Walter Benton

Walter Benton (1930-2000) was a Los Angeles tenor saxophonist who came to prominence in 1954 when he recorded with the Clifford Brown All Stars. From that point on, except for few jazz dates, he worked mainly in Latin bands he was a member of Perez Prados orchestra between 1955 and 1957. After that he returned to L.A. until 1960, when he moved to New York and joined Max Roachs group.

This album, his only date as a leader, was recorded that same year. A successful, unaffected blowing session, it demonstrated that he had reached full maturity as a player, with a style influenced by Charlie Parker, but owing a debt to an earlier lineage from Coleman Hawkins, a trait especially evident in his sound. Playing with typical fluency, drive and imagination, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard contributes much to the success of the album, as does pianist Wynton Kelly, an impeccable combination of soul and taste as part of one of the stellar rhythm sections of the era, with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb completing the Miles Davis quintets famed engine room. The perfect rhythm section does not suffer when Tootie Heath replaces Cobb on three performances. Walter Benton went back to Los Angeles in 1961, but sadly did not do any more albums like this.