At Montmartre 1965-1966

Personnel: Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Kenny Drew, Atil Bjorn (piano); Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass); Alex Riel, Rune Carlsson (drums).
Recorded live at the Montmarte, Copenhagen on January 21, 1965 & May 12, 1966.
Personnel: Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Kenny Drew, Atli Bjorn (piano); Rune Carlsson, Alex Riel (drums).
Liner Note Author: Scott Yanow.
Recording information: Live At Montmarte, Copenhagen, Denmark (01/21/1965-05/12/1966).
The great tenor Ben Webster moved permanently to Europe in December 1964, where he worked steadily during his last eight years. The music on this CD was previously unreleased and is drawn from two live sessions at the Montmartre in Copenhagen. The first nine selections are the earliest examples of Webster during his European years, while the final three are from 16 months later. Webster was quite consistent throughout his career, and during his later years he simply played a variety of his favorite standards, usually with a quartet. The bulk of this set has Webster joined by pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels Pedersen, and drummer Alex Riel, while the final numbers are with Pedersen, pianist Atli Bjorn, and drummer Rune Carlsson. The tenor is in top form, showing off his gorgeous tone on the ballads and romping on the hotter material. Highlights include "Pennies from Heaven," "My Romance," "In a Mellow Tone," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and two versions of "Cottontail." ~ Scott Yanow