Benny Golson Saxophone, Composer, Arranger, Educator Born January 25, 1929 in Philadelphia, PA
Photo by Tom Pich

Information for Presenters

Available for:
Concert performance, speaker/panelist, guest conductor, public interviews, educator, clinic/masterclass, artist-in-residence.

Bands and instrumentation:
Quartet; Quintet; Sextet; Big Band

Speaking topics:
Social Implications: Where is Jazz Going?
How Does One Get Started? What to listen for.
Attitude: Staying free of obstacles (i.e. drugs, excessive alcohol, etc.)

Educator or clinician/masterclass topics:
What are the considerations when composing/arranging?
What do you want to "say"? How do you say it?
How to listen to music?
How should you teach and consider each student's ability?

Ensembles comfortable performing with or conducting as a visiting artist:
Small ensembles (4-7 musicians); big bands

Available as a soloist or to work with a local resident band or rhythm section?
Yes.

Availability:
Late October through May

Contact information:
Gisela Klose
Ibbob Music
6399 Wilshire Blvd
Suite 1002
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Ph: 323/782-0947
Email: bennygolson@bennygolson.com gkkea@kloseandklose.com gklose@bennygolson.com
Web: www.bennygolson.com

Biography

Benny Golson is as renowned for his distinctive compositions and arrangements as for his innovative tenor saxophone playing. Major cornerstones of his career have included not only notable additions to the jazz canon, but also included his work in film and television studios, and in education.

Golson began on the piano, at age nine, moving to the saxophone at age 14. He earned a degree from Howard University, then joined Bull Moose Jackson's band in 1951. Arranging and composing became a serious pursuit for him at the early encouragement of composer-arranger Tadd Dameron, who he met in Jackson's band. Other early band affiliations included Lionel Hampton, Johnny Hodges, and Earl Bostic. He toured with the Dizzy Gillespie big band from 1956-58, then joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. His robust playing added extra kick to the band, and his solo on Bobby Timmons' song "Moanin'" is a classic. With the Messengers, Golson's writing skills blossomed as he contributed pieces for the band that have forever entered the jazz canon, including "Along Came Betty," "Blues March," "I Remember Clifford" (written upon the death of his friend Clifford Brown), "Killer Joe" (which later became a hit for Quincy Jones), and "Are You Real."

After leaving the Messengers, he and Art Farmer formed the hard bop quintet known as the Jazztet. The original incarnation of the Jazztet lasted from 1959-62. In 1963, he moved to California and began to concentrate on composing and arranging. He scored music for European and American television and films, and essentially discontinued touring until 1982, when he and Farmer revived the Jazztet briefly. Thereafter he played more frequently, working in all-star aggregations, and completing commissioned assignments, such as an original orchestral work for the 100th anniversary of the Juilliard School of Music in 2005. His soundtrack credits include M*A*S*H, Mission Impossible, Mod Squad, and Ironside.

In 1987, Golson participated in a U.S. State Department tour of Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Singapore. As a tribute to Art Blakey, Golson organized the "Jazz Messengers - A Legacy to Art Blakey" tour of the U.S., Europe, and Japan from 1998 to 2000.

As an educator he has lectured, given clinics, and performed extended residencies at New York University, Stanford University, University of Pittsburgh, Cuyahoga Community College, Rutgers University, William Paterson College, and Berklee College of Music. Among his awards is a 1994 Guggenheim Fellowship. Currently, he is putting the finishing touches on two books: a major college textbook and his autobiography, which will be published in late 2005 by Ibbob Music, Inc.

Mr. Golson was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1996.

Selected Discography
Benny Golson's New York Scene, Original Jazz Classics, 1957
Up Jumped Benny, Arkadia Jazz, 1986
Tenor Legacy, Arkadia Jazz, 1996
One Day, Forever, Arkadia Jazz, 1996-2000
Terminal 1, Concord Jazz, 2004

Biography from NEA Jazz Masters (NEA, 2006). Copies can be ordered free of charge through our Publications section.

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