Free (Benny Golson album) - Misplaced Pages

Pianist Tommy Flanagan had played with Golson before; bassist Ron Carter was selected to provide a different approach for the leader; and drummer Art Taylor was a replacement for Philly Joe Jones, who was due to play, but did not go to the studio.

Reception

In the November 7, 1963 issue of Down Beat magazine, critic Harvey Pekar awarded the album 5 stars and said that "Golson's improvising is outstanding; I doubt that he's ever before played as consistently well on record."

The Allmusic review states, "Golson's last album as a leader in which he plays in his Don Byas/Lucky Thompson style (he would soon become a fulltime arranger and, by the time he led his next playing date in 1977, Golson's sound was quite a bit different) finds him in top form". Writing in 2004, critic Bob Blumenthal commented that the album "remains among the highlights of his recording career".

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Down Beat
Allmusic

Track listing

All compositions by Benny Golson except as indicated

"Sock Cha Cha" (Will Davis) – 7:10
"Mad About the Boy" (Noël Coward) – 7:15
"Just by Myself" – 5:45
"Shades of Stein" – 4:30
"My Romance" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 7:30
"Just in Time" (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne) – 5:55

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Esmond Edwards – production
Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineering

References

Benny Golson discography accessed June 27, 2012
^ Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions . p. 15. Mosaic.
^ Down Beat: November 7, 1963 Vol. 30, No. 29
^ Ankeny, J. Allmusic Review accessed June 27, 2012

v t e Benny Golson
Discography
Studio albums	Benny Golson's New York Scene (1957) The Modern Touch (1957) The Other Side of Benny Golson (1958) Benny Golson and the Philadelphians (1958) Gone with Golson (1959) Groovin' with Golson (1959) Gettin' with It (1959) Take a Number from 1 to 10 (1961) Pop + Jazz = Swing (1962) Turning Point (1962) Free (1962) Stockholm Sojourn (1964) Tune In, Turn On (1967)

