The Danish Radio Big Band was to be working for the first time with the great tenor saxophonist, arranger and composer Benny Golson. Benny Golson has played with all the greats of jazz. He speaks of his close relationship, both as a colleague as well as a friend, with the legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, and you as the listener get a glimpse into the fantastic period of time when jazz history was being created. When he tells stories about the early years playing together with Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown and many more, you are given an insight into, not only the history of jazz as it was being formed, bout also a look into the lives of these famous people and their fascinating personalities.
The DRBB had two days of rehearsals without our soloist, to get his music into shape for when he came. On the third day of our rehearsals Benny arrived, and right away we all knew that this was a special man. He arrived with a wonderful warm smile to everyone in the band, and we immediately started going through the numbers for our tour. It was a fantastic experience playing songs that are such well-known titles in jazz- Blues March, I Remember Clifford- and many more, and all of them were written by our soloist. Throughout the three days of rehearsals, Benny would tell us of the stories behind the making of these songs. By hearing this, we all felt that we had been given a piece of jazz history.
Working with Benny at rehearsals was a real pleasure, he was always in a good mood, and very enthusiastic. He always praised the band and the players when we played something he thought sounded especially good. It was very clear that this was a man who had spent his whole life working with music and with musicians- a true professional.
We played our first concert in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark. The concert went very well. Benny had always played his utmost during every repetition of the songs during the rehearsals. But standing in front of an audience for the first time with our band, he added an extra layer to his playing. Benny Golson has a special tone on his saxophone. There are touches of Ben Webster in his use of air in his tone, especially in the endings of his notes in slow tunes. There are traces of other great sax players from his generation, but there is also a definite sound which is all his own. Also his choice of notes is special. He plays what many musicians call an "arrangers' horn." This means that, because of his knowledge of music as an arranger and composer, he plays lines that require a high level of musical training. Of course professional horn players mostly all have a high level of training, but somehow the players who also are great arrangers seem to have a little something extra!
We went into the Danish Radio Buildings' studio two days after the first concert and recorded a CD with the music we were playing on the tour. Usually it takes us several days to record music for CDs. This session went extremely well, most of the songs were recorded as "first takes." This means that the first time you play through the song and record it, it is good enough to keep. What many people don't realize is that songs for albums are sometimes tried and recorded many times, until the best rendition of the song is decided on. Even then, the band may go back and re-record and repair certain parts of the song. In our case, about 80% of the songs were "first takes," and the rest were usually just the second run-through of the song. When we finished the recording session in the evening, everyone in the band was very happy, smiling like little children. We all knew that the recording will become a great CD!
Our second concert was at our favorite club, The Copenhagen Jazz House. The club was completely full, and there were very many young people in the audience. This made us in the band happy, to see the younger generations getting a taste of some good jazz! I don't think that they realize that Benny Golson is one of the last great jazzmen of his generation and they are witnesses to a man who has been a part of the creation of jazz history, still playing strong. But no matter what, they surely enjoyed the concert, as did all of the audience. Benny told stories about each of the songs we played, and the audience listened carefully to his every word. The older people in the audience knew about this man and his music, and they listened! Inspired by the atmosphere of the club and the warm reactions of the audience, we played a great concert, if I say so myself. Benny Golson, a true jazz player, made sure that the other soloists in our band had a chance to play too. He told the audience that he had played with many bands all over the world, but he had never played with a band that had so many good soloists. He would stand listening with a wonderful warm smile on his face as our soloists would play.
The last concert was in a small jazz club in a town called Frederician in Jutland. It was a very small club, and the band was on a very small stage. As usual when we are almost sitting on top of each other, our playing became very tight, and this made our last concert at least as good as the Jazz House concert. At each concert, Benny would tell stories about the songs and each time he would have a little something extra to tell. I hope that we can remember all the special things he shared with us, making us all a part of his knowledge and memories.
Benny Golson had brought his wife and his grown-up daughter with him for the trip to Denmark. They were a wonderful family, always polite yet very friendly. Benny Golson himself is a true gentleman of jazz, always elegantly dressed, friendly, and one of the most well-spoken people I have ever come across in the world of music. It was truly an honor to meet him, and to play with him. With our newly-recorded CD, which hopefully also will include some live versions of the songs from the Jazz House concert, we have a true treasure: one of the only recordings of Benny Golson with a Big Band. But an even greater treasure is our newly founded friendship with this gentleman jazz player. And we all sincerely look forward to continuing this friendship, and having the pleasure of working with him again as soon as possible.

Ethan Weisgard
February 25, 2003