Benny Carter, 95; Legendary Saxophonist Also Was Composer-Arranger, Bandleader

In 1945, Carter fought and won a legal battle against the then-common restrictive covenants that prohibited blacks from owning homes in some areas of Los Angeles. He also played a strong role in the early 1950s in uniting the separate black and white American Federation of Musicians' locals in Los Angeles. And while the consolidation of the two unions didn't fully open all the doors for blacks to do studio work, it did eliminate the exclusionary excuse that "you don't belong to the union."

Sophisticated Player

Although considered by fellow musicians as one of the most sophisticated and knowledgeable of players, Carter had little formal musical education and was largely self-taught. He could hardly have had a better teacher.

He arranged for virtually every major big band of the 1930s and '40s, including at various times Ellington, Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Charlie Barnet, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and Count Basie. Ironically, his own big bands -- considered among the most swinging, solidly musical outfits of their time -- never achieved the success of some of the lesser orchestras for which he arranged.

Carter had a modest, understated view of his bands' relative lack of fame. "No band I ever had achieved a sound the general public could immediately identify," he once said. "Goodman had one, and so did Glenn Miller."

Nevertheless, Carter's arrangements helped establish "the big-band sound," especially in his use of reed instruments.

In later years, after the big bands went into decline, Carter did special arrangements for such vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Ray Charles, Mel Torme and Lou Rawls.

A number of his compositions, such as "When Lights Are Low," "Blues in My Heart" and "Malibu," became jazz standards.

A novelty tune that he co-wrote, "Cow Cow Boogie," became a huge hit for singer Ella Mae Morse and bandleader Freddie Slack in 1942, and the number's success is credited by pop historians with helping establish the then-infant Capitol Records as a major power in the recording industry.

Carter wrote the bossa nova hit "Only Trust Your Heart," made famous by saxophonist Stan Getz and singer Astrud Gilberto. Many attributed this hit to the great Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim, which Carter took as a compliment.

Carter's primary instrument was the alto sax, but he also was an outstanding trumpeter and performed skillfully on clarinet, trombone and piano. When necessary he could fill in as a vocalist.