Customer Reviews

Further Definitions

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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This is one of those well-produced two-for-one CD's that give you a nice bang for your buck. In late 1961 noted altoist, trumpeter, arranger, and composer Benny Carter went into the studio with a group that included Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Rouse, Phil Woods, and the great Jo Jones on drums. The eight tracks they recorded were released as the epochal Further Definitions album and comprise the first eight tracks on this CD. The second eight comprise the 1966 album Additions To Further Definitions, which could be thought of as a kind of "bonus album" on the CD. The Further Definitions material is wonderful. The rich sonority of the four reeds coupled with snappy arrangements make for energetic, punchy versions of swing standards such as "Honeysuckle Rose," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Cotton Tail" and for beautiful, mesmerizing ballads. The climax is "Body and Soul" which features Carter's new arrangement of Hawkins's renowned 1939 solo; everyone shines on it, but Hawkins outdoes himself. The second album isn't as good, but it's hard to compete with a lineup like Woods/Hawkins/Rouse/Jones. It's not bad, but not a classic---nice to have as an extra though. All possible kudos to Michael Cuscuna for this excellently produced reissue, original liner notes and all. If you don't have Further Definitions on vinyl you should get this at once.

The album is so good, swings so hard and the arrangements are exellent. All of the players-Carter, Hawkins, Rouse, and Woods-are in top form backed by a superb rhythm section. Definitely get this if you have any interest in jazz whatsoever.

Combine superb solos with tight ensemble playing and you get a superior performance. Add genius to the mix and you get Further Definitions. A group of jazz All-Stars gets together and you get great solos. But, these great stars (Phil Woods, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Joe Jones) give you as tight a performance as any established band. Listen, and you know these guys wanted to be in that studio together. "The Midnight Sun will Never Set" is a classic. It's a performance blessed from above.

Alto saxophonist Benny Carter is a legend in the same cannon as Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. Like Webster and Hawkins, who are friends of his and have played with him in the past on his own recordings, Hawkins plays here on "Further Definitions," while Webster played on another Carter album called "Jazz Giant."

"Further Definitions" features a "big band" sound of sorts. It features the following lineup:

Benny Carter -- alto saxophone
Phil Woods -- alto saxophone (1-8)
Coleman Hawkins -- tenor saxophone (1-8)
Charlie Rouse -- tenor saxophone (1-8)
John Collins -- guitar (1-8)
Dick Katz -- piano (1-8)
Jimmy Garrison -- bass (1-8)
Jo Jones -- drums (1-8)
Bud Shank -- alto saxophone (9-16)
Buddy Collette -- tenor saxophone (9-10, 12-13)
Bill Perkins -- tenor saxophone (11, 14-16)
Teddy Edwards -- tenor saxophone (9-16)
Bill Hood -- baritone saxophone (9-16)
Barney Kessel -- guitar (9-16)
Mundell Lowe -- guitar (9-16)
Don Abney -- piano (9-16)
Ray Brown -- bass (9-16)
Alvin Stoller -- drums (9-16)

This album swings from start to finish and is a must for all jazz fans. Highly recommended.

My copy is the first CD release of "Further Definitions: The Complete Further Definitions Sessions" -- the copy listed here is a digitally remastered version of the copy I own. Get your hands on either one. As other reviewers have noted, the 1st 8 tracks are from a 1961 recording session and the remaining 8 were recorded with differing personnel in 1966. These latter tracks were produced more along the lines of Oliver Nelson's "Blues and the abstract truth" -- also from Impulse. In fact the cover design will look hauntingly familiar. Never mind, this CD is definately worth owning. I rate it as my 3rd favorite recording with Benny Carter, with "3, 4, 5 The Verve Small Group Sessions" as #1.

