They did not usually credit the recording engineer on their sessions, though the label’s major artist singer Chris Connor reveals the young Tom Dowd as her recording engineer: When last I looked (Wiki) Golson is still with us, at 93.īethlehem Records was founded around 1953 by Gus Wildi. This talent assured him a long and fruitful career in arranging background music for ephemeral film and TV. Golson had a flair for distinctive and memorable tunes which enriched the playbook of jazz standards with “Blues March”, “Whisper Not”, and “Killer Joe “. The piece-de-resistance is in my view the smoky cityscape composition, Park Avenue Petite, by Benny Golson. Whenever the Winter winds become too strong,Ī little dream castle with every dream gone is lonely and silent the shades are all drawn. Whenever skies look gray to me and trouble begins to brew, With songs they have sung for a thousand years.

The hills are alive with the sound of music McGhee is classed as a “bop trumpeter” as opposed to “post-bop trumpeter”, but that historical distinction tells little of his strengths as a trumpet player: he excels in narrative: story-telling and mood. Many of the compositions have popular melody lines with lyrics, which McGhee coaxes from the horn, embellished with grace notes, quarter-notes, rests and vibrato. Add the pianist’s pianist, Tommy Flanagan, and Ron Carter on bass, a wonderful line up, giving the arrangement a tonal richness, with McGhee’s plaintive lyrical trumpet floating over the top. The musicians include Bennie Green (trombone), the little-known Roland Alexander (tenor sax) and Pepper Adams (baritone). Howard McGhee, trumpet Bennie Green, trombone Roland Alexander, tenor saxophone Pepper Adams, baritone saxophone Tommy Flanagan, piano Ron Carter, bass Walter Bolden, drums recorded NYC, June 13, 1960

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