Statesmen of Jazz (1994)

About this title: This is a rather historic recording, for it finds altoist Benny Waters, the oldest active jazz musician at a month shy of 93, in surprisingly fiery form; his feature on "Blue Waters" is easily the high point. The other members of the Statesmen of Jazz (a group sponsored by the American Federation of Jazz Societies) are all senior citizens too: violinist Claude Williams (86), flugelhornist Clark Terry (74), trumpeter Joe Wilder (72), trombonist Al Grey (69), tenor saxoponist Buddy Tate (79), pianist Jane Jarvis (79), bassist Milt Hinton (84), and drummer Panama Francis (76). Although Tate was ... read more

Tracks:

1. Moten Swing [Moten]
2. No Bridge [Terry]
3. It Could Happen to You [Burke/VanHeusen]
4. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) [Bowman]
5. Coquette [Kahn/Lombardo/Green]
6. Open Wider Please [Grey/Francis/Group]
7. Blue Waters [Waters]
8. Just Squeeze Me (Don't Tease Me) [Gaines/Ellington]
9. Tangerine [Mercer/Schertzinger]
10. C Jam Blues [Bigard/Ellington]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.