Benny Golson - This Is for You, John (CD)

All Music Guide

Dedicated to John Coltrane, with whom Golson jammed in Philadelphia as a teenager, this recording features a two-tenor lineup of Golson and Pharoah Sanders with a stellar rhythm section of pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. While Sanders might seem a strange stylistic choice due to his scorching, free-style performances with Coltrane, he is, in fact, the only one of this group who recorded regularly with Coltrane, and he performs here totally within the hard bop context of the recording. Golson carefully chooses the tunes, including the lovely "Greensleeves," as well as four by Golson and one by Sanders. Most relate to Trane in some way, although Golson wisely eschews any kind of retrospective. Thankfully, too, the saxophonists never engage in any cutting, so the results are uniformly delightful, if somewhat conservative.

- Steven Loewy, All Music Guide