Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson

Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson
Benny Golson and Jim Merod
Philadelphia:Temple University Press:
2016; 336+xvi pp.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing the marvelous saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, has been treated to not simply marvelous music but also his storytelling in introducing the tunes performed, whether recollections about growing up with John Coltrane, or the origins of some of his classic compositions such as "Along Came Betty," "I Remember Clifford," "Stablemates," and so many more. Now, Benny has put some of these stories and more in this new volume that was written with Jim Merod.

This is not a usual autobiography where the person provides a chronicle of his life. Instead the book is more of a systematic organization of vignettes of the manner he would tell in performance, except perhaps he gets into more depth about some and a number of them are matters that would not normally come up unless he was being interviewed.

The book is organized into eight parts and it would give an overview of the contents to describe each of the parts and some of the contents of that part. After Merod's preface, which provides an overview of Golson's life and contribution, while his own introduction is an indication of the positive, as opposed to negative, messages he hopes to provide in detailing his story.

Part 1 is entitled John Coltrane and in its three chapters discusses his interactions with Coltrane including John and him meeting Bird and Diz and then being the musical dynamo. Part II is entitled "The 'Hood' and Youthful Reckonings" and includes some of his early musical adventures as well as his Uncle Robert and Benny's first visit to Minton's, early musical experiences and then hard times. Part 111, entitled "Great P People," takes us to his experiences with the likes of Bull Moose Jackson and Earl Bostic, Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro, Jimmy and Percy Heath, Betty Carter, Art Farmer, and others. as well as discussing going to Howard University and further matters. Part IV, "Hollywood," was a revelation for me as I was unaware he had left the jazz world to spend several years scoring for film and TV. Included are his recollections of what was musically involved along with his three years with the show, "M*A*S*H."

Part V, "Amazing Friendships," has his recollections of Quincy Jones, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Dizzy Gillespie, Philly Joe Jones (who he went back with to his youth), Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Dinah Washington and Curtis Fuller as well as tells the story of The Jazztet that he and Art Farmer co-led. Part VI, "Music and Writing," includes his discussion of how his approach to writing music developed along with discussions of "Stablemates," his first recorded song, "Along Came Betty," and "I Remember Clifford." He was (and still is) not happy with changes Miles Davis made in his composition in the first recording of "Stablemates" (which included John Coltrane in Davis' Band). Elsewhere he recalls very sad circumstances of learning of Clifford Brown's passing that led to one of his most famous compositions. The last chapter in this part, "The Ballad and 'Weight,'" is one of the most thought provoking, as Golson considers playing of ballads such a great factor in the music's art and the import of the ballad as almost a genre in itself while in playing ballads, emphasis is on the weight given to each specific note played.

Part VII, "Icons," has his recollections of persons he had met that stand apart from simply great musicians. Included is his recollections of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and performing in the film, "The Terminal." There are also recollections of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Coleman Hawkins, Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham, Lee Morgan, Peggy Lee, Diana Ross, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Charles Mingus, Benny Goodman, Gigi Gryce, Larry Young, Mickey Rooney, Redd Foxx, Jersey Joe Walcott, and Muhammad Ali amongst those disccussed. Part VIII, "Verses And A Coda," includes how he resumed his musical performing career after his Hollywood hiatus, the centrality of the blues and the Coda which is a brief discussion of his becoming a Jehovah Witness.

The text is clean and readily accessible as a Golson melody and a photo album includes a number of memorable images. Golson is such a positive person, and that is conveyed throughout his graceful telling of his story. This is an important addition to the body of jazz biographies and autobiographies.

I purchased this. Here is Benny talking about John Coltrane.

Clifford Brown With The Great jazz Singers.

