Benny Golson, 1996 Saxophone, Composer, Educator Born January 25, 1929 in Philadelphia, PA
Photo by Tom Pich

Benny Golson is renowned for being a distinctive composer and tenor saxophonist with a warm, somewhat burly sound. Major cornerstones of his career have 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, completing commissioned assignments, such as a Philip Morris commission for the Bangkok Symphony. His soundtrack credits include M*A*S*H, Mission Impossible, Mod Squad, and Ironside.

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.

Selected Discography
Benny Golson's New York Scene, Original Jazz Classics, 1957
The Other Side of Benny Golson, Original Jazz Classics, 1958
Groovin' with Golson, Original Jazz Classics, 1959
Up Jumped Benny, Arkadia, 1986
That's Funky, Arkadia Jazz, 2000

Text from NEA Jazz Masters (NEA, 2004). Copies can be ordered free of charge through our Publications section.

National Endowment for the Arts
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