BENNY GOLSON: Up Jumped Benny

“Saxophonist/composer Benny Golson, supported by impressive young stars Kevin Hays, Dwayne Burno & Carl Allen, wonderfully explores this combination of his timeless standards & recent compositions from Golson, who shows why he is a living Jazz legend.” – Nat Hentoff, Author/Columnist, The New York Times

In this memorable Arkadia Records live concert CD, entitled Benny Golson: Up Jumped Benny, NEA Jazz Master, virtuoso saxophonist and renowned composer Benny Golson gives full expression to the refined poetic temperament and matchless musical intelligence which have made him a living jazz legend.

“One of the best things happening in jazz today is the bandstand combination of past masters and talented whipper-snappers. When everything gets right, what results is music that has both the reflective substance of time spent at the craft and the ambitious bite of focused youth. We hear that phenomenon on this recording, where Benny Golson has surrounded himself with youngsters. This is good for him and good for them. He can count on their energy and and they can count on his knowledge. This is how the culture of jazz is most truly passed on.

The rhythm section of Kevin Hays, Dwayne Burno, and Carl Allen is a triangle of serious young talent. Each of these men knows his instrument and is well aware of the precedents set by his artistic ancestors.  The leader picked the right guys. They listen to each other and they listen to him. They know how to catch a groove and hold on to it. And, like all masters of the game, Benny Golson knows just what to do with what they provide.”- Stanley Crouch

“Golson’s “Up Jumped Benny” (Arkadia) is an absolute killer. (you) may have to install seat belts…”  –S.D. Feeney, Face Magazine

Supported by an impressive trio of young stars, Kevin Hays (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), and Carl Allen (drums), Golson’s mellow tenor saxophone wonderfully explores this combination of his timeless standards and recent compositions entitled Benny Golson: Up Jumped Benny.

“Neatly balancing Coleman Hawkins’ breathy elegance and John Coltrane’s tumultuous drive, he has most of the qualities one comes to jazz for. In Up Jumped Benny, Mr. Golson has rarely sounded more impressive…dramatically alive, impulsive and untethered.” – Ben Ratliff, New York Times

Song Selection:

1. Up Jumped Spring	Freddie Hubbard	8:48
2. Stablemates	Benny Golson	8:46
3. Talk Intro		0:23
4. Tiny Capers	Clifford Brown	10:45
5. Talk Intro		0:24
6. I Remember Clifford	Benny Golson	15:21
7. For Old Time’s Sake	James Williams	6:32
8. Whisper Not	Benny Golson	10:02
9. Gypsy Jingle Jangle	Benny Golson	10:25

Benny Golson: Tenor saxophone
Kevin Hays: Piano
Dwayne Burno: Bass
Carl Allen: Drums

Bob Karcy: Producer
Mike Muller and Ilse Weinmann: Tour and Line Producers
Total Time: 72 minutes

What the Critics Say:

“In my experience of some thirty years of writing about and recording musicians, BENNY GOLSON stands out as a man whose musical skills and capacities are extraordinarily wide-ranging. He is consistently resourceful in terms of creativity, as well as as being a thorough professional. His conscientiousness, the high standards he always sets for himself, and his total reliability are qualities that account for the prominence he has attained – along with, of course, his prodigious musicianship as a composer, arranger and performer. Benny Golson continually impresses me with the freshness of his musical conceptions. But I am never surprised that they always work exactly as he says they will, because they always do.” – John S Wilson, Jazz Critic, The New York Times

“I have known Benny Golson as one of the most complete musicians of the past twenty-five years. He is a composer with an unusually brilliant melodic sense.”  – Ben Ratliff, New York Times

“In these days of smoothly burnished sound-alike tenor saxophonists, there aren’t many whose uniquely personal approach sets them apart from and above their peers. Benny Golson is one such player. (He) may have found in Bob Karcy’s new Arkadia label a long-overdue channel for his creative genius…The music…is superb throughout.” – Jack Bowers, Cadence Magazine

“Up Jumped Benny puts his horn up front, and he responds with lovely tonal nuances, modal excursions, chromatic curves, and even an interpolation of Puccini’s “E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca. What’s not to like?” – Art Lange, Pulse

“Consider Benny Golson: At age 68, he’s a world-class composer and arranger, and an outstanding if undervalued tenor-sax player whose engine still runs strong…with New York’s Arkadia Jazz, their affiliation is off to a good start here. Heaven knows, he deserves to be heard.” – Frank-John Hadley, Jazziz

“(Best of Artist) Golson’s fans will feel fortunate to have this.” – Richard S. Ginell, All-Music Guide

“Golson owns a piece of jazz history. His soulful tenor tone is gorgeous, his lines fluid and intelligent, his playing passionate and precise. This is an impressive session from Golson and his trio…” – Walter White, Victory Review

“In this live session, the nuances that make Benny Golson such a venerated player and writer are in full evidence. His tenor sax sound is deep and dark – in truth, mysterious. Over the last eight years or so Golson has reinvigorated his playing. He has never played more passionately than he does today – or with more intelligence and daring. “Up Jumped Benny” is a welcome addition to the Golson discography.” – Jim Merod, Jazz Now

