Danny Boy – 1965
Ben Webster
Webster caresses a ballad
Ben Webster (1909-73) was one of the great tenor-saxophonists, and one who had a dual musical personality.
He could sound quite brutal and roaring on an uptempo tune, but on ballads he frequently purred, putting a lot of feeling into each note.
Webster is in the latter mood on this version of “Danny Boy” from 1965, a quartet rendition with pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, and drummer Alex Riel that is filled with quiet emotion.
-Scott Yanow