Biography by Richard S. Ginell
Simply
one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, George Benson is an
amazingly versatile musician whose adept skills find him crossing easily
between straight-ahead jazz, smooth jazz, and contemporary R&B.
Blessed with supreme taste, a beautiful, rounded guitar tone, terrific
speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, as always, an
unquenchable urge to swing, Benson's inspirations may have been Charlie
Christian and Wes Montgomery, but his style is completely his own. Not
only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm
guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger,
particularly in a soul-jazz format; skills he first garnered attention
for as a member of Brother Jack McDuff's band in the early '60s. Benson
can also sing in a lush, soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those
of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. In a sense, he is the
guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole, a fantastic instrumentalist
whose smooth way with a pop vocal helped solidify his prowess in the
marketplace. It is this combination of singing and guitar playing that
has garnered him numerous accolades and chart success, including most
notably his 1976 breakthrough Breezin', which topped the pop, R&B,
and jazz charts and took home Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental
Performance and Record of the Year. Benson has remained a chart and
awards season favorite, releasing more Top Ten jazz albums, including
1980's Grammy-winning Give Me the Night, 1993's Love Remembers, and
2006's Grammy-winning Givin' It Up with Al Jarreau. Along with his
original studio albums, Benson has paid tribute to his idols, releasing
2013's Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole and 2019's Fats Domino-
and Chuck Berry-inspired Walking to New Orleans.
Born in 1943 in
Pittsburgh, Benson actually started out professionally as a singer,
performing in nightclubs at the age of eight, recording four sides for
RCA's X label in 1954, and forming a rock band at 17 while using a
guitar that his stepfather made for him. Exposure to records by
Christian, Montgomery, and Charlie Parker got him interested in jazz,
and by 1962, the teenage Benson was playing in Brother Jack McDuff's
band. After forming his own group in 1965, Benson became another of
talent scout John Hammond's major discoveries, recording two highly
regarded albums of soul-jazz and hard bop for Columbia and turning up on
several records by others, including Miles Davis' Miles in the Sky. He
switched to Verve in 1967, and, shortly after the death of Montgomery in
June 1968, producer Creed Taylor began recording him with larger
ensembles on A&M (between 1968 and 1969) and big groups and all-star
combos on CTI (from 1971 to 1976).
While the A&M and CTI
albums certainly earned their keep and made Benson a guitar star in the
jazz world, he gained yet more commercial acclaim after signing with
Warner Bros. in 1976. His first album for Warner Bros., Breezin', became
a Top Ten hit on the strength of its sole vocal track, "This
Masquerade," and this led to a string of hit albums in an
R&B-flavored pop mode, culminating with the Quincy Jones-produced
Give Me the Night. However, jazz remained at the core of his sound, as
showcased on 1989's standards album Tenderly, as well as 1990's Big Boss
Band with the Basie band, the latter of which featured his guitar more
prominently. In 1993, he scored another number one contemporary jazz
album with Love Remembers, and followed with several more chart-topping
albums, including 1996's That's Right and 1998's Standing Together.
The
Latin-infused Absolute Benson arrived in 2000 debuting at number one on
the Billboard Jazz chart, and was followed by 2004's number
five-charting Irreplaceable. He then paired with vocalist Al Jarreau for
2006's Givin' It Up, which topped the contemporary jazz chart and took
home Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
In 2009, Benson signed to
Concord and released Songs and Stories for the label; he followed it
with his first primarily instrumental album in 35 years, Guitar Man, in
2011. Two years later, Benson released Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat
King Cole, featuring arrangements by Nelson Riddle and Randy Waldman. In
2019, he returned with a second tribute album, Walking to New Orleans:
Remembering Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. A concert album, Weekend in
London, arrived in 2020.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760#biography
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Nacido en 1943 en Pittsburgh, Benson comenzó profesionalmente como cantante, actuando en clubes nocturnos a los ocho años, grabando cuatro lados para el sello X de RCA en 1954 y formando una banda de rock a los 17 mientras usaba una guitarra que su padrastro le hizo.. La exposición a discos de Christian, Montgomery y Charlie Parker hizo que se interesara por el jazz, y para 1962, el adolescente Benson tocaba en la banda del hermano Jack McDuff. Después de formar su propio grupo en 1965, Benson se convirtió en otro de los principales descubrimientos del cazatalentos John Hammond, grabando dos álbumes de soul-jazz y hard bop de gran prestigio para Columbia y apareciendo en varios discos de otros, incluido Miles in the Sky de Miles Davis. Cambió a Verve en 1967 y, poco después de la muerte de Montgomery en junio de 1968, el productor Creed Taylor comenzó a grabarlo con conjuntos más grandes en A&M (entre 1968 y 1969) y grandes grupos y combos de estrellas en CTI (de 1971 a 1976).
Si bien los álbumes de A&M y CTI ciertamente se ganaron su sustento e hicieron de Benson una estrella de la guitarra en el mundo del jazz, ganó aún más reconocimiento comercial después de firmar con Warner Bros.en 1976. Su primer álbum para Warner Bros., Breezin', se convirtió en un éxito entre los Diez primeros gracias a su única pista vocal, "This Masquerade", y esto llevó a una serie de álbumes exitosos en un modo pop con sabor a R&B, que culminó con el Give Me the Night producido por Quincy Jones. Sin embargo, el jazz permaneció en el centro de su sonido, como se mostró en el álbum standards de 1989 Tenderly, así como en Big Boss Band de 1990 con Basie Band, el último de los cuales presentó su guitarra de manera más destacada. En 1993, anotó otro álbum número uno de jazz contemporáneo con Love Remembers, y siguió con varios álbumes más que encabezaron las listas, incluidos That's Right de 1996 y Standing Together de 1998.
Absolute Benson, con infusión latina, llegó en 2000 debutando en el número uno en la lista Billboard Jazz, y fue seguido por el número cinco de 2004, Irreplaceable. Luego se emparejó con el vocalista Al Jarreau para Givin' It Up del 2006, que encabezó la lista de jazz contemporáneo y se llevó a casa los Premios Grammy a la Mejor Interpretación Instrumental Pop y a la Mejor Interpretación Vocal Tradicional de R&B.
En 2009, Benson firmó con Concord y lanzó Canciones e Historias para el sello; lo siguió con su primer álbum principalmente instrumental en 35 años, Guitar Man, en 2011. Dos años después, Benson lanzó Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole, con arreglos de Nelson Riddle y Randy Waldman. En el 2019, regresó con un segundo álbum tributo, Walking to New Orleans: Remembering Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. Un álbum de conciertos, Weekend in London, llegó en 2020.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-benson-mn0000201760#biography
Colaborador / Contributor: Pere
01 - Billie's Bounce
02 - What's New
03 - Thunder Walk
04 - Low Down & Dirty
05 - That Lucky Old Sun
06 - Song For My Father
07 - Sack 'O Woe
08 - Doobie Doobie Blues
09 - Tuxedo Junction
10 - I Remember Wes
Label: Verve Records – 833 292-2
Series: Compact Jazz –
Released: 1987
Genre: Jazz
Style: Contemporary Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/George-Benson-George-Benson/release/12406263
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