''Central City Sketches'' is an album by saxophonist/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 ...
recorded in 1987 and released by the
MusicMasters label as a double LP.
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 databas ...
reviewer Scott Yanow stated "One of the many Benny Carter recordings cut after he returned to jazz on a full-time basis in the mid-'70s, this double-LP set is the jewel among the seemingly countless number of gems ... as is often the case, Benny Carter frequently steals solo honors and his brief trumpet spot on "Central City Blues" is memorable".
Track listing
All compositions by Benny Carter except where noted
# "Doozy (Second Version)" – 5:20
# "When Lights Are Low" – 5:00
# "A Kiss from You" – 2:53
# "Sleep
Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...
" (Earl Burtnett
Earl Burtnett (February 7, 1896 – January 2, 1936) was an American bandleader, songwriter and pianist who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
Life and career
Burtnett was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Pennsylvania State Col ...
, Adam Geibel) – 3:26
# "Central City Sketches: Central City Blues" – 3:08
# "Central City Sketches: Hello" – 4:14
# "Central City Sketches: People" – 4:22
# "Central City Sketches: Promenade" – 3:18
# "Central City Sketches: Remember" – 3:34
# "Central City Sketches: Sky Dance" – 3:28
# "Lonesome Nights" – 5:07
# "Doozy (First Version)" – 4:39
# "Easy Money" – 7:00
# "Symphony in Riffs" – 4:37
# "Souvenir" – 4:03
# "Blues in My Heart" – 7:00
Personnel
*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 ...
– alto saxophone, trumpet, arranger, conductor
*The American Jazz Orchestra The American Jazz Orchestra was an American big band jazz ensemble founded in New York City, active from 1986 to 1993.
The ensemble was formed by Roberta Swann and Gary Giddins in 1986; John Lewis was its inaugural bandleader. The ensemble played ...
** John Eckert, Marvin Stamm
Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Career
Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the One O ...
, Bob Millikan, Virgil Jones – trumpet
**Britt Woodman
Britt Woodman (June 4, 1920 – October 13, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist.
Career
Woodman was a childhood friend of Charles Mingus, but first worked with Phil Moore and Les Hite. After service in World War II he played with Boyd Rae ...
, Eddie Bert
Edward Joseph Bertolatus (May 16, 1922 – September 27, 2012), also known as Eddie Bert, was an American jazz trombonist.
Music career
He was born in Yonkers, New York, United States. Bert received a degree and a teaching license from the Manha ...
, Jack Jeffers, Jimmy Knepper
James Minter Knepper (November 22, 1927 – June 14, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. In addition to his own recordings as leader, Knepper performed and recorded with Charlie Barnet, Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Benny Goo ...
– trombone
**Bill Easley
Bill Easley (born January 13, 1946) is an American jazz musician who plays saxophone, flute, and clarinet.
Early life and education
Easley was born and raised in Olean, New York. He began playing music at the age of 13 and studied at Memphis S ...
, John Purcell – alto saxophone, flute
**Lew Tabackin
Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s.
Biography
Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...
– tenor saxophone, flute
**Loren Schoenberg
Loren Schoenberg (born July 23, 1958) is a tenor saxophonist, conductor, educator, and jazz historian. He has won two Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes. He is the former Executive Director and currently Senior Scholar of the National Jazz Museum ...
– tenor saxophone
**Danny Bank
Daniel Bernard Bank (July 17, 1922 – June 5, 2010) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks.
He was born on July 17, 1922. Early in his career Bank played with Charlie Barnet ...
– baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
**Remo Palmier
Remo Paul Palmier (March 29, 1923 – February 2, 2002) was an American jazz guitarist.
Career
Palmier began his career as a musician during the 1940s, and collaborated with Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Teddy Wilson. ...
– guitar
**John Lewis
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
– piano, musical director
**Dick Katz
Richard Aaron Katz (March 13, 1924 – November 10, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, arranger and record producer. He freelanced throughout much of his career, and worked in a number of ensembles. He co-founded Milestone Records in 1966 with Or ...
– piano (tracks 1, 3, 5-10 & 12-15)
**Ron Carter
Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...
– bass
**Mel Lewis
Melvin Sokoloff (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990), known professionally as Mel Lewis, was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations.
Biography
Early years
Lewis was ...
– drums
References
{{Authority control
1987 albums
Benny Carter albums
American Jazz Orchestra albums
MusicMasters Records albums