| 原名 | Benjamin Moten | 出生 | 1894-11-13 | ||
| 逝世 | 1935-04-03 | 爵士貓評分 | ★★★★★ | ||
| 活躍年份 | 1920-1930 | 相關工作 | 鋼琴 [Piano] | ||
| 主要音樂風格 | Classic , BigBand | ||||
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實際上Moten的樂隊是強勢的，以至於最後它吞併了許多競爭者的樂隊，包括Walter Page的藍魔（Blue Devils）樂隊。藍魔樂隊的許多成員，最後成為了Moten的樂隊成員，嗯，包括William Basie（就是後來設立Count Basie樂隊的那個鋼琴手）。
Moten的樂隊原來是一個六重奏的組合，組建於1922年。1923年，樂隊推出了他們的首張唱片。1923到1925年間，Moten最受歡迎的是那首“south”。1926到1932年間，Moten的管弦樂隊為了Victor公司而錄製了幾張唱片。雖然Moten的管弦樂隊最初的成員中，並沒有很出名的人，但後來加入他樂隊的人中不乏優秀的音樂家：比如偶爾在樂隊中演奏一下手風琴的Moten的哥哥BUCHER Moten；比如薩克斯Harlan Leonard， Jack Washington；比如喇叭手和吉他手Eddie Durham；比如歌手Jimmy Rushing；比如喇叭手“熱嘴唇”oran Page（Hot Lip Page）和1929年之後加入的鋼琴手Count Basie。Count的演奏風格深受Moten的影響。從那時開始，樂隊唱片中的鋼琴部分，都是由Count演奏的，Moten只是在俱樂部的現場表演中彈奏一兩段。
Bennie Moten最著名的一張專輯，也是他的最後一張專輯。從1932年12月13日的錄製的這10首歌中，我們驚訝的發現它們和Count Basie五年後的一張專輯非常的類似。
除了Hot Lips Page，Durham， Washington和Basie，那時的樂隊還包括了Ben Webster，Eddie Barefield和Walter Page，其中的一個亮點是初次登場的“Moten Swing。”
1935年Moten在扁桃體切除手術中不幸逝世。Buster Moten暫時接管了Moten的樂隊，但樂隊中許多頂尖的成員，終於離開了樂隊，跟隨像Lester Young這樣的優秀音樂家一起加入了Count Basie的貝西伯爵管弦樂隊。
Scott Yanow文
perfectstring譯
Bennie Moten is today best-remembered as the leader of a band that partly became the nucelus of the original Count Basie Orchestra, but Moten deserves better. He was a fine ragtime-oriented pianist who led the top territory band of the 1920s, an orchestra that really set the standard for Kansas City jazz. In fact it was so dominant that Moten was able to swallow up some of his competitors' groups including Walter Page's Blue Devils, most of whom eventually became members of Moten's big band. Moten 出生 his group (originally a sextet) in 1922 and the following year they made their first recordings. Among Moten's 1923-25 sides for Okeh was the original version of his greatest hit "South." During 1926-32 Moten's Orchestra recorded for Victor and, although none of his original musicians became famous, the later additions included his brother Buster on occasional jazz accordion, Harlan Leonard, Jack Washington, Eddie Durham, Jimmy Rushing, Hot Lips Page and (starting in 1929) Count Basie. So impressed was Moten by Moten's playing that Count assumed the piano chair for recordings from that point on (although in clubs Moten would generally play a feature or two). The most famous Bennie Moten recording session was also his last, ten songs cut on December 13, 1932 that find the ensemble strongly resembling Basie's five years later. In addition to Hot Lips Page, Durham, Washington and Basie, the band at that point also starred Ben Webster, Eddie Barefield and Walter Page and one of the highpoints was the debut of "Moten Swing."
Tragically Bennie Moten die in 1935 from a botched tonsillectomy operation. Buster Moten briefly took over the band, but many of its top members (along with some important additions like Lester Young) eventually gravitated towards Count Basie. — Scott Yanow
