Benny Golson : NPR

Musicians in Their Own Words

Benny Golson: From Jazz to Hollywood and Back

May 3, 2007 • Saxophone player Benny Golson played with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey, and wrote music for the TV shows M*A*S*H and Mission Impossible.

Benny Golson: From Jazz to Hollywood and Back

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Benny Golson. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Studio Sessions

Benny Golson On Piano Jazz

June 24, 2016 • A giant of hard bop, the saxophonist and composer performs some of his most enduring standards.

Benny Golson In The Studio

55:16

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Music Interviews

Benny Golson Recreates His Great 'Jazztet'

January 24, 2009 • He grew up with John Coltrane, gigged with Art Blakey and shared the silver screen with Tom Hanks. Now, on the eve of 80, illustrious saxophonist and jazz composer Benny Golson is re-creating his greatest ensemble: the six-person Jazztet.

Benny Golson Recreates His Great 'Jazztet'

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Music

Benny Golson All-Stars and Joe Zawinul in Concert

WBGO

May 10, 2007 • From the 2006 North Sea Jazz Festival, saxophonist Benny Golson leads an all-star jam in honor of trumpet legend Clifford Brown. Keyboard synthesist Joe Zawinul, performing with the WDR Big Band, revisits the pioneering 1970s fusion collective Weather Report. Listen to both concerts recorded by JazzSet.

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Review

Music Reviews

Sampling Selections from Jazz Label Mosaic

Fresh Air

March 11, 2005 • Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews two new box set releases from the mail-order house Mosaic: The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions and The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions.

Sampling Selections from Jazz Label Mosaic

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Music Interviews

Benny Golson: Elder Statesman of the Jazz Sax

September 13, 2004 • Over a half century, saxophonist Benny Golson played with and composed for some of the biggest stars in jazz. Now 75, Golson is enjoying a burst of new recognition, with a new recording and music featured in the recent film The Terminal. He speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Benny Golson: Elder Statesman of the Jazz Sax

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Benny Golson (right) and pianist Sharp Radway perform at the KPLU studios in Seattle. Justin Steyer/Jazz24 hide caption

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Justin Steyer/Jazz24

Favorite Sessions

Benny Golson: Bringing The Hits

Jazz24

March 22, 2012 • Golson, who recorded his first album as a bandleader 55 years ago, is responsible for some of the most memorable songs in the jazz canon. Watch the tenor-sax legend perform at KPLU in Seattle.

With many young talents under his tutelage, Art Blakey has often been called the father of hard bop. David Referns/Redferns hide caption

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David Referns/Redferns

Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

A Hard Look At Hard Bop

90.5 WESA

January 25, 2010 • Evolving out of 1950s bebop, hard bop incorporates elements of gospel, soul and R&B. One of the style's biggest supporters, Blue Note Records, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. And while jazz has progressed since then, hard bop is still heard in many modern jazz recordings. Hear five classics.

Behind 'A Great Day In Harlem': Jean Bach On Piano Jazz

Can you name all the musicians in the photo? Need help? Art Kane/Art Kane Archives hide caption

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Art Kane/Art Kane Archives

Studio Sessions

Behind 'A Great Day In Harlem': Jean Bach On Piano Jazz

September 10, 2010 • Nominated for a 1995 Academy Award, Jean Bach's A Great Day in Harlem documented the gathering of 57 jazz greats on a Harlem front stoop for an Esquire magazine shoot in 1959. Bach remembers the legacy of this iconic image, including those who have appeared on Piano Jazz.

Behind 'A Great Day In Harlem': Jean Bach On Piano Jazz

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Benny Golson's 80th-Birthday Concert On JazzSet

Benny Golson performs at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater. Margot Schulman/Kennedy Center hide caption

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Margot Schulman/Kennedy Center

Concerts

Benny Golson's 80th-Birthday Concert On JazzSet

WBGO

January 21, 2010 • For saxophone giant Benny Golson's 80th birthday in January 2009, the Kennedy Center staged an all-star celebration with a big band to the right, small groups to the left, and Golson front and center. JazzSet captured the event.

Benny Golson's 80th-Birthday Concert On JazzSet

58:00

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Music Interviews

Benny Golson Gets a Bump from 'The Terminal'

July 7, 2004 • In the 1950s, jazz legend Benny Golson emerged as one of the best tenor saxophonists around. But a famous photograph he posed for in 1958 has brought him new attention.

Benny Golson Gets a Bump from 'The Terminal'

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