Benny Golson's New York Scene

Benny Golson | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (July 1, 1991)
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000007O0C
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,886 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Something in B flat

2. Whisper Not

3. Step Lightly

4. Just by Myself

5. Blues It

6. You're Mine, You

7. Capri

8. B.G.'s Holiday [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come HEAR what a BEAUTIFUL JAZZ GROUP can do !, August 9, 2001

By 

Daniel J. McGarigle (EL SEGUNDO, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New York Scene (Audio CD)

This album contains some timelessly beautiful music from the greatly inspired players in Benny Golson's tightly knit quintet.

Golson's classic "WHISPER NOT" is an immortal melody that has been presented by many groups. The reason for so many playings by others is that ever so many people immediately "clicked" and understood the beautiful complexities of the original melody. On this, the original presentation of "Whisper Not", the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet ( with Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip ) was augmented by four addtional horns (Julius Watkins' French Horn, James Cleveland's trombone, Sahib Shihab's baritone saxophone and Gigi Gryce's also saxophone. Benny's arrangement shows how clearly he new that the great melody would be even more facinating with seven horns, and he was right ! .... "Whisper Not" is a deep treasure.

The whole album is filled with Golson's masterful touches that provided so much to American jazz... Golson's later film scores all stand on the bedrock work that he did on this album,, which made many a " hot request list " on the radio stations.

This album is just like any piece of pure beauty - your soul will bell to it from the very first few notes, because while the experience of beauty cannot be described with words, we all know what the "beauty factor" is.

Hearing this album takes one to that timeless place of beauty.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swinging modern be-bop, June 12, 1998

By 

Emmett T. McQueen (Occupied Calif) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New York Scene (Audio CD)

Benny Golson known mostly now for Hollywood scores and studio work was no slouch as far as playing chops went back in 1957.

This CD has several original compositions including an often recorded "Whisper Not". The opener, written by Ray Bryant, "Something In B Flat" is a cooker described by Golson..."[as] a type of melody that an instrumentalist might devise while ad-libbing..." Nice solo by Art Farmer.

Golson's "Step Lightly" has that feeling of walking on eggshells. A real moody tune.

The melody and ensemble work on "Just By Myself" is very nice. This tune is typical of tunes on this CD...an interesting and well thought out composition. Golson's groups do not slack off and rely on "jazz formula" ie: play the head, take solos, trade fours, yada yada. His music holds your interest. Nice writing.

The album is essentially two groups: The Benny Golson Quintet (BG, Art Farmer, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Chas Persip) and the quintet plus Gigi Gryce, Sahib Shihab, James Cleveland and Julius Watkins on French horn.

Benny plays nice and Websterish on the ballad "You're Mine You". There's some Lucky Thompson in his playing too.

Chas Persip gives the Gigi Gryce tune "Capri" that big band feel with solid drumming. One of the best Art farmer solos is heard here.

"Benny Golson's New York Scene" was recorded in 1957 for the Contemporary label. They produced so many gems its hard not to get a winner like this one certainly is.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golson at his best, September 30, 2004

By 

Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New York Scene (Audio CD)

This is a spectacular Benny Golson's album from 1957. You can buy it with confidence. It's the Jazz golden era and Golson was really one of the most mature Jazz writer and player of the time. No better. He is one of the father of modern jazz. This sounds as a better and more correct statement. The first two tunes are good enough to justify the price of this cd. "Something in Bb" is a fast swinger, a line on the common 32 bars rhytmn changes form (or something really really close) by Ray Bryant. The second tune is "Whisper not" one of the most famous tunes written by Golson. A wonderful muscular ballad I might called it. The program continues with "Step lightly" another Golson's original, light and swinging as a spring breeze. Golson was one of the best Jazz writers for sure. "Just by myself" is another fine line by Golson written for an medium up tempo swinger. "Blues it" is obviously a blues, it opens as a minor blues but in the solos section it becomes major. An unusual device. The line is one of the Golson's cool ones. Slow and funky. With "You're mine you" we enter in standards and ballads territory. Golson was not only an incredible writer , he was also a terrific tenor. On this ballad he proves his taste. Untouchable. "Capri" is an hard bop theme by Gigi Gryce another sax player (he was an alto) often linked to Golson. The album closes with "B.G. Holiday" another hard bop theme by Golson this time with a special warm quality in it. What can I add more. Yes, the line up.Wynton Kelly at te piano, Charlie Persip drums, Paul chambers doublebass. Art Farmer on trumpet is the other solo voice of this typical fifties combo. On some of the tunes (Whisper not, Just by myself, Capri) the quintet become a nonet with the contributions of Julius Watkins french horn, James Cleveland trombone, Sahib Shihab bari, Gigi Gryce alto sax. It is simply a perfect example of a fifties Jazz combo, with a sort of all star line up, a perfect writer and arranger who was big enough to be a great tenor too. Essential.