Home » Jazz Articles » Play This! » Remembering Benny Golson: Killer Joe

Remembering Benny Golson: Killer Joe

By Ian Patterson
September 26, 2024
View read count

Benny Golson, one of Philadelphia's most famous jazz sons, died on 21 September, 2024. He was 95. One of the last giants of the golden age of jazz, Golson enjoyed a rich career as a leader, composer and arranger. His recording career as a leader spanned seven decades, from The Modern Touch (Riverside, 1958) to Horizon Ahead (Highnote, 2016). Golson continued to perform into his '90s, still leading small ensembles and big bands who played his charts.

Born in Philadelphia in 1929, Golson befriended local boy John Coltrane and the two formed a lasting friendship. Recalling his teenage years in Whisper Not: The Autobiography Of Benny Golson (Temple University, 2016), Golson related the impact of seeing the Lionel Hampton band, and Dizzy Gillespie with Charlie Parker when they came to town: "This lyrical thunder, this majestic, joyful sound, changed my life."

Lyrical, majestic, joyful—adjectives that describe Golson's own music very well. Not for nothing have Golson's compositions such as "I Remember Clifford," "Stablemates," Whisper Not," "Along Came Betty" and "Killer Joe" become bonafide jazz standards. Nor does a day go by without Golson's music reaching the ears of millions of people, his writing and arranging featuring in hit TV shows that run on an endless loop such as Mission Impossible and M*A*S*H.

Golson would play with Gillespie, Art Blakey—for whom he was a highly influential musical director—Art Farmer and countless others during his distinguished career.

In humble homage to Benny Golson, one-time, long-time Jazz Messenger, we offer one of his best loved tunes, "Killer Joe."

Contact Ian Patterson on All About Jazz.
Ian is dedicated to the promotion of jazz and all creative music all over the world, and to catching just a little piece of it for himself.

Contribute to Play This! Recommend a favorite song, album, or performance and we'll share it with your fellow All About Jazz readers. Submit it here.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Architecture Of Jazz
< Previous

Nubya Garcia, Slam Stewart, Andrew H...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.