Articles: "The Ben Webster Foundation"

"The Ben Webster Foundation"

Ben Webster (March 27, 1909 - September 20, 1973)

The Ben Webster Foundation was founded in Copenhagen in 1976 in honour of the great saxophonist. Benjamin Francis Webster was born 27 March 1909 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA and died on a tour in Holland 20 September 1973. Ben Webster lived in Copenhagen, Denmark for the last 8 years of his life and was buried here. His grave can be seen at the Assistens Kirkegaarden just outside the old City of Copenhagen.

To this day Ben Webster has proved to ba a true giant at the summit of the jazz star firmament. His saxophone sound combined with his unique melodic mastery is still one of the most individual and artistic expressions in jazz. His recordings are sought after, not only by mature aficionados but also by a younger audience seeking the feeling and the special warm expression that Ben webster made available through his music. It is not far-fetched to say that Ben Webster has become both cult and myth - whether he would have liked it or not.

-Henrik Wolsgaard-Iversen, the Ben Webster Foundation, Chairman.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF 
THE BEN WEBSTER FOUNDATION

During the eight years where Ben Webster lived in Denmark (he died here in 1973), he did not have a personal manager or agent to take care of his artistic rights. In 1972 he joined up with Billy Moore Jr., former arranger for Jimmie Lunceford, among others. Mr. Moore took it upon him to clarify Webster's present and past recording history in an attempt to secure all the means and royalties that Webster was legally entitled to - but rarely received - from the different companies that kept reissuing Webster on LP and CD.

After Webster's death Billy Moore Jr. took the initiative to create The Ben Webster Foundation together with the trustee of Webster's estate. Since Webster's only legal heir, Mr. Harley Robinson in Los Angeles, gladly assigned his rights to the foundation, The Ben Webster Foundation was confirmed by The Queen of Denmark’s Seal in 1976. In the Foundation's trust deed, one of the initial paragraphs reads: ‘to support the issemination of jazz in Denmark’. The board of the Foundation consists of friends and relations of Ben Webster. It is a beneficial Foundation, where Webster’s annual royalties are conveyed back to musicians, both in Denmark and the US.

An annual Ben Webster Prize is awarded to a young, but outstanding musician. The prize is not grand, but considered highly prestigious. During the years, several American musicians have visited Denmark with the help of the Foundation, and concerts, a few recording and other jazz related events have been supported. First of all the Foundation monitors Ben Webster's artistic rights and has a keen eye for the many reissues of his music that pop up all over the world, sometimes more or less legal and often dubious with regard to technical quality and musical validity. The Foundation has been in charge now for 29 year, and it is rewarding to observe that Ben Webster's outstanding music is still being enjoyed all over the globe. The Foundation is ready to keep working in Webster's spirit for years to come.


MEMBERS OF THE BOARD (Feb. 19, 2012)

• Henrik Wolsgaard-Iversen, Chairman
• Christian Brorsen
• Frank Büchmann-Møller
• Jesper Thilo
• Ole Matthiessen
• Per Møller Hansen
• Søren Damving
• Aase Hejholt

"The Ben Webster Foundation" official website: ~www.benwebster.dk