Benny Golson Jazz Festival

Benny Golson

Multitalented and internationally famous jazz legend, – a composer, arranger, lyricist, producer – and tenor saxophonist of world note, Benny Golson was born in Philadelphia, PA on January 25, 1929.

Raised with an impeccable musical pedigree, Golson has played in the bands of world famous Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic and Art Blakey.

Few jazz musicians can claim to be true innovators and even fewer can boast of a performing and recording career that literally redefines the term “jazz”. Benny Golson has made major contributions to the world of jazz with such jazz standards as:

Killer Joe, I Remember Clifford, Along Came Betty, Stablemates, Whisper Not, Blues March, Five Spot After Dark, Are you Real?

Benny Golson is the only living jazz artist to have written 8 standards for jazz repertoire.

These jazz standards have found their way into countless recordings internationally over the years and are still being recorded.

He has recorded over 30 albums for many recording companies in the United States and Europe under his own name and innumerable ones with other major artists. A prodigious writer, Golson has written well over 300 compositions.

For more than 60 years, Golson has enjoyed an illustrious, musical career in which he has not only made scores of recordings but has also composed and arranged music for:

Count Basie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Mama Cass Elliott, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Shirley Horn, David Jones and the Monkees, Quincy Jones, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, Itzhak Perlman, Oscar Peterson, Lou Rawls, Mickey Rooney, Diana Ross, The Animals (Eric Burden), Mel Torme, George Shearing, Dusty Springfield

His prolific writing includes scores for hit TV series and films:

M*A*S*H, Mannix, Mission Impossible, Mod Squad, Room 222, Run for Your Life, The Partridge Family, The Academy Awards, The Karen Valentine Show, Television specials for ABC, CBS and NBC. Television specials for BBC in London and Copenhagen, Denmark. Theme for Bill Cosby’s last TV show, A french film ‘Des Femmes Disparaissent” (Paris)

He has written music for national radio and television spots for some of the major advertising agencies in the country. Some of these commercials were for:

Borateem, Canada Dry, Carnation, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Clorox, Dodge, General Telephone, Gillette, Heinz Foods, Jack in The Box, Liquid Plum’r, MacDonald’s, Mattel Toys, Monsanto, Nissan, Ohrbachs, Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes, Parliament Cigarettes, Pepsi Cola, Texaco

Benny Golson has absolute mastery of the jazz medium. He has not only blazed a trail in the world of jazz but is passionate about teaching jazz to young and old alike. He has lectured at the Lincoln Center through a special series by Wynton Marsalis. He has lectured to doctoral candidates at New York University and to the faculty at National University at San Diego.

Honored with doctorates from William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ and Berklee School of Music, Boston, MA, Dr. Golson has also conducted workshops and clinics at:

Appalachian University, Boone, NC

Berklee School fo Music, Boston, MA

Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY

Howard University, Washington, DC

Julliard School of Music, New York, NY

Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY

New England Conservatory

Paris Conservatory, Paris, France

Rutgers University, New Orleans, LA

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

University of Denver, Denver, CO

University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Appleton, WI

William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ

Golson’s musical odyssey has taken him around the world. In 1987 he was sent by the US State Department on a cultural tour of Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore. Later, Philip Morris International sent him on an assignment to Bangkok, Thailand to write music for the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

A live performer who consistently knocks audiences off their feet, Benny Golson has given hundreds of performances in the USA, Europe, South America, the Far East and Japan for decades.

Benny is also working on a major college textbook and his autobiography.

This humble musical giant continues to impress critics, fans and fellow musicians with his prodigious contributions to the world of jazz.

General Schedule

• Clinics, Performances, and Masterclasses from 3:00-7:00 PM in the Schrott Center for the Arts and Lilly Hall at Butler University.
• Closing Concert 7:30-8:45 PM in Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University. Tickets are included with the festival participation fee.
• View interactive campus map online or download PDF version.

