In Lieu of 1000 Words: Benny Golson at The Blue Room

If you know jazz, you know his compositions: Killer Joe, Along Came Betty, I Remember Clifford. And even at age 83, he bounces onto the stage like some musician just starting his career. But then he tells you stories about childhood friends, like John Coltrane, and he starts to play, and you know you are hearing a jazz legend.

Benny Golson took The Blue Room stage Saturday night, February 25th. And, with Sharp Radway on piano, Jim Anderson on bass and Kansas City’s Tommy Ruskin on drums, he took The Blue Room. A standing room only audience hung on every word – Benny tells you stories from his past between songs – and on every note. Because we were in the presence of jazz history.

Here’s how being in the presence of jazz history looked. As always, clicking on a photo should open a larger version of it.

Benny Golson

Benny Golson's quartet at The Blue Room. Left to right: Sharp Radway, piano, Jim Anderson, bass, Tommy Ruskin, drums, Benny Golson, saxophone.

Benny Golson on sax

Sharp Radway on piano

Benny Golson talks about his friend John Coltrane

Jim Anderson on bass

Benny Golson blows

Tommy Ruskin first drummed for Marilyn Maye fifty years ago this year. He's still drumming for the best in jazz.

Benny Golson talks

Bass, drums and sax

Benny Golson in The Blue Room