“Golson’s a superb tenor saxophonist… his playing has become more refined over the years. (In this session) Golson’s warm tone and inventiveness come to the fore… And he can still cook.” – Harvey Pekar, JazzTimes

“Golson’s playing is still lively and fresh today. Up Jumped Benny, Golson’s new CD on Arkadia Jazz, is a deluxe 72-minute live set capturing his quartet in top form. Coming from someone who has seen him perform a dozen or so times, it is some of the best Golson I have ever heard. (His) Classics receive their finest workouts recorded to date. A recognized great among music’s cognoscenti, Benny Golson, does not have the mass audience he deserves.” – George Gabriel, Cups Culture Magazine

“1/2 stars. Benny Golson’s…sound is rich and thick, unique and instantly identifiable through decades of jazz prominence. Golson’s contributions to the jazz art encompass superb performance, composition and arranging skills. He has earned the title of living jazz legend. – George Fendel, Jazzscene, Our Town

“This sweet and sympathetic live session… is a good reminder that Golson always has been a creative and unique improviser. Golson plays a mix of tender ballads and thumping, uptempo numbers that makes you wish you’d been there. This is a nicely paced, enjoyable set with a lot of percussive energy and mellow glow.” – Paul de Barros, ENSO Internet reviews

About Benny Golson:

Multi-talented and internationally famous jazz legend, – a composer, arranger, lyricist, producer – and tenor saxophonist of world note, Benny Golson was born in Philadelphia, PA on January 25, 1929.

Raised with an impeccable musical pedigree, Golson has played in the bands of world famous Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic and Art Blakey.

Composer/Arranger/Performing Artist:

Few jazz musicians can claim to be true innovators and even fewer can boast of a performing and recording career that literally redefines the term “Jazz.” A prodigious writer, Golson has written well over 300 compositions. Benny Golson has made major contributions to the world of music with such jazz standards as:

“Killer Joe”, “I Remember Clifford”, “Along Came Betty”, “Stablemates”, “Whisper Not”, “Blues March”, “Five Spot After Dark”, and “Are you Real”

Benny Golson is the only living jazz artist to have written 8 standards for jazz repertoire. These jazz standards have found their way into countless recordings internationally over the years and are still being recorded.

He has recorded over 30 albums, including six for Arkadia Records, in the United States and Europe under his own name and innumerable ones with other major artists.

For more than 60 years, Golson has enjoyed an illustrious, musical career in which he has not only made scores of recordings but has also composed and arranged music for:

Count Basie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Mama Cass Elliott, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Shirley Horn, David Jones and the Monkees, Quincy Jones, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, Itzhak Perlman, Oscar Peterson, Lou Rawls, Mickey Rooney, Diana Ross, The Animals (Eric Burden), Mel Torme, George Shearing, and Dusty Springfield.

His prolific writing includes scores for hit TV series and films:

“M*A*S*H”, “Mannix”, “Mission Impossible”, “Mod Squad”, “Room 222”, “Run for Your Life”, “The Partridge Family”, “The Academy Awards”, and “The Karen Valentine Show”, Television specials for ABC, CBS and NBC. Television specials for BBC in London and Copenhagen, Denmark. Theme for Bill Cosby’s last TV show, and A french film ‘Des Femmes Disparaissent” (Paris)

He has written music for national radio and television spots for some of the major advertising agencies in the country. Some of these commercials were for:

Borateem, Canada Dry, Carnation, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Clorox, Dodge, General Telephone, Gillette, Heinz Foods, Jack in The Box, Liquid Plum’r, MacDonald’s, Mattel Toys, Monsanto, Nissan, Ohrbachs, Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes, Parliament Cigarettes, Pepsi Cola, and Texaco.

Educator:

Benny Golson has absolute mastery of the jazz medium. He has not only blazed a trail in the world of jazz but is passionate about teaching jazz to young and old alike. He has lectured at the Lincoln Center through a special series by Wynton Marsalis. He has lectured to doctoral candidates at New York University and to the faculty at National University at San Diego.

Honored with doctorates from William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ and Berklee School of Music, Boston, MA, Dr. Golson has also conducted workshops and clinics at:

• Appalachian University, Boone, NC
• Berklee School fo Music, Boston, MA
• Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY
• Howard University, Washington, DC
• Julliard School of Music, New York, NY
• Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
• New England Conservatory
• Paris Conservatory, Paris, France
• Rutgers University, New Orleans, LA
• Stanford University, Stanford, CA
• University of Denver, Denver, CO
• University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Appleton, WI
• William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ

Golson’s musical odyssey has taken him around the world. In 1987 he was sent by the US State Department on a cultural tour of Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore. Later, Philip Morris International sent him on an assignment to Bangkok, Thailand to write music for the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

A live performer who consistently knocks audiences off their feet, Benny Golson has given hundreds of performances in the USA, Europe, South America, the Far East and Japan for decades. Benny is also working on a major college textbook and his autobiography.

This humble musical giant continues to impress critics, fans and fellow musicians with his prodigious contributions to the world of Jazz.