George Benson - Big Boss Band feat. The Count Basie Orchestra (1990)

In the words of George Benson (From the liner notes): "In 1983, I made a promise to the late Count Basie to record with his band an album such as this." Benson assumes the role of both singer and guitarist with the Basie band, everybody brings their A game, and this listener is happy.

Billboard, Sept. 22, 1990, p. 74

Also notable as Benson's debut as sole producer of an album.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #3

Tracks: I prefer the tracks that feature Benson's fretwork, such as Ready Now That You Are, On Green Dolphin Street, and Basie's Bag, the latter of which won the Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band. Also noteworthy are Skylark and Walkin' My Baby Back Home.  I can't figure out the inclusion of Baby Workout unless they wanted a marketable crossover single. That song doesn't even include the Basie band. I dig the tune (especially Benson's solo), it just doesn't seem to fit the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None - this was a recent pickup from a used bin.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Givin' It Up (2006) (w/Al Jarreau)
Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
Collaboration (1987) (w/Earl Klugh)
20/20 (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)
Give Me The Night (1980)
Breezin' (1976)
The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970)

George Benson - Breezin' (1976)

NUMBER ONE ALBUMS WEEK (MAY 5-11, 2014)

This album was not only #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, it also topped the jazz and R&B charts in 1976. The first two songs on the album (the title track and This Masquerade) are very familiar from radio play and have appeared on this blog before on The George Benson Collection; track 4, Affirmation, has appeared previously on Best Of: The Instrumentals. Prior to this, his first album for Warner Bros., Benson was mainly known as a jazz guitarist. With the hit single This Masquerade, the only non-instrumental on the album, he began a successful transition to pop singer. Beyond that, this album saw the debut of Benson soloing using what would become his amazing trademark guitar-voice technique where he scat sings along with himself as solos on guitar, effectively doubling himself. Add to that a top-notch band and smooth production from Tommy LiPuma, and it's easy to understand why this hit the top spot. It probably turned more than a few people onto smooth jazz.

The album won three Grammy awards: Record of the Year (for This Masquerade), Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and Best Engineered Performance, Non-Classical

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "Delicate, safe, unobtrusive"
• Rolling Stone: "superior mood music"
• Record World: "Funky and soulful"
• Stereo Review: "highly competent but seldom inspired"
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1 (2 weeks, July 31 - Aug 7, 1976)
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #5
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks:  I like This Masquerade, even though it isn't characteristic of the remainder of the album. Most of the tracks are smooth jazz instrumentals and are successful, especially the title track, Six to Four, and Affirmation.

Exclusive CD longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Givin' It Up (2006) (w/Al Jarreau)
Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
Collaboration (1987) (w/Earl Klugh)
20/20 (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)
Give Me The Night (1980)
The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970)

George Benson - Give Me The Night (1980)

A "perfect storm" kind of collaboration. Producer extraordinaire Quincy Jones put together a team that included songwriters Ivan Lins and Rod Temperton, vocalist Patti Austin, and instrumentalists like Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock, Jerry Hey, and George Duke. In other words, the same people that brought you Off The Wall and would later bring you The Dude. Add Benson's own considerable talents to the mix and you've got a top-notch pop/funk/disco/jazz album. Sadly, this would be the only Benson album that Jones would produce even though Benson would make appearances on other Q albums. For an album to sell so many copies with only one Top 40 single says a lot about its quality and crossover appeal.

The album won four Grammy awards:

1. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Male
2. Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male (for Moody's Mood)
3. Best R&B Instrumental Performance (for Off Broadway)
4. Best Instrumental Arrangement (for Dinorah, Dinorah)

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "the year's most romantic pop record"
• Record World: "One of the few earthlings blessed with extraordinary vocal and instrumental talents"
• Stereo Review: "an inviting showcase of the singer's musical skills."
• CashBox: "a 'something for everybody' album"
• Billboard: "strongest program of pop material in Benson's escalating career"
• DownBeat (★★★½): "a careful listening is rewarded with an embarrassment of riches"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #3
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1
• CashBox: #7
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks: How the title track didn't hit #1 on the Hot 100 is beyond me. Many of these tracks are mid-tempo ballads that the reviewer for Rolling Stone magazine called "the juiciest make-out music I've heard in ages." Agreed (especially Turn Out The Lamplight). Q focuses on Benson's voice, but there are few very enjoyable instrumentals: Off Broadway and Dinorah, Dinorah. The only track that remotely sounds like to filler to me is Star Of A Story (X).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Back when I would record songs directly from radio, Give Me The Night was one that would get recorded every time I heard it. This meant it might appear 4-5 times on a single cassette tape. (mondegreen at that time: give me the knife)

I saw Benson perform in Dallas in 1990. I'm racking my brain to remember if he played Give Me The Night. Surely he did, right?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Givin' It Up (2006) (w/Al Jarreau)
Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
Collaboration (1987) (w/Earl Klugh)
20/20 (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)
The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970)

George Benson & Earl Klugh - Collaboration (1987)

