Benny Carter

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Benny Carter was among the most creative jazz composers and arrangers in a career that spanned the 1930s through the 1990s. He first recorded with Charlie Johnson's Orchestra in 1928 and worked with Duke Ellington and Teddy Wilson before forming his own band. Benny composed several songs now considered jazz standards including "When Lights Are Low" and "Key Largo" and received several awards for his contributions to jazz including being inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame in 1977.

Image courtesy of the Downbeat archives and Columbia Pictures.