:27 # "Slow Carousel" – 4:44 # "Whisper to One" (Carter,

Al Stillman Al Stillman ''(né'' Albert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York) was an American lyricist. Biography Stillman was born to Jewish parents Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin ''(maiden).'' He a ...

) – 4:02 # "I'm the Caring Kind" (Carter,

Irving Gordon Irving Gordon (February 14, 1915 – December 1, 1996) was an American songwriter. Biography Irving Gordon was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family, and later lived on Coney Island. He was named Israel Goldener but later changed his na ...

) – 5:52 # "When Hilma Smiles" – 4:15 *Recorded at Group IV Studios, Hollywood, CA on July 26, 27, and 28, 1995 (tracks 1-3 & 8-10) and at Master Sound Astoria, Astoria, NY, on June 26, 27, & 28, 1995 (tracks 4-7 & 11-14)

Personnel

– alto saxophone, vocals * Warren Vaché – cornet (tracks 1-11 & 13) *Chris Neville – piano * Steve LaSpina – bass (tracks 1-13) * Sherman Ferguson – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4-9 & 11-13)

Guests

* Joe Williams (track 1),

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard'' maga ...

(track 2), Ruth Brown (track 3),

Billy Stritch Billy Stritch (born February 12, 1962, in Houston, Texas) is an American composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist. For many years, he was best known as a "confidant", music director, and piano player for Liza Minnelli. Early life and care ...

(tracks 4 & 7), Nancy Marano (tracks 5 & 11),

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

(track 6),

Lainie Kazan Lainie Kazan (born Lainie Levine; May 15, 1940) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ''St. Elsewhere'' and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actr ...

(track 8),

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television ...

(track 9),

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin would often sing notes in a high range to express emotion. Biogr ...

(track 10), Barbara Lea (track 12), Weslia Whitfield (track 13) – vocals * Roy McCurdy – drums (tracks 3 & 10)

References

{{Authority control 1997 albums Benny Carter albums MusicMasters Records albums