Music Lane It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Music Lane ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

RE: Would his 'Dig Ben' box set be worth purchasing?

Posted by musetap (A) on January 11, 2008 at 08:36:07

In Reply to: Would his 'Dig Ben' box set be worth purchasing? posted by Redbook on January 11, 2008 at 06:26:22:

You mean "Big Ben" on Proper? It's dirt cheap and full of some great music (like most all the Proper sets) so it certainly is.

"Big Ben" offers many fine Webster solos and offers his playing in different small band contexts that are difficult to find elsewhere, as well as some hot Ellington sides (and the big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Cab Calloway). There are also some great dates with his own combos. All the tracks are 78 era and 3 minutes or less - so no stretching out. Sound quality varies but is overall quite acceptable.

IMO, not primo Webster recordings (I prefer his 50's sound - I'm a sucker for his ballad playing), but a GREAT taste of what he has to offer in various settings and as good as early Webster gets. Webster started to hit his peak with Ellington in 1940 and just grew into his own as an artistic voice from there. By 1941 Webster was one of THE great Tenors, amongst a slew of incredibly talented competition, he really stood out. Some of this later 40's output is also represented on "Big Ben".

"...You're all welcome to stay for the next set...we're going to play all the same tunes, but in different keys..." -Count Basie

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

VH Audio

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---