Benny Carter Recorded June 14, 1992, Courtesy of Smithsonian Jazz Oral History

This native New Yorker made memorable impressions as a great bandleader and improviser. Largely self-taught, Benny Carter's first instrument was the trumpet, although the alto saxophone eventually became his principal instrument. He participated in tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic and wrote arrangements for singers including Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. Carter received numerous awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.

Complete Transcript (145 pages) View PDF

Clip 1: MP3 Family Musical History

Clip 2: MP3 First Saxophone

Clip 3: MP3 Meeting Count Basie

Clip 4: MP3 First Arrangements

Clip 5: MP3 Why the Saxophone

Clip 6: MP3 1932’s First Orchestra

Clip 7: MP3 Dizzy Gillespie’s Impact

Clip 8: MP3 Writing for Film and TV

Benny Carter Photo Provided Courtesy of Ed Berger