Why Benny Golson Was Special

The late Benny Golson was rare in jazz. Among his many gifts were original songs with catchy melodies, glamorous harmony and romantic sophistication, His improvisational style was both fluid and relentlessly elegant. Best of all, his music had a way of making you feel sexy and cool.

For me, Benny was one of the Sensual Four—a group that included Tadd Dameron, Gigi Gryce and Quincy Jones. There was a European charm about their music and chord voicings that appealed to your heart without tugging at it.

In tribute to Benny, here are 15 of my favorite compositions that he wrote and recorded, plus a bonus video:

Here's Venetian Breeze, from The Modern Touch (1957), with Kenny Dorham (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul Chambers (b) Charlie Persip or Max Roach (d)...



Here's Fair Weather from Art Farmer's Modern Art (1958), with Art Farmer (tp), Benny Golson (ts,arr), Bill Evans (p), Addison Farmer (b) and Dave Bailey (d)...



Here's The Night from The Other Side of Benny Golson (1958), with Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Barry Harris (p), Jymie Merritt (b) and Philly Joe Jones (d)...



Here's Are You Real from the same album...



Here's Along Came Betty from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' Moanin' (1958), with Lee Morgan (tp), Benny Golson (ts), Bobby Timmons (p), Jymie Merritt (b) and Art Blakey (d)...



Here's Blues March from the same album...



Here's Stablemates from Benny Golson and the Philadelphians (1958), with Lee Morgan (tp) Benny Golson (ts) Ray Bryant (p) Percy Heath (b) Philly Joe Jones (d)...



Here's Staccato Swing from Gone Witih Golson (1959), with Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Ray Bryant (p), Tommy Bryant (b) and Al Harewood (d)...



Here's The Stroller from Groovin' With Golson (1959), with Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Ray Bryant (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Art Blakey (d)...



Here's Trippin' on Through from Gettin' With It (1959), with Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Tommy Flanagan (p), Doug Watkins (b) and Art Taylor (d)...



Here's Park Avenue Petite from Meet the Jazztet (1960), with Art Farmer (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), McCoy Tyner (p), Addison Farmer (b) and Lex Humphries (d)...



Here's Killer Joe from the same album...



Here's Impromptune from Take a Number From 1 to 10 (1960), with Cedar Walton (p), Tommy Williams (b) and Albert “Tootie" Heath (d)...



Here's Turning Point, from the album of the same name (1962), with Benny Golson (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Jimmy Cobb (d)...



And here's the title track from the album Terminal 1 (2004), with Eddie Henderson (tp), Benny Golson (ts), Mike LeDonne (p), Buster Williams (b) and Carl Allen (d)...



Bonus: Here's Lee Morgan playing I Remember Clifford in 1958, with the Jazz Messengers: Art Blakey (d), Lee Morgan (tp), Benny Golson (ts), Bobby Timmons (p) and Jymie Merritt (d)...