If you were to interview Benny Golson

[mikeweil]

An old friend of mine, a journalist who loves jazz but does not feel she is too well versed as far as jazz history is concerned, though she informed herself about Golson's career, invited me to join her in visiting a concert by Benny Golson with a local big band in June. She was asked for an interview with him in advance and does not want to ask him any standard questions. To assist her a little, I ask you:

What would you ask Benny Golson if you had the opportunity?

Thanks in advance!

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I suggest preparing by reading the published interviews with Golson - Cadence had a great 3 part one (vol. 22, nos. 8-10). I can find more if necessary.

Golson very often tells the same stories (offstage in interviews as well as onstage in introductions). He is charming, well-spoken and quite engaging. What actually might work is trying to find follow-up questions to his standard responses.

What I might want to ask (for myself) would be things like: What was the relationship with Art Blakey like *after* the 1950s - when Golson did the reunion gigs. Or with Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller during The Jazztet reunion. Were those things just going over the same old ground or was there something new for him? Or I'm always looking for the tiniest bit of information on the most obscure things - like when he joined the Messengers who was in the band and where did they play before BG got the band cleaned up and accepted again (they had been "banned" from the big clubs for being unreliable).

Do get the interview taped and report back!

Mike

[Dmitry]

Golson very often tells the same stories (offstage in interviews as well as onstage in introductions).

I found that to be the case also. That's why I decided not to interview him when I was enthusiastic about interviews. He has a set routine of answers/yarns [doesn't mean it won't be fun to talk to him, quite the contrary; as Michael pointed out, he's quite charming].

If your friend does go through with interviewing him, I would like to read what he has to say about John Dennis and Lee Morgan's coming up.

Also, about the former East Coast players who moved to LA in the 60s to compose for the films/tv.

[Spontooneous]

There's brilliant intellect and deep emotion in Benny. And that incredible charm.

He must get tired of always being asked about the past. Be sure to ask him what projects he's planning and doing now.

A friend had Benny on his radio show a few months back. The friend played the Jazztet recording of "I Remember Clifford," and Benny appeared to be fighting back tears as the record played.

[mikeweil]

Thank you so much - this community is indeed invaluable.

I will try to convince her to join the board herself and report.

[JSngry]

I'd like to know what it was like being employed/gigging with Bull Moose Jackson, especially with Tadd Dameron in the piano chair. How did he view the overall experience at the time, and how does he view it now, in terms of both his musical and "social" point of view? Did it seem like total bullshit then and total bullshit now, or was there something else going on, either then or now?

[Lazaro Vega]

Maybe how are rhythm sections different today from his storied past -- are there changes in the rhythm section's general approach to what he might have expected in the late 50's early 60's. Of course individual players have different approaches, and different combinations jell in different ways no matter the era, but as Jim points out there was formerly a "proving ground" for young players learning to swing, and that was in r&b road bands (witness the recent Ray Charles bio pic). Today, that scene is dried up, so much of the early experiance is coming out of schools. Is there a different feel to that? Do you have to spend more time working on the rhythm section to get them where everything's straight?

[Tom in RI]

I would ask him who he feels are the composers most likley to write new standards. I'd also ask if he feels that the scene today is condusive to creating standards or not (I don't think it is myself).

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Benny likes talking about Tadd and Bull Moose. As I recall, he says that time was when he really learned how to write, by studying Tadd's scores.

Mike

[mikeweil]

She asked me to submit a big thanks top you all - the interview will be done by e-mail and has to be rather short as it is intended for the local daily newspaper, but for the longer portrait your statements are extremely useful.

I will ask her to send me a copy for translation and posting here, and I will try to attend the concert with her, it's 100 miles from where I live. If I can manage to do it, I'll report in the live jazz forum.

[Rooster_Ties]

Maybe how are rhythm sections different today from his storied past -- are there changes in the rhythm section's general approach to what he might have expected in the late 50's early 60's. Of course individual players have different approaches, and different combinations jell in different ways no matter the era, but as Jim points out there was formerly a "proving ground" for young players learning to swing, and that was in r&b road bands (witness the recent Ray Charles bio pic). Today, that scene is dried up, so much of the early experiance is coming out of schools. Is there a different feel to that? Do you have to spend more time working on the rhythm section to get them where everything's straight?

Nothing to add, other than I think this would be an excellent question.

[Kalo]

"What's Tom Hanks really like?"

[jazzydaddy]

Sorry I missed your question when you posted it a few days ago.