v t e Tommy Flanagan
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, except where noted.
Albums as leader or co-leader	Overseas (1957) Lonely Town (1959) The Tommy Flanagan Trio (1960) Solo Piano (1974) The Tommy Flanagan Tokyo Recital (1975) Trinity (1976) Alone Too Long (1977) Confirmation (1977–78) Eclypso (1977) Montreux '77 (1977) Ballads & Blues (1978) More Delights (1978) Our Delights (1978) Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1978) The Super Jazz Trio (1978) Together (and Kenny Barron, 1978) Tommy Flanagan Plays the Music of Harold Arlen (1978) Something Tasty (1979) Super-Session (1980) The Standard (1980) You're Me (1980) ...And a Little Pleasure (1981) The Magnificent Tommy Flanagan (1981) Giant Steps (1982) Thelonica (1982) The Magic of 2 (and Jaki Byard, 1982) Blues in the Closet (1983) I'm All Smiles (and Hank Jones, 1983) The Master Trio (and Ron Carter, Tony Williams, 1983) Nights at the Vanguard (1986) Jazz Poet (1989) Beyond the Blue Bird (1990) Flanagan's Shenanigans (1993) Lady Be Good ... For Ella (1993) Let's Play the Music of Thad Jones (1993) Sea Changes (1996) Sunset and the Mockingbird (1997)
With Pepper Adams	Motor City Scene (1960) Encounter! (1968) The Master (1980) The Adams Effect (1985)
With Kenny Burrell	Introducing Kenny Burrell (1956) Swingin' (1956) Kenny Burrell (Blue Note, 1956) All Day Long (1957) Kenny Burrell (Prestige, 1957) Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (1958) Weaver of Dreams (1960–61) Bluesy Burrell (and Coleman Hawkins, 1962)
With John Coltrane	The Cats (no leader, 1957) Jazz Way Out (Wilbur Harden, 1958) Mainstream 1958 (Wilbur Harden, 1958) Tanganyika Strut (Wilbur Harden, 1958) Giant Steps (Coltrane, 1959)
With Art Farmer	Art (1960) Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (1962) The Many Faces of Art Farmer (1964) Group Therapy (New York Jazz Sextet, 1965–66)
With Ella Fitzgerald	Ella at Juan-Les-Pins (1964) Ella in Hamburg (1965) Sunshine of Your Love (1968) Things Ain't What They Used to Be (And You Better Believe It) (1969) Ella in Budapest (1970) Ella à Nice (1971) Ella Loves Cole (1972) Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 (1972) Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall (1973) Ella in London (1974) Fine and Mellow (1974) Montreux '75 (1975) Montreux '77 (1977)
With Curtis Fuller	Jazz ...It's Magic! (1957) Blues-ette (1959) Sliding Easy (1959) South American Cookin' (1961)
With Coleman Hawkins	At Ease with Coleman Hawkins (1960) Coleman Hawkins All Stars (1960) Night Hawk (and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1960) Back in Bean's Bag (1962) Desafinado (1962) Good Old Broadway (1962) Hawkins! Alive! At the Village Gate (1962) Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate! (1962) Plays Make Someone Happy from Do Re Mi (1962) The Jazz Version of No Strings (1962) Today and Now (1962)
With Milt Jackson	Bags & Flutes (1957) Bags' Opus (1958) Bean Bags (1958) Vibrations (1960–61) Invitation (1962) Statements (1961) Jazz 'n' Samba (1964)
With J.J. Johnson	J Is for Jazz (1956) Blue Trombone (1957) Dial J. J. 5 (1957) First Place (1957) J. J. in Person! (1958) Pinnacles (1979)
With Sonny Rollins	Saxophone Colossus (1956) There Will Never Be Another You (1965) Falling in Love with Jazz (1989) Old Flames (1993) Sonny Rollins + 3 (1995)
With others	Tentets (Franco Ambrosetti, 1985) Boss Tenor (Gene Ammons, 1960) Big Brass (Benny Bailey, 1960) Bash! (Dave Bailey, 1961) Who Is Gary Burton? (Gary Burton, 1962) Jazz Lab (Donald Byrd, 1957) Carter, Gillespie Inc. (Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie, 1976) Paul Chambers Quintet (1957) More Party Time (Arnett Cobb, 1960) Movin' Right Along (Arnett Cobb, 1960) Rhythm in Mind (Steve Coleman, 1991) Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) (Sonny Criss, 1968) Straight Ahead (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1976) Collectors' Items (Miles Davis, 1956) Quiet Kenny (Kenny Dorham, 1959) The Kenny Dorham Memorial Album (1960 ) Opening Remarks (Ted Dunbar, 1978) Patented by Edison (Harry "Sweets" Edison, 1960) The Book Cooks (Booker Ervin, 1960) The Song Book (Booker Ervin, 1964) Chromatic Palette (Tal Farlow, 1981) The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7 (1975) Gettin' with It (Benny Golson, 1959) Free (Benny Golson, 1962) The Panther! (Dexter Gordon, 1970) The Swingin'est (Bennie Green and Gene Ammons, 1958) Grey's Mood (Al Grey, 1973–75) It's About Time (Jimmy Hamilton, 1961) Can't Help Swinging (Jimmy Hamilton, 1961) Drum Suite (Slide Hampton, 1962) Out of the Afternoon (Roy Haynes and Roland Kirk, 1962) Really Big! (Jimmy Heath, 1960) New Picture (Jimmy Heath, 1985) Porgy & Bess (Joe Henderson, released 1997) The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (1962) Mirage (Bobby Hutcherson, 1991) Bossa Nova Plus (Willis Jackson, 1962) Desert Winds (Illinois Jacquet, 1962) Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants (1960) Let's Swing! (Budd Johnson, 1960) Heart to Heart (Elvin Jones, 1980) Blues for Dracula (Philly Joe Jones, 1958) Detroit – New York Junction (Thad Jones, 1956) Mad Thad (Thad Jones, 1956–57) A Story Tale (Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red, 1961) The Adventurer (Clifford Jordan, 1978) Booker Little 4 and Max Roach (1958) Booker Little (1960) Vocalese (The Manhattan Transfer, 1985) Flute Flight (Herbie Mann and Bobby Jaspar, 1957) Flute Soufflé (Herbie Mann and Bobby Jaspar, 1957) Dusty Blue (Howard McGhee, 1960) Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Charles Mingus, 1960) De Lawd's Blues (Billy Mitchell, 1980) Smooth as the Wind (Blue Mitchell, 1960–61) The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960) Jeru (Gerry Mulligan, 1962) Jive at Five (Joe Newman, 1960) Good 'n' Groovy (Joe Newman with Frank Foster, 1960) Joe's Hap'nin's (Joe Newman, 1961) Straight Life (Art Pepper, 1979) The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (1956) Limbo Carnival (Dave Pike, 1962) Dave Pike Plays the Jazz Version of Oliver! (Dave Pike, 1962) Pony's Express (Pony Poindexter, 1962) Keep Swingin' (Julian Priester, 1960) Wisteria (Jimmy Raney, 1985) Swingin' with Pee Wee (Pee Wee Russell, 1960) Stable Mates (A. K. Salim, 1957) Here Comes Louis Smith (Louis Smith, 1958) Roots (Idrees Sulieman, 1957) Tate-a-Tate (Buddy Tate, 1960) Color Changes (Clark Terry, 1960) Lucky Thompson Plays Happy Days Are Here Again (1965) Stan "The Man" Turrentine (1960) ZT's Blues (Stanley Turrentine, 1961) The Frank Wess Quartet (1960) Southern Comfort (Frank Wess, 1962) California Soul (Gerald Wilson, 1968) Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956) Rights of Swing (Phil Woods, 1961)
Discography

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