By Charles H. Chapman
George was born on March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, PA. His stepfather, Thomas Collier, taught George to play the ukulele at age six; by age eight he was sitting in with his stepfather singing, dancing and playing the ukulele. In 1954 George was given an electric guitar, and by the time he was 17 was leading his own successful rock and soul band. His interest slowly turned to jazz as he listened intently to records of Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. In 1962 Jack McDuff hired him as a sideman and over the next three years he honed his craft playing with many of the foremost jazz performers on the scene at that time.
After Wes Montgomery's death in 1968, Benson was the obvious choice for Creed Taylor (producer of Wes's records) to sign on. Taylor's choice was to prove right, but success was not actually realized until 1976 when his recording of "Breezin" passed the 2,000,000 mark. "Breezin" remains the best-selling jazz album of all time, having now sold over 10 million copies world-wide. He has won just about every jazz poll and award possible and in 1990 Berklee College of Music bestowed their Honorary Doctorate Degree upon him.
George Benson's sound for the millennium definitely has emphasis on his instrumental jazz abilities. His new release Absolute Benson only has only three vocals on its nine tracks and recalls his albums of the early-to-mid 1970s. It is an amalgamation of soul, blues and jazz; and has many critics believing that it just may be George's finest release to date. In spite of his unbelievably hectic schedule I was able to catch up with George at his New Jersey home on June 6, 2000.
Charles Chapman: Since we last spoke in 1998 you have acquired a few new guitars, what are they?
George Benson: I recently acquired a couple of Morotoros and have also added a few solid-body style instruments that are extremely unique and impressive. One is a "Boy London" that is very unique with lace trans-sensor pickups, and the other is from New York luthier Woody Phifer.
CC: You mentioned solid body guitars that you have recently acquired, is this a new interest for you?
GB: Oh no, archtops are my love and passion, I own about 35 wonderful archtops by many different and very talented luthiers. One of my prize possessions is Wes Montgomery's Gibson L5, with the Florentine cutaway, that was pictured on the album cover Movin Wes. This was the guitar Wes recorded many of his hits on, like Windy, Going Out of My Head; and I used it for a Wes tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
You have to remember that I've been around while all this stuff was being invented. Many times I was one of the first guitarists asked to experiment with sound devices and even guitar synthesizers. On the album Shape of Things To Come I used a tone divider. Over the years I've used a few solid body instruments, but I keep coming back to the archtop because that is my thing and my sound, but I'm fascinated with new innovations. As with all musicians, I like to see who's out there and what's new. If I can give them a helping hand I do, but in the end I'm benefiting because it keeps the music fresh and I believe I project that to my audience.
CC: You mentioned before that you like to help up and coming guitarists, have you run into any of late that have caught your attention?
GB: Yes, Serge Krief, he's a French guitarist and is magnificent. Serge is a Django expert and knows everything Django ever played note for note, but he can also play modern jazz like you can't believe. He's never been out there and no one knows of him.
CC: How did you meet Serge?
GB: When I was in France he came to see me at my hotel, we played a little and he just flattened me with his talent. He and his rhythm guitarist, Richard, saved all their money and came to the United States a little while back, I contacted the "Blue Note" and asked if they could play during the breaks. Management graciously agreed and Serge and Richard just tore the house up. Somebody heard them and they were able to get a few good gigs-I wish them the best. Another guy I heard recently that just knocked me out was a young guitar player in Spain. His name was Tomatito, which means little tomato. Man, this guy is just magnificent. His rhythm and tonality and his approach is masterful. He is flamenco, but you still hear jazz, blues and the whole bag.
CC: It must get annoying to have musicians coming up to you all the time wanting something from you?
GB: Yes, I will admit that it is sometimes trying, but most of the time it's a joy. It exposes me to fresh new ideas and I just love the way younger cats awaken something in me from the early days, I love listening and playing with guys like Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove and Christian McBride. When they tell me I've still got the chops, I feel great.
CC: You must have one of the most diverse audiences I have ever seen, it spans all age groups from teenagers with pink hair to great-grandmothers with blue hair. To what do you credit your popularity among all of these varied ages and musical interests, and the longevity of your career?
GB: We like the same things in life and I let it be known. I'm not afraid to express that. Especially years ago, if you were a jazz guitar player and expressed you liked something else you were put on their crap list. A lot of my old jazz fans were miffed when I achieved pop success. Jazz fans want to be catered to and I've tried that approach and it doesn't work for me. Nobody can stay one way for 30 years. You hear, you change, the door opens and you walk through it. People often forget I was a pop artist when I was a kid and an entertainer before I ever dreamed of being a jazz musician. The easiest way to involve people is by getting them to tap their feet. When they're tapping a bit, they'll go your way. That's when I can float any kind of jazz line into the music. Once the audience knows I respect them, they let me be whatever I want to be.
