Jazz Articles about George Benson

George Benson: Guitar Man

by Jeff Winbush
November 10, 2011

At some point George Benson morphed from a guitarist who occasionally sang into a singer who occasionally played guitar. Benson's Breezin' (Warner Bros, 1976) launched his career trajectory to new heights based upon “This Masquerade," his only vocal turn on the album.But oh, what a vocal “This Masquerade" was. It propelled Breezin' to Number One on the pop charts and the album won multiple Grammys, including Record of the Year, and his recording formula was set for the ...

George Benson: Body Talk

by Dan Bilawsky
July 6, 2011

With a title like Body Talk, and a lead-off track called “Dance," George Benson--a guitar-god-on-the-rise when this album originally hit shelves in 1973--makes it clear that this music is all about feeling the groove. While a good number of Benson projects on CTI benefited from Don Sebesky's arrangements, the guitarist needed a funkier feeling for this album, and Pee Wee Ellis was just the man to provide it. Ellis helped to create the sound that defined the music of James ...

George Benson: Beyond The Blue Horizon

by Dan Bilawsky
May 7, 2011

George Benson has worn many hats throughout his career, from jazz-pop vocal star to soulful six-stringer, but his guitar god persona is probably exhibited best by Beyond The Blue Horizon (CTI, 1971). This album arrived five full years before Benson's popularity would explode with Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976), and it presents this powerful instrumental presence in a no-nonsense, small group setting. Benson worked briefly with the great Miles Davis, as a guest on Miles In The Sky ...

George Benson: White Rabbit

by John Kelman
February 5, 2011

After three late-1960s A&M albums with mastermind Creed Taylor prior to the creation of CTI Records, guitarist George Benson hit 1971 running with two CTI debuts, issued a few months apart. Beyond the Blue Horizon was closer, in complexion, to his A&M recordings--harkening back, even, to his impressive 1966 Columbia Records two-punch, It's Uptown and The George Benson Cookbook--although the virtuosic, soul- drenched guitarist was clearly evolving as a player and maturing into one whose firebrand, virtuosic tendencies were becoming ...

George Benson: From Chitlins to Chateaubriand to Caviar

by Ed Hamilton
June 14, 2007

In the summer of 2004 guitarist George Benson sat down unnoticed at the Baton Rouge Bar in Montreal and asked for a margarita. The Baton Rouge is a great restaurant haven for jazz goers and musicians attending the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, aka The Montreal Jazz Festival. It just so happened that, as my family and I sat down at the bar for an afternoon brunch, I looked over to my left and recognized Benson as the gentleman ...

George Benson: Live at Montreux 1986

by Jim Santella
December 4, 2005

George Benson Live at Montreux 1986 Eagle Eye Media 2005

This concert is a lot of fun for those who want to enjoy George Benson interpreting pop and smooth jazz. He's exciting, and he really gets into his songs. Solid vocals and smooth instrumentals carry the audience through moderate romps and lush ballads that focus on the leader from every angle.

Synchronized horns, varied percussion textures, throbbing electric bass and ...

George Benson: The Other Side of Abbey Road

by Trevor MacLaren
August 17, 2005

George Benson The Other Side of Abbey Road A&M 1969

I have to admit I have never been a huge fan of George Benson. I respect the man because he is an amazing guitarist with an extraordinary original technique. Yet his chosen sound and genre limits what could be some blazing work. So why what's so special about this album? Though The Other Side Abbey Road is a mellow disc that alludes ...