Benny Golson

Benny Golson - Benny Golson's New York Scene (1957) {OJC}
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© 1991 Fantasy / Contemporary / OJC | OJCCD-164-2
Jazz / Cool / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Benny Golson's debut as a leader was recorded at a time when he was better known as a composer than a tenor saxophonist. This album, reissued during the CD era with "B.G.'s Holiday" added to the original LP program as a bonus track, features Golson in a quintet with fellow future Jazztet co-leader Art Farmer on trumpet, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Charlie Persip on five selections, and with the same group plus four horns on three other songs. The set is most significant for including an early version of Golson's "Whisper Not" (which soon became a jazz standard) along with "Step Lightly," as well as for the leader's inventive and swinging arrangements; plus, there are some excellent solos from Golson and Farmer. Overall, this underrated gem served as a strong start to Benny Golson's influential solo career.

Benny Golson - And The Philadelphians (1958) {Blue Note 724349410428 rel 1998}
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© 1958, 1998 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 4 94104 2 8 | SBM
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

The title of this 1998 CD reissue is a little inaccurate. This set does have a six-song session with the all-Philadelphia crew of tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Philly Joe Jones. But there are also four numbers from a month later in which Golson and pianist Bobby Timmons are joined by a trio of Frenchmen: trumpeter Roger Guerin (who was actually the date's leader), bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Christian Garros. Ironically, the previous Swing LP had the equally inaccurate title of Benny Golson In Paris; the first date was actually cut in New York. In any case, the music is quite enjoyable, and the two dates match well together.

Art Farmer & Benny Golson - The Complete Argo-Mercury Jazztet Sessions (2004) {7CD Set, Mosaic MD7-225 rec 1960-1962}
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© 1960-62, 2004 Mosaic Records | MD7-225
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Saxophone

The Jazztet was one of the best small groups playing hard bop during the early '60s, jointly led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson. This boxed set not only includes all six albums that they recorded for Argo and Mercury, but also features three sessions apiece led separately by Farmer and Golson. Farmer was in the process of making a switch from trumpet to flügelhorn during this time frame, while Golson's solid tenor sax was overshadowed somewhat by his impressive contributions as a composer and arranger, a primary reason the group is remembered.

Benny Golson - Groovin' With Golson (1959) {Prestige OJCCD-226-2 rel 1992}
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© 1959, 1992 Prestige / New Jazz / Fantasy | OJCCD-226-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

This is one of at least four recordings that matched up tenor saxophonist Benny Golson and trombonist Curtis Fuller prior to the formation of the Jazztet; ironically, Fuller only stuck around for one Jazztet record before departing. Reissued on CD, the LP-length program has two lesser-known Golson compositions along with "Drum Boogie," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and "Yesterdays." Three of the tunes are blues, and the two ballads are taken at a medium-tempo pace. With pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey forming a solid rhythm section, the hard bop music does indeed groove in its own fashion.

Along with Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver, the prolific Benny Golson created some of the most memorable compositions in the jazz repertoire. This reissue features his first albums as a leader, and many of his most familiar originals are to be found here. In a 1958 Downbeat article Ralph Gleason highlighted “the extraordinary attention jazz musicians are currently paying to his compositions”. Indeed by the early 60s it seemed that every rehearsal band in the UK and everyone on the jazz club circuit had at least three or four of his originals in the book…