Search - Benny Golson :: Other Side of

Golson/Fuller are enough for me.

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 10/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The presence of Golson and Fuller in a record from the fifties (58) where they play their instruments at their fullest is enough for me to buy that album. This is the case. Moreover this album is particularly interesting because it's an album focused on "another side" of Golson's virtuosity, his main being his writing and arranging abilities. Here the focus is on his improvisational chops, often underrated, hence the title. The atmosphere is more or less the "blowing session" one, great musicans playing on some of the finest hard bop. To let you know how unknown is this other side of Benny Golson in the booklet he is quoted to say that at the time when he recorded these tracks he played more solos on this album than what he did in an entire week with the Gillespie orchestra!! Talking about the music the opener is a delightful happy hard bop romp, "Strut time". Here you can fully appreciate the stellar quality of this combo which has more strong points not only the Golson and Fuller's solo voices. Barry Harris was an extremely talented bop pianist, very percussive in his style. Then you have a great Jo Jones at the drums which plays in this first tune an amazing solo. The second tune is "Jubilation" from pianist Junior Mance. Cannonball did play this tune a lot when Mance was in his band. It is an happy-blues infected tune, very melodical and catching. The third one is "Symptoms" it is a minor medium tempo tune by Fuller, written in an hard bop manner with a not so usual mysterious atmosphere (at least in its theme). "Are you real" is another original by Golson in up tempo. This is a blowing session so up tempo tunes are preferred. Golson does a fantastic job here. He was a really modern tenor man, very balanced, melodical but technical. He formed with Fuller a very balanced frontline, very modern. Unsurpassed I might say. ... "Cry a blue tear" is a ballad still from Golson pen. He states the melody and then continue with a very very nice solo. The last song is "This night" a medium tempo tune that perfectly close an album full of very nice moments and some highly entertaining ones. If you love jazz you have to know this other side of Golson's."