For those not aware, this Arkadia Records album, recipient of a Grammy Nomination, is dedicated to honoring the legacy of seven of the all-time greats of the tenor saxophone – Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Zoot Sims, and Ben Webster.

Musical mastermind Benny Golson leads this extraordinary session with fellow tenor saxophonists Branford Marsalis, James Carter and Harold Ashby, culminating in the historic, Grammy nominated Arkadia Records album Benny Golson: Tenor Legacy.

The stellar rhythm section (Geoff Keezer, Dwayne Burno, and Joe Farnsworth) provides splendid support for the four renowned saxophonists.

1. ‘Lester Leaps In’ (for Lester Young) [3:54]
2. ‘Body and Soul’ (for Coleman Hawkins) [6:20]
3. ‘St. Thomas’ (for Sonny Rollins) [5:48]
4. ‘My Favorite Things’ (for John Coltrane) [5:05]
5. ‘Whisper Not’ (for Benny Golson) [9:18]
6. ‘Lover Come Back to Me’ (for Ben Webster) [5:30]
7. ‘My Old Flame’ (for Zoot Sims) [6:40]

This all-embracing, dutifully-sculpted new recording, opens on the frenetically animated ‘Lester Leaps In’ and the mellow, yet playful ‘Body and Soul’ and then we get the mischievous ‘St. Thomas’ brought forth, which is followed by the fervent ‘My Favorite Things.’

This extraordinarily impassioned session continues onward with the smoothly elegant ‘Whisper Not’ which is in turn backed seamlessly by my own favorite here, the fearless ‘Lover Come Back to Me,’ the album coming to an all-too-soon close on the effortlessly tranquil ‘My Old Flame.’

THE MUSICIANS:
Benny Golson: Tenor saxophone
Branford Marsalis: Tenor saxophone (2)
James Carter: Tenor saxophone (1, 4, 5, and 5)
Harold Ashby: Tenor saxophone (1, 3, 6, and 7)
Geoff Keezer: Piano
Dwayne Burno: Bass
Joe Farnsworth: Drums

Official Purchase Link