Festival Format and Details

• Non-competitive.
• Each band will receive one hour in their assigned performance room during which there will be time for a brief warm-up before the clinic begins.
• There will not be separate warm-up rooms.
• To allow for maximum clinic time, we recommend that you program no more than 15 minutes of music. Pieces in progress that are not at performance level are also welcome.
• Clinicians will provide verbal comments that will be recorded, there will not be any written comments or scores.
• Family and friends are welcome to attend. 
• View interactive campus map online or download PDF version.

Special Guest

Kenny Phelps, Drummer

Kenny Phelps cut his musical teeth in church, enlivening worship services and later touring with gospel groups as a drummer.  A self-taught percussionist, Phelps developed his jazz knowledge and experience in the 1990s through the mentoring assistance of bassist Frank Smith and pianist Steve Allee.

Beginning in 2004, Phelps has been aligned with the American Pianists Association and played in the rhythm section for the Premier Series and Finals of their prestigious Jazz Awards.  This early association with APA and introduction to guest performer, Dee Dee Bridgewater, in 2011 led to Phelps being hired to tour with Dee Dee internationally for two years. 

His twenty-five years of playing experience has involved performances with Wynton Marsalis, Eartha Kitt, Michael Brecker, Slide Hampton, Wycliffe Gordon, Chuchito Valdes, and the New York Voices. Other Indianapolis and Midwest-based performers with whom Kenny has worked and recorded include the Debarge Family, Rob Dixon, Pharez Whitted, Fareed Haque, Derrick Gardner and Melvin Rhyne. For several years, he played in a trio with Frank Smith and pianist Frank Puzzullo at a downtown Indianapolis restaurant. Starting in 2009, he was active in a family fusion band, Hananeel, with his brother, a nephew and others. In 2011, Kenny purchased Owl Music Group, an outgrowth of Owl Records, a local jazz label. A year later, he became Owl’s CEO, turning the company into a humanitarian arts organization reaching out to young musicians and community organizations such as the Julian Center and the Wheeler Mission Ministries. The Community Outreach arm brings music to these agencies and supplements the concerts with served meals. The Night Owl Session, is devoted to enriching the lives of youth through music education, engagement, and entertainment. In collaboration with public-school systems, it provides mentoring and direction to aspiring instrumentalists and singers considering music as a career. All facets of the music industry are explained to participants, while the core emphasis is motivational. “We encourage them to jump into their passion for music,” says Kenny, “but also let them know that struggle and sacrifice are needed.”

Clinicians

Full list of clinicians coming soon!

Arrival Time

A detailed schedule will be provided to each director approximately two weeks prior to the event with their bands performance/clinic time and location. All festival events will take place in Lilly Hall or the Schrott Center for the Arts on Butler’s campus. There will be time for a brief warm-up in the performance room before the clinic begins. Groups should allow plenty of time to arrive to campus, park, and load into their respective performance rooms. View interactive campus map online or download PDF version.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Students and directors should be dropped off and picked up using the circle drive in front of Clowes Memorial Hall, near the main entrance to Butler University on Sunset Avenue. The circle drive has a sidewalk leading to both venues of the festival, Lilly Hall and the Schrott Center for the Arts. View interactive campus map online or download PDF version.

Bus Parking

Busses should park in the Hinkle Fieldhouse lot on 49th street. View campus map.

Equipment and Storage

Butler will provide drum sets, cymbals, piano, bass amp, guitar amp, vibes, chairs and stands at every performance location. Amp cords will be the responsibility of the bands. Instruments can be securely stored in the basement of the Schrott Center for the Arts.  

Dinner and Dining Options

Dinner will be on your own. If you’re interested in eating on campus, there are three locations: the MarketPlace at Atherton Union, Plum Market, and Chatham Tap.  

Closing Concert

Info coming soon!

Submitting Payment

There is a $250 participation fee per Ensembles and a $200 participation fee per Combo due no later than Monday, November 18. Payment must be submitted via check mailed to Butler University School of Music, attn. Benny Golson Jazz Fest, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46208. If you have multiple groups participating, please indicate the number of groups in the check memo. Questions about payment? Email School of Music Budget Office, Lyndee Kennett at lkennett1@butler.edu.

Contact Information

Matt Pivec, Professor of Music, Director of Jazz Studies

317-940-9068 | music@butler.edu