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 Bjørn, 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, All Music Guide
