Benny Waters

Benjamin " Benny " Waters ( born January 23, 1902 in Brighton, Maryland; † August 13, 1998 in Columbia, Maryland ) was an American jazz musician ( saxophonist and clarinetist ).

Life and work

Originally from a Seneca family Waters first played church music and European classical music. Even as a three year old, he learned piano and organ; school age, he moved to the clarinet; later the saxophone was a relevant instrument in jazz. He worked with Charlie Miller ( 1918-1921 ), before studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. He then worked with Clarence Williams. Then he wrote arrangements for Charlie Johnson, in his Paradise Ten 1926-1931 he played with King Oliver, for whom he arranged also, he made 1927 studio recordings; 1933-1936 he worked with Fletcher Henderson. Harry Carney, baritone saxophonist who later became Duke Ellington, was taught by him. He also worked with Hot Lips Page, Benny Carter and Claude Hopkins, before he was working as a pack leader Jimmie Lunceford in 1941; after he led his own band in New York, he worked in the rhythm-and - blues band by Roy Milton and then at Jimmy Archey. Waters lived 1949-1989 in Europe, where he was for many years the band of Jack Butler, which he took over in 1967, too, he was on tour in other European countries and took example on 1969 Benno Walldorf. In his last years he often performed with Jan Jankeje, Andi Maile, Klaus Graf, Doc Cheatham or Thilo Wagner. In 1995 he toured with the Statesman of Jazz.

The swing musician Waters, who described himself as mainstreamers and a headstrong entertainer was played across the styles of old-time jazz to hip-hop: with Let 's Talk About Jazz he rapped in old age on stage. Waters in the late 1980s at a cataract blind, since usually only performed with the alto saxophone since the change of instrument caused him trouble. He died in a hotel fire killed.