Two Great Songwriters, RIP
Two Great Songwriters, RIP
Benny Golson, Billy Edd Wheeler, not to mention Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Steven Spielberg, ….and Li'l Ol' Name-Dropper me.
Two great American songwriters, of comparable generations but belonging to what some may seem as very different genres of music, left us in the last few days: Billy Edd Wheeler, of Nashville via West Virginia, age 91, and Benny Golson, who, for all of his years in New York was always considered one of the primary exponents of Philadelphia jazz, age 95.
I never did get to hear Edd Wheeler live, and nor was I lucky enough to experience the greatness of Johnny Cash and June Carter performing his best-known song, “Jackson” in concert. My main memory of Wheeler’s music, apart from recordings - by what is officially over 150 different artists playing his vast catalog - is hearing local bands play his songs in country bars and honky-tonks throughout Tennessee and especially Alabama. His music is fairly irresistible - no one ever has to tell the crowds to join in, they would just start singing immediately, whether invited to or not; his songs were that memorable. Being a country music fan automatically means knowing all the words to “Jackson.”
Contrastingly, I did get to hear and to know Benny Golson, at least a little. I formally interviewed him briefly, and caught him live probably every time he played New York over the last 30 years or so, where I spoke with him casually after many a gig. There was one major show at Dizzy’s I remember vividly, which occurred after his appearance in the great 2004 feature film The Terminal - directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks - had introduced him to a whole new audience of movie-goers. Ironically or coincidentally, Golson had already enjoyed a major career in Hollywood - alongside such jazz arrangers turned film-and-TV composers as Johnny Mandel, Pete Rugolo, and his namesake Benny Carter.
(Supposedly, with the death of Benny Golson, there is yet one final survivor of the 1959 “Great Day in Harlem” photo - does anybody know who?)
The last time I saw Benny, it wasn’t at one of his own shows, however. In the mid 2010’s, the actress, songwriter, and singer Rita Wilson began performing regularly at some of the more upscale New York boites, starting with 54 Below and then the Café Carlyle. Ms. Wilson, famously, is the producing partner and wife of Tom Hanks, and it was at one of these shows that I met Mr. Hanks for the first time. As everybody who’s ever met him will testify, in person Mr. Hanks is just as warm and friendly as any character he plays on screen - with the exception of “Otto.” (Well, maybe Otto at the end of the movie.)
The next time I went to hear Ms. Wilson, I was sitting at a table next to Tom (okay, I have never actually called him “Tom”) and his guest was none other than the legendary Benny Golson, who must have been about 90 at that time. The Carlyle is a fancy joint, needless to say, but even so major stars of the magnitude of Tom Hanks are not often seen. So the normally reserved clientele lined up for autographs and double selfies. I could see that they all were gushing over Mr. Hanks but had no idea who the guy sitting next to him was; you would sophisticated New Yorkers in a top-drawer cabaret room to know better. (Make your blood boil? Well, I should say!)
I stopped by the table, and made a point to do completely the opposite. I started gushing over Benny Golson and completely ignoring Tom Hanks. “Mr. Golson, I’m your biggest fan, I have all your albums, I see you every time you play New York” and so on and so forth. Of course, the two were wise to what I was doing, and Tom (again, I admit that I have yet to directly address him as such) was really digging it. I could tell that he regarded it as funny, somewhat arch, and completely appropriate - Benny Golson was indeed very worthy of such attention.
And now here’s the punchline: about a year later, Rita Wilson played the Cafe Carlyle again, and once again I found myself at the table next to Tom Hanks. This time, his guest wasn’t Benny Golson, but another indisputable giant of 21st century pop culture - Steven Spielberg. I don’t remember if anybody else was crowding their table, but I walked up defiantly and announced to the two of them in a deliberately mock-pissed off tone, “Well, Tom, I am so disappointed. Your guest this year isn’t nearly as hip as the one from last year.” (Okay, just that once, I called him “Tom”.)
Mr. Spielberg was quick to respond - and I couldn’t tell if he was speaking with real or mock indignation, “What? What do you mean?” He demanded that I explain myself. “Who was here last year?”
I told him.
Steven Spielberg’s famously-bearded face fell, and then I saw the radiant glow of reluctant acceptance spread across his punim. “Yeah, you’re right. Benny Golson is a lot hipper than I am.”
And scene.
Very Special thanks to the fabulous Ms. Elizabeth Zimmer, for expert proofreading of this page, and scanning for typos, mistakes, and other assorted boo-boos!
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June 29 - Americana - For the Fourth of July - Songs of Civil Rights & The African American Experience
July 6 - The Four Freshmen & Other Great Jazz Vocal Groups of the 1950s
July 13 - Bastille Day: Guest Co-Host ERIC COMSTOCK shares his favorite French songs! Formidable!
July 20 - The Margaret Whiting Centennial: “Happy Birthday Maggie!”
July 27 - “Calypso Blues” OR “It’s The New Calypso Bebop!”
August 3 - The Tony Bennett Birthday Special: Tony Sings the Cole Porter Songbook
August 10 - “A Little Moonlight & A Little Tenderness: The Harry Woods Songbook”
August 17 - “Fat Daddies & Skinny Mamas: The Body Positive Show”
August 24 - “The Dinah Washington Centennial: Back to The Blues”
August 31 - “Songs in the Key of Sea - Nautical But Nice“
September 7 - “Lerner & Loewe - The Jazz & Pop MixTape”
September 14 - “The Mel Torme Birthday Special: At The Movies”
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Sonny Rollins.
Yes, Sonny Rollins is the last surviving member of those who gathered for Art Kane’s great photo.