Jazz has been blessed with more than its share of high class gentlemen, and one of the classiest, tenor saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, takes to the Kennedy Center stage for this edition of Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center. In addition to being a superb tenor saxophonist with a unique dark and burly tone, Benny Golson has graced the music with a number of memorable tunes, including "Killer Joe," "Whisper Not," and "Along Came Betty," to cite but three of his classic contributions. For a number of years Golson's talents were much in demand for film and television scoring.

One of a remarkably rich crop of jazz musicians from Philadelphia, PA, Benny Golson grew up alongside such major contributors as saxophonist Jimmy Heath and trumpeter Lee Morgan. Benny tells Billy about growing up in such a great jazz crucible as Philly. Two of his best friends were the late and lamented Philadelphia transplants, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and saxophonist John Coltrane. It was in Brown's memory that Golson penned the gorgeous tribute "I Remember Clifford", which has become one of the signature ballads of modern jazz. "Whisper Not" and "I Remember Clifford" are two of the selections Golson performs on the show with the Billy Taylor Trio. Benny warmly recollects his experiences working with Dizzy Gillespie and his sense of achievement and joy when Dizzy asked him to contribute "I Remember Clifford" to the jazz giant's forthcoming recording.

Composition is clearly a Golson forte. Dr. Taylor draws cogent commentary from Benny about compositional structure and how he organizes the various elements of a tune. Later an audience member asks Benny whether the people he writes about, such as "Killer Joe" and "Along Came Betty," are actually real people. His response is one of many humorous asides on the show. Later Benny details for Billy his system for titling his tunes. Other selections performed include "Beautiful Love," which Benny reveals actually originated as a waltz on the Boris Karloff film "The Mummy", as well as a newer Golson piece called "Domingo."

Benny Golson received invaluable lessons as a member, and eventually musical director, of the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. One of his first band leadership opportunities came when he and trumpeter Art Farmer formed the Jazztet. Through these and his many other experiences, Benny Golson has clearly viewed more than his share of jazz innovation. Billy Taylor plays off of this theme and asks Benny about the innovators of jazz, and about Benny himself as a true innovator.

More recently, through such situations as his leadership of the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers tribute band, and the various other ensembles he leads and records with, Benny Golson has had ample opportunity to nurture and mentor emerging jazz artists. Some of these include fine young talents like drummers Carl Allen and Lewis Nash, pianists Kevin Hays and Geoff Keezer, bassist Peter Washington, and saxophonist Ron Blake among others. Our customary audience question period yields a query for Benny seeking his advice to young musicians. Both Golson and Taylor offer very sage advice, the kind of wisdom that could only come from two such seasoned jazz masters as Benny and Billy.