Benny told me a few years back that he had pretty much finished writing his autobiography and was looking into having it released on the Internet. He is a big believer in the power of the Internet and even did a live cyber-interview a few years ago around the time he was nominated for a grammy for his then newest CD release.

If I were interviewing him I would ask about the release status of his autobiography.

The man has a heart the size of Texas and has helped many over the years in ways that most of us will never know. He is proud of his accomplishments and extremely modest.

I hope your friend makes the best of her interview.

Don

[mikeweil]

Okay, so here is the interview - my old friend, Viola Eigenbrodt, mainly used the questions I suggested and insisted I get a co-credit ... -_-

Mr. Golson indeed is a very nice and modest man. I reported on the concert in the Live Jazz Forum. Mr. Golson's answers are in italics.

1)  What would you personally regard as the highlight of your long career?

Musically, the  highlight of my career would be the time I spent with Art

Blakey as one of the  Jazz Messengers.

2)  What do you think of the newcomers to jazz?

There are many exceptional  newcomers on the jazz scene today, which is

good for the future of  jazz. They will continue to move the music forward with

new  discoveries and concepts. Jazz will undergo changes like everything

else in our lives -- hopefully always for the better.

3) Do you perceive the  training of jazz musicians, which involves a certain

standardisation, as  negative, considering that one of the main

characteristics of jazz is, after  all, individuality?

Training, as in everything to be dealt with on a professional level,

must be  engaged in so that one has a complete understanding of what it is

they propose to learn and do. After undergoing this  training which involves

learning things in a specialized way  that are inherent to the craft one is   

pursuing, he can then  develop personal concepts and any chosen direction he

chose, but only  after he comes to understand the basics of that which he is 

pursuing. Later he can become the "captain" of his own ship, but until that

time, having achieved experience, he will only be a "deck  hand," as it were...

4) Do you have a favourite amongst the many new young  tenor saxophonists?

One of my latest  favorites is Markus Strickland, a tenor saxophonist of

the highest order, who  plays with Roy Haynes' group. He's daunting and

extremely  talented.

5) Do you see today the same originality that was so  significant in your

young musician years, when there were many different  stylists?

Today there is originality just as when I was  beginning to play in

Philadelphia with other aspiring musicians like: Jimmy Heath, Philly Joe Jones,

John Coltrane,  Johnny Coles, Red Rodney, Bud Powell, Jimmy Smith, Gerry 

Mulligan, Percy Heath, and others. However, there does not seem to  exist the

same diversity of originality as before, though the intensity and

determination are the same in aspiring goals.

6) Does this originality still exist today?

I answered this in #5 above.

7) What do  you think of Geoffrey Keezer?

Geoffrey Keezer is a genius. "Genius" is not a word I use very often,

but I  would be derelict were I not to use it in his case. There does not

seem to be anything this phenomenal pianist cannot do. He is one of the few I

see slowly coming up to the piano standard that Art Tatum set so many   

years ago. When he worked  with me as my pianist, he dazzled me every time he

played; I never  knew what he was going to do melodically and harmonically.  What an adventurer he is. He can even play two songs at the  same time -- one

with the right hand, the other with the left.

8) What  are your expectations from your workshop with the Galapagos Bigband?

I have no exact expectation as a result of  the workshop with the

Galapagos Bigband because I don't know  them yet, but I am expecting high level

production and performance  because of what  I've heard about them. Be

assured, I am  expecting to have a great time with them. It will be fun.

And, last, but not least:

9)  Have you ever before played in a castle of the rococo period?

I have only played in one castle before and it was somewhere in

Germany, of  course. In doing so I got the feeling of going back in  time...

Please remember this as done via e-mail and had to be that short as it had to fit into one column of a local newspaper. I intended to ask him some of your questions when we met after the concert but this was made impossible by three Japanese fans taking the dressing room by storm ... he seemed a little exhausted, so we didn't want to bother him too much.

I wanted to link to the German version of the interview, but it was temporarily removed from the server of the Schwetzingen Jazz Initiative - I will add this as soon as it appears on their archives pages.

I would be very interested to know what you think about his comments - it is his typical modesty that the stated the Jazz Messengers were the high pioint of his career - when I pointed out to him after the concert that I found the Jazztet was better suited to his very prominent lyrical side, he agreed.

I find it a very fitting description when he states he sees the same originality in today's musicians, but less diversity.

And I have to admit I was delighted about his statement about Keezer - being a big fan of his playing for years.

Edited June 14, 2005 by mikeweil

[king ubu]

Thanks for sharing, Mike! Enjoyed reading this! (But can't give you any opinion of mine... I'm merely a fan, and I hardly know anything about Golson.)