Jazz icon, NEA Jazz Master, and composer Benny Golson (who celebrated his 90th birthday during the cruise) sits down with SiriusXM's Eulis Cathey aboard The Jazz Cruise 2019 to share candid stories from his unparalleled career,,. Golson recounts growing up in Philadelphia, his path from aspiring concert pianist to saxophone legend, his pivotal, early relationship with John Coltrane (including the famous "Sunny Side of the Street" anecdote), his time with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (including the origin of "Blues March"), and his move to Hollywood to score films like Mission Impossible.
Key Takeaways
- Early Musical Start: Golson started taking piano lessons at age 9 for 75 cents an hour, initially aiming to become a concert pianist,.
- The Switch to Saxophone: After skipping school to see the Lionel Hampton band at the Earl Theater, he was mesmerized by a saxophone solo, leading him to tell his mother he wanted to play jazz saxophone,,. His mother eventually bought him a brand new Martin saxophone for a dollar down.
- The Coltrane Encounter: As a teenager, he met John Coltrane—then described as a "country bumpkin"—who sounded just like Johnny Hodges,. Golson's mother was so impressed she would only ask Coltrane to play On the Sunny Side of the Street, much to the annoyance of the young musicians who were trying to play the music of Charlie Parker,.
- The Prophecy: After Golson and Coltrane were fired from the local band Jimmy Johnson and his Ambassadors, Golson's mother, who was suspicious because the gig was canceled only two hours beforehand, comforted them with the prophecy: "One day the two of you will be so good they won't have enough money to pay you",. This prophecy proved true years later at the Newport Festival.
- Mentorship and Blues March: While working with the R&B band Bull Moose Jackson and his Buffalo Bearcats, he was mentored in composing by piano player Tad Damarind,. Later, as a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, he suggested that Blakey get a new band, recommending a Philadelphia lineup including Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons, leading Blakey to joke, "What is this Philadelphia crap I'm hearing?". Golson also famously suggested that Blakey start his set with a march, which became the hit "Blues March",.
- "I Remember Clifford": Golson noted that it took him two weeks to write the song, a process much slower than his typical output of two or three songs a day. He stated, "I wish I hadn't written that song," explaining he meant he regretted the death of Clifford Brown that necessitated its creation.
- Hollywood Career: Encouraged by Quincy Jones, Golson moved to LA and scored films and TV shows, starting with It Takes a Thief and later moving on to Mission Impossible, The Partridge Family, and MASH. He once compensated for a reduced string section by hiding an organist in the arrangement.
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- Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.
