Philadelphia native Benny Golson studied piano thinking he'd be a concert pianist till he was 14, then he caught Arnett Cobb in show at the famed Earl theater and his world turned upside down. He began studying the tenor saxophone and entered a music scene that included the Heath brothers and a teenaged John Coltrane. Golson went on to co-lead the Jazztet, write standards like Killer Joe and Blues March, tour with Dizzy Gillespie and become a Hollywood composer. NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson -- modest, funny and wise, joins journalist Ira Gitler in a sparkling conversation.