Since other comments gave more or less my opinion of this two-in-one CD, let me just add in my mother tongue da je rijec o jednom od najljepsih i najelegantnijih primjera "mejnstrim" jazza sto sam ih u zadnje vrijeme èuo...
Carter je, naravno, sasvim na visini, a s obzirom na sjajnu ekipu oko njega (Hawk, Monkov omiljeni suradnik Charlie Rouse, bubnjar Jo Jones, jos jedan veliki altist Phil Woods...) nije ni èudno da tako dobar aranzer i sviraè ostvari sjajne snimke.

Drugi album s ovog CD-a (dakle, druga polovica CD-a), "Additions to further definitions", s Budom Shankom, Teddyjem Edwardsom, Rayom Brownom i drugima tek je nesto manje dojmljiv.

Pelo fato de ter sido uma pessoa absolutamente normal durante toda sua longa carreira, Carter não costuma ser muito festejado nos meios jazzísticos. Sem a ira dionisíaca de um Charles Mingus, sem a excentricidade esquizofrênica de um Thelonious Monk e sem o sorriso perigoso de Duke Ellington, Carter dificilmente é citado como um dos maiores músicos do jazz. É grande o engano ou flagrante a injustiça colocá-lo no segundo escalão.

Carter é, entre outras coisas, o melhor arranjador da transição entre as décadas de 1920 e 1930, época em que Heisenberg proclamava o princípio da incerteza na Física. Tendo aprendido o ofício da orquestração por conta própria, chegou a rivalizar e até mesmo superar alguns mestres da época, como Don Redman. Fugindo ao modelo de sucesso fácil oferecido pelo swing, estilo que assolava o EUA nesses tempos, Carter construiu uma obra genial com humildade, independência e sensibilidade. Sua obra somente pode ser comparada à montanhesca criação da dupla Ellington & Strayhorn. Ao contrário do trabalho de Ellington, essencialmente instrumental, as composições de Carter são extremamente `cantáveis', característica que comprova sua veia de grande solista.

Além do trabalho como arranjador e compositor, Carter era um exímio instrumentista, capaz de cantar, tocar piano, trombone, trompete e os saxofones soprano, alto e tenor. Embora excelente trompetista, foi com o sax alto que Carter se destaca como um dos mais importantes improvisadores do jazz: suave, doce e tranqüilo, nem mesmo a velocidade assustadora imposta por Charlie Parker foi capaz de ofuscar a beleza de seus solos. Sua sonoridade única influenciou vários mestres do saxofone, entre eles Sonny Rollins. Carter era o tipo de pessoa que, assim como o inigualável Lester Young, apesar de negro, nunca teve vergonha ou malícia em negar a profunda influência recebida de Frank Trumbauer, um excepcional saxofonista branco renegado no jazz por sua cor. Para Carter a beleza da música estava acima do racismo irracional.

Carter provou com seu trabalho que nem toda música doce e agradável é necessariamente música de elevador ou de consultório dentário. Sua obra comprova que a música pode ser inteligente e complexa sem ser necessariamente chata e inaudível. Ele sabia, mais e melhor que todos nós, que o sucesso obedece cegamente ao princípio da incerteza, principalmente When Lights Are Low. Mas o mestre, é claro, não se importava com isso.

Impulse! may have made its name as an avant-gaurd jazz label. But when ABC-Paramount was just opening the black and orange doors around 1961, Impulse had Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, and Shirley Scott. Coltrane was leading the way, but at this early point, he was a modal jazz player playing music not too different from Miles.

This Benny Carter album is a perfect case in point. It is fantastic swing with a bop drive--amazing ballads, cookers, and immaculately done standards. Thick, rich music, that makes older jazz forms seem edge and modern.


The album features Carter, Colman Hawken's, Phil Woods and Jimmy Garrison. Excellent music.

I wonder if Garrison knew in 48 short months, he would be playing on Ascension. Unbeleavable.

compositions , arrangements and performance ... A true Jazz classic , with the greatests ... A must for your listening pleasure , specially if you appreciate arragements and it's performance ...

This "Impulse" A-9116. Recorded March, 2/4, 1966, Stero
Excellent condition (jacket and Sleeve)


Additions To Further Definitions