Veterans Pay Tribute to Benny Carter

It was a great night for a party: one of the hottest evenings of the year to celebrate the 90th birthday of one of the coolest musicians in jazz--saxophonist-composer-bandleader Benny Carter.

And, although the sizzling weather held the Hollywood Bowl crowd Wednesday night to less than overflow proportions, the music was first-rate, providing a sterling tribute to the legendary jazz veteran.

Carter has long been one of the most respected artists in the music’s history. His own chronology, in fact, covers a good portion of that history. His recording debut took place in 1927, at a time when he was proficient on both trumpet and alto saxophone. By the early ‘30s, he was generally considered--with Johnny Hodges--to be one of the primary influences on alto saxophone, and was, as well, a highly regarded, and much admired arranger-composer. And his beat has continued up to the present, with Carter extremely active as player and composer-arranger through all the changing styles of the ‘50, ‘60, ‘70s and into the present.

It was appropriate that the action at the Carter tribute centered, for the most part, around the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Although Carter has functioned in virtually every area of the music business--from songwriting to arranging to film scoring to small-ensemble jazz--some of his most attractive and best-known work was done for big-band instrumentation.

The Clayton-Hamilton aggregation’s opening set, delivered after extended introductory remarks by master of ceremonies Quincy Jones, was solid, straight-ahead big band jazz. Clayton’s arranging, like Carter’s, understands the sonorities of the different sections of the big jazz band, and uses them at the service of a solid, driving sense of swing.

It also was appropriate that the program included a healthy sampling of saxophone music--including Carter’s own “Further Definitions” and solos from a covey of players that included Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath, Rickey Woodard, Herb Geller and Mel Martin (with highlight solo performances by Woods and Buddy Collette).

The concert’s high point was the world premiere of “Maestro--The Benny Carter Suite,” written by Clayton to a commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The three-part work managed to resonate and echo the kind of elegant musical sensitivity characteristic of Carter’s music without mimicking or imitating it. For Clayton, the work represents yet another addition to a growingly impressive body of musical writing.

Among the other highlights, Diana Krall sang a new ballad, “Benny,” with music by Ray Brown and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. There was an attractive interfacing between guitarist Kenny Burrell and trumpeter Nicholas Payton (who supplied a valuable youthful focus in a program that sometimes seemed a bit too oriented toward veteran players), and a couple of all-star jams.

Carter’s appearance at the close of the evening to play a few numbers was the perfect epilogue. Still pursuing his muse, Carter’s past, present and future are stunning testimonies to the survival of the creative spirit.