Hip-O-Select, the reissue label associated with the Universal Music Group that includes the classic Mercury, Emarcy and Verve catalogs has issued a second volume in its Emarcy Master Takes reissues of Clifford Brown’s music, The Singer Sessions. This deluxe reissue comes packaged in a profusely illustrated hardback booklet with annotation from DownBeat associate editor Aaron Cohen, with three stick back pockets that the compact discs are housed in. The booklet contains wonderful photographs of the various performers on these sessions as well as the covers of the original releases of these recordings which included not only LPs but extended play EPs as well. This packaging is marvelous.

The first two of the three CDs reissue the sessions that produced (among other releases) Dinah Jams and  Jam Session. The material is presented as it was originally recorded with Cohen providing the details how this session came about. Max Roach and Clifford Brown had already recorded extensively in the days before this session. Junior Mance notes that while labelled a jam session, this was actually a party in the studio with such an impressive cast of musicians that included Brown, Roach, Harold Land, Richie Powell and George Morrow along with pianist Mance, trumpeters Clark Terry and Maynard Ferguson, bassist Keter Betts, guitarist Herb Geller, and drummer Buddy Rich.

I am more familiar with the selections on which Dinah sings (including my favorite recording of Lover Come Back to Me, and the superb I’ve Got You Under My Skin). Listening to the hot bop of Denzil Best’s Move and the rousing rendition What Is This Thing Called Love, is wonderful as it sounds what one might have heard if they were on a Jazz at the Philharmonic tour. Brownie’s mix of sweetness and hot fire always impresses and one must not lose sight of just how good a saxophonist Harold Land was as can be heard in his terrific solo on You Go To My Head. And one should not forget the shorter performances such as Dinah’s wonderful vocal on No More. 

The third CD combines two later sessions on which Brown played, one with Sarah Vaughan and the other with Helen Merrill. The first session featuring Vaughan was originally from an album titled after the singer and with a session that also included Paul Quinichette on tenor, Herbie Mann on flute, Jimmy Jones on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass and Roy Haynes on drums with Ernie Wilkins handling the arrangements. The playing is a bit tighter here with the focus on Sarah Vaughan’s vocals. There are still plenty of moments such as Brown exchanging fours with Vaughan’s scatting on Lullaby of Birdland. April in Paris, opens without the horns, before Quinichette has a lovely solo and Brown adds some muted trumpet accompanying Vaughan as she resumes singing. On He’s My Guy there are nice choruses for Quinichette and Brown before Jones takes the spotlight. The combination of Sarah Vaughan’s divine singing, Wilkins’ terrific arrangements and the superb playing by the studio band this date, not simply Brown, results in a classic recording. 

Helen Merrill’s eponymously titled debut recording had Brown, flutist Danny Banks (also on baritone) as featured horns accompanist on a Quincy Jones supervised date that included Milt Hinton or Oscar Pettiford on bass, Jimmy Jones on piano and Barry Galbraith on guitar in the studio. Brown’s bright open playing during his solo contrasts with Merrill’s soft vocals (almost like a whisper) on Don’t Explain as she sings “you’re my joy and pain.” You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To swings lightly and Brown takes some spirited choruses after Jones takes a solo. Listening to her on What’s New, I can understand why Dexter Gordon also took to this ballad, while on Yesterdays, the longing she expresses is complemented by Brown’s featured choruses. This was a recording full of charm and heart, It had an impact on Merrill such that she would revisit it four decades later with a homage to Brown employing a brass ensemble to evoke his spirit.

The Singers Sessions is a welcome companion to the previously issued 4 CD set, “The Emarcy Master Takes” which compiled the recordings Brown and Max Roach made together, this will be welcome to those who do not have the initial recordings. The music sounds good and the backing is attractive. This music is to quote Merrill singing a Gershwin classic, “it’s wonderful, it’s marvelous,” and recommended although those having prior reissues of some or all of this material might pass on this. Certainly this would make a welcome holiday present.

The recording company sent me a review copy. Here is what I believe is the only video of Clifford Brown performing that exists and originated from a fifties local late night show that Soupy Sales hosted.