The Curtis Fuller Jazztet With Benny Golson The Curtis Fuller Jazztet

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 - The Athens Sessions (2000) {Reissue 2008 El Capitan 2201556062}
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© 2000, 2008 El Capitan / Legend | 2201556062
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post-Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

Born on 25 January 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), Benny Golson was introduced to music's various facets as a child. His trajectory as a professional tenor saxophone player was initiated in 1951 when he joined Bull Moose Jackson's R&B band. His acquaintance with Tadd Dameron at that time was to be of major influence on his future musical writing. The mid-fifties found Benny Colson playing in bands led by Dameron, Lionel Hampton, as well as in the midst of a cooperation with Dizzy Gillespie, playing in and arranging for the 1956-1958 big band. His next step was to become a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and to compose several tunes for the band.

In late 1961, Impulse Records and McCoy Tyner were each young and getting started. The two came together that year: the label barely a year old with just ten albums in its catalog; the pianist from Philadelphia twenty-three, already a young veteran of various bands and recording situations. ~ Ashley Kahn @ Verve Music

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.

One of the top hard bop contingents of the '50s and '60s, the Art Farmer and Benny Golson co-led group known as the Jazztet featured some of the best original charts and soloing of the entire era. While the group was only in existence between 1959-1962, its excellent reputation could rest on this stunning disc alone. Cut in 1960, the ten-track date features four of Golson's classic originals ("I Remember Clifford," "Blues March," "Park Avenue Petite," and "Killer Joe") and one very fetching Farmer-penned cut ("Mox Nix"). The rest of the standards-heavy mix is given the golden touch by the sextet. And what a combo this is – besides Farmer's svelte trumpet lines and Golson's frenetically vaporous tenor solos, one gets a chance to hear a young but already very accomplished McCoy Tyner, the tart and mercurial trombonist Curtis Fuller, and the streamlined rhythm tandem of Addison Farmer and Lex Humphries. An essential hard bop title.

Recorded in the New York City, November 1957.
Benny Golson is a talented composer/arranger whose tenor playing has continued to evolve with time. After attending Howard University (1947-50) he worked in Philadelphia with Bull Moose Jackson's R&B band (1951) at a time when it included one of his writing influences, Tadd Dameron on piano. Golson played with Dameron for a period in 1953 and this was followed by stints with Lionel Hampton (1953-54), Johnny Hodges and Earl Bostic (1954-56). He came to prominence while with Dizzy Gillespie's globetrotting big band (1956-58), as much for his writing as for his tenor playing (the latter was most influenced by Don Byas and Lucky Thompson)…

Benny Golson and Curtis Fuller, who go back to their Jazztet days in the 1950s and 1960s, are reunited in this great bop-oriented album. Recorded in 1998, it features the quintet with Benny Green on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Plus, on the opening track, special guests Jimmy McGriff and Wayne Boyd play the Hammond B-3 and guitar, respectively. It is great to hear the two principals blow their horns with authority and age-defying power. The highlight of the CD is the medium-tempo blues "South Street Jam" with McGriff on the B-3. Drenched in the soulful essence of the blues, everybody shines!