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Jazz Saxophonist and Composer Benny Golson Dead at 95

CultureCelebs
By Craig Garrett
September 25, 2024 | 7:23 a.m. CDT
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Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns

Jazz legend Benny Golson, renowned tenor saxophonist and composer of classics like “Along Came Betty,” has died at the age of 95. Golson passed away on Saturday at his Manhattan home following a brief illness, his longtime agent, Jason Franklin, confirmed via the AP.

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Throughout his remarkable seven-decade musical career, Golson collaborated with some of the most prominent figures in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, and John Coltrane.

However, he gained much of his acclaim not as a performer but as a composer. His works include the poignant piece “I Remember Clifford,” written in 1956 in memory of his friend, the trumpeter Clifford Brown, who tragically lost his life in a car accident at just 25 years old.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Golson began learning piano at age 9 and switched to saxophone at 14. While in high school, he started performing with local musicians, including his childhood friend Coltrane. He also began writing and arranging music during his time at Howard University.

After playing in Gillespie’s big band and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Golson co-founded The Jazztet in 1959 with Art Farmer. Following the band’s disbandment in 1962, he transitioned to composing music for films and TV shows. These include Mannix, Mission: Impossible, and M*A*S*H. He also arranged music for artists like Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls, and Dusty Springfield.

After a break of over a dozen years, Golson returned to playing the saxophone in the mid-1970s. In 1982, he launched a new iteration of the Jazztet alongside Farmer. He continued to perform and compose music well into his 90s. In 2016, he published his autobiography, Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson.

One of Golson’s most famous standards, “Killer Joe”.

Franklin, who served as Golson’s agent for 25 years, noted that Golson ceased performing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, he remained active on projects, including interviews for the upcoming documentary Benny Golson: Looking Beyond The Horizon. Franklin said that Golson recently viewed a rough cut of the film and was thrilled with it.

Golson made a cameo as himself in the 2004 Steven Spielberg film The Terminal. In the movie, the main character, portrayed by Tom Hanks, travels to New York from a fictional Eastern European country to obtain Golson’s autograph. This signature is crucial for completing his collection of autographs from all 58 jazz musicians featured in the iconic 1958 group photo “A Great Day in Harlem.”

Following Golson’s passing, Sonny Rollins remains the last surviving person from the photo who was an adult when it was captured. The photo was for the January 1959 issue of Esquire Magazine.

Golson is survived by his wife, Bobbie Golson, his daughter Brielle Golson, and several grandchildren. He was preceded in death by three sons.