Benny Golson: Germany, 2000

Benny Golson is one of jazz's most lyrical tenor saxophonists and among its most gifted songwriters. His astonishing catalog of jazz standards includes I Remember Clifford, Stablemates, Whisper Not, Along Came Betty, Blues March, Killer Joe and so many others. His large number of albums recorded in the 1950s show off his composing gifts and his smoky, slippery tenor sound. His group the Jazztet in the early 1960s pulled all of his talents together in one sophisticated package. You'll find my 2008 interview with Benny here.

Here's Benny with trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Carl Allen in Salzau, Germany, at the Jazz Baltica Festival in 2000 (a special thanks to my man Jimi Mentis in Athens)...