Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » George Benson: Breezin'

George Benson: Breezin'

By C. Michael Bailey
March 1, 2001
View read count

Maybe the big daddy of smooth jazz, George Benson's Breezin' reemerges as a great period piece and microscope lens focussed on the mid-1970s.

Breezin' was the one of the first jazz recordings I purchased. The year was 1976 and I was a junior in high school. The LP (this was 1976, remember) struck me as being totally contemporary with the burgeoning Disco scene of the period while still being able to boast belonging to the genre "jazz". Now, Rhino Records has re-released this disc as part of their Warner Archives series. The sound has been cleaned up and several unreleased tracks have been added to sweeten the pot. The sum of its parts, "Breezin'" is a nostalgic romp through the mid-1970s, a perfect period soundtrack.

Added to the original disc are a smoothly heated "Shark Bite", "Down Here On The Ground" (bearing little resemblance to the much sampled Grant Green version) and the single mix of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade". These additions in no way change the tone of the recording. A crossover from the get go, Breezin' was a marketing coup de grace. George Benson had already earned his stripes as a jazz musician. Breezin' jettisoned him into hyperspace, providing he'and jazz'a considerably wider audience than previously enjoyed. The music overall has aged pretty well if for no other reason than we find our culture pining for the 1970s. This disc provides the perfect backdrop. The sonic are very good and this should be considered a welcome re-release of a classic.

Track Listing

Breezin'; This Masquerade; Six To Four; Affirmation; So This Is Love?; Lady; Down Here On The Ground; Shark Bite; This Masquerade (Single Edit).

Personnel

George Benson

guitar

George Benson: Lead Guitar, Vocals; Phil Upchurch: Rhythm Guitar, Bass; Ronnie Foster: Electric Piano, Mini-Moog; Jorge Dalto: Clavinet, Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano; Stanley Banks: Bass; Harvey Mason: Drums; Ralph MacDonald: Percussion.

Album information

Title: Breezin' | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Warner Bros.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Carla Cook: Just a Swingin' and a Gr...
< Previous

Skyful of Bliss
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.