CC: If memory serves me correctly, a few years ago you were contemplating an alternate career in acting, why did you give it up?
GB: I was actually very into it at one time. I did a number of guest spots on the TV series Mike Hammer as well as a few film roles. Quite a few scripts started to come my way and I had to re-evaluate what I really wanted. Even in television you are on the set from 12 to 16 hours a day and I made the decision to put all my efforts in my music and guitar which is really where my heart is.
CC: I understand you have a very interesting story about a Cadillac you own, could you tell us a little about that?
GB: I don't know how interesting it is, but I do own a very unusual and wonderful Cadillac. When I was a kid in Pittsburgh I used to go across town to the Cadillac dealership to check out their cars. In 1959 an experimental car called the Cyclone, was sent to the dealership to display. I could never get it out of my mind. I used to try to tell people about it and they all thought I was crazy, nobody seemed to have ever heard of it. I thought about that car for over forty years. About eight years ago I realized: 'I'm not poor anymore, why don't I try to find it and buy it'. A dealer found the Cyclone for me and it was unbelievable. It had been in a museum for over thirty years and the wheels had never touched the road. It is a fantastic machine and I immediately bought it.
CC: If you could record with any musician, living or deceased, who would that be?
GB: That's easy, Charlie Parker and Nat King Cole. Playing guitar with Nat King Cole would have been great, but he sure didn't need me because he always had the great Oscar Moore with him.
CC: What is your equipment set up for both live gigs and in the studio?
GB: I use the Ibanez GB20 and the GB12 guitars for live performances. The GB12 is just a beefed up version of the GB10; Ibanez refers to it as the anniversary model. These guitars are consistent and I always know what I'm going to get when I plug them in, I designed them that way! My amplifier setup is a Polytone run in series with a Fender DeVille. The Polytone has been one of my favorite amps since Breezin and the Fender has a very quick response which makes it perfect for the fast things I play. The combination of these two amps, with my Ibanez guitars, gives me just the sound I'm looking for in my live shows.
In the studio I will often use guitars from my collection because I can control the situation and make sure they sound the way they were intended to. I always run direct to get a good clean signal and also place a microphone in front of the amplifier. I want that slight bit of distortion and sustain that comes from the amps to give roundness and that live feeling. I use only Thomastik-Infeld strings. I have worked with the Thomastik people and designed a number of sets that I am very happy with.
CC: What gear did you use on the Breezin' session?
GB: I did something on that session that I had never done before or since. I used new equipment that I had never recorded with. It was the first time I recorded with the Polytone as well as my new Johnny Smith guitar. I was taking a chance, but the results are now history.
CC: Did you use any other guitars on that album?
GB: No, the JS was the only guitar used for that project.
CC: How do you feel the recording industry has changed over the years?
GB: When I first came to NY in the 1960's we used to make albums in one or two days at the most. The standard day at Rudi Van Gelder's studio was to record from 10 to 1 then take a lunch break and continue from 2 to 5. That was generally the whole album, unless there was some clean-up stuff to do the next day. This was the same for Blue Note, Prestige and Creed Taylor. In the late 80s, early 90s it took us anywhere from six months to a year to record an album of the same length. When we did Breezin' in 1976 it cost us 45 thousand dollars for four days recording in LA. That also included the cost of the London and Munich Symphony Orchestras. When I recorded the Give Me The Night album with Quincy Jones in the 1980's we spent 450 thousand.
CC: How long have you been on the road, and essentially how much time do you spend touring a year?
GB: I've been on the road for 37 years and tour about 16 to 20 weeks a year.
CC: I just received your new album and think it's one of your best, can you give us your thoughts on it?
GB: Joe Sample was the linchpin in this album and inspired me to play in a different way. He is an extremely musical guy and is one of the reasons why this album is one of my best projects to date. I enjoying playing guitar now more than I ever have and I think it comes out on this album. I'm getting tremendous response from the audiences on the road, and a respect from jazz musicians like I have not seen since my early days.
CC: Why do you think that is?
GB: I think musicians have now finally accepted me for what I am, and are no longer trying to force me to be what they think I should be. They see that the public loves me and are actually listening to what I'm trying to do.
Copyright 2001 by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Pacific, MO. USA, All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission.
Charles Chapman is a Professor in the Guitar Department at Berklee, where he has taught since 1972. Charles is also an active jazz guitarist and music journalist.
