Benny Carter, like
Coleman Hawkins, spent the '40s rubbing shoulders with bebop's young Turks, while mostly maintaining the style he forged during the early jazz and swing years. Possibly, like
Hawkins again,
Carter's '30s stay in Europe opened him up to the progressive nature of jazz and the necessity of always taking advantage of the music's complexities and malleability. And while
Carter didn't ape
Charlie Parker's alto flights or become a fixture at Minton's Playhouse, he did head up some fine big bands that featured the likes of
Miles Davis,
Dexter Gordon, J.J. Johnson,
Max Roach, and
Howard McGhee, to name a few bebop figures. This Classics discs takes in some of
Carter's adventurous big band sides from 1946-1948, including a California outfit with
Davis and
Gerald Wilson. On the more traditional end,
Carter is also heard with swing contemporaries like
Buck Clayton and
Ben Webster. A fine document of the fertile transition from swing to bebop.