An okay instrumental smooth jazz album with two guitarists doing the best they can with relatively weak material. These songs almost crossover from smooth jazz to instrumental pop (although some would argue there's not much difference between the two genres to begin with). The arrangements are full of of synth pads and drum programming, but that's fairly characteristic of the time. I've always enjoyed Klugh's brand of music and he's definitely a solid player, but I've never really thought of him as being particularly innovative. Klugh has never stretched out much and, as such, he's absolutely blown away here by Benson's fluid technique and amazing solo skills. Still, the electric and acoustic play well off each other, which puts this album in the "good, but not great" category. The total is definitely less than the sum of its parts, which makes you wonder what might have been.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Smooth as a gravy sandwich."
• Billboard: "a classy duet foray"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #59
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1
• Billboard Pop CD: #12
• Billboard R&B: #28
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• CashBox CD: #12

Tracks:  Like I said, the material isn't the best, but most of it is good enough for background music. The best track is Jamaica; I occasionally skip the title track and an ill-advised take on the love theme from the 1968 movie Romeo & Juliet.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I'm surprised I didn't pick this one up back in '87, but I didn't hear it until I found a a used copy back in 2005. The Romeo & Juliet track takes me back to my freshman year in high school in which we not only had to read the Shakespeare play, but we traveled to Houston to catch a live production AND had to watch the 1968 film. And to all that, I added the task of reading the Cliffs Notes. And they wonder why kids don't get into Shakespeare much.

Previously revisited for the blog:

George Benson	Earl Klugh
Givin' It Up (2006)	Midnight in San Juan (1991)
Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)	Volume One (1991)
20/20 (1985)	Soda Fountain Shuffle (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)	Two of a Kind (1982)
The Other Side of Abbey Road (1970)	Late Night Guitar (1980)

George Benson - The Other Side Of Abbey Road (1970)

I thought the idea of Benson covering The Beatles' Abbey Road was a can't miss proposition. I thought wrong. The problem here isn't the material (The Beatles!) or performances (Bob James, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Idris Muhammad, et. al.) - it's that the bland, lugubrious arrangements simply can't be overcome, even by Benson's silky smooth voice or fantastic guitar work. I had heard the version of Here Comes The Sun on The George Benson Collection, so I should have known better. I was hoping for something more along the lines of McLemore Avenue and was disappointed.

Reviews/ratings:

• High Fidelity: "I almost guarantee that this album will delight you."
• Record World: "A gorgeous complement and compliment to the work of the foursome."
• Downbeat (★★★½): "There are a lot of nice things on this smooth pop album"
• Billboard: "an extremely hasty set that should draw lots of attention."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks*:

• US Billboard Top 200: #125
• Billboard Jazz: #28
• Record World Jazz: #19

*the album did not chart upon release in 1970. Following the massive success of Benson's Breezin' album in 1976, A&M promoted The Other Side Of Abbey Road (the above ad is from a 1976 publication) and the album hit the chart peaks during that year.

Tracks: There's only 5 tracks (including 4 medleys) lasting a mere 32 minutes. Unfortunately, this stuff really isn't my thing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Givin' It Up (2006)
Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
20/20 (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)

George Benson & Al Jarreau - Givin' It Up (2006)

Not only a first-time collaboration between Benson and Jarreau, they bring along friends such as Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, Marcus Miller, Jill Scott, Patti Austin, and Paul McCartney. The album is mostly covers with some originals. Instead of letting Jarreau simply sing, some arrangements lean heavily on him trying to sound like Bobby McFerrin which often sounds just like low groaning, not scatting. That's the only downside to the album, though. Benson sounds great, as always. A better-than-average crossover album.

Billboard, October 28, 2006, p. 79

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #58
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1

Tracks: The disc starts off with the duo redoing two of their signature songs, Benson's Breezin' and Jarreau's Mornin'. Breezin' fares better than Mornin', and while neither comes close to the originals, they're enjoyable enough. The stand out tracks are All I Am, and the covers of Seals & Croft's Summer Breeze, John Legend's Ordinary People, and Miles Davis' Four. I've never enjoyed Every Time You Go Away (let's blame Paul Young) and the cover here makes me want to hit the skip button, but it's the material, not the performance.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
George Benson - Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)
Al Jarreau - L is for Lover (1986)
George Benson - 20/20 (1985)
Al Jarreau - High Crime (1984)
The George Benson Collection (1981)

George Benson - Best Of: The Instrumentals (1997)

A compilation of smooth instrumental jazz from Benson's years with Warner Brothers (so there's nothing here from A&M or CBS). Tracks here were recorded in the years 1976-1996. Good, but could have been better if they could have delved back into the older catalogs. I guess you work with what you have available.

Tracks:

Title	Album	Year
My Heart Is Dancing	Love Remembers	1993
Breezin'	Breezin'	1976
Mimosa	Collaboration	1987
Dinorah, Dinorah	Give Me The Night	1980
Being With You	In Your Eyes	1983
Valdez In The Country	In Flight	1977
Affirmation	Breezin'	1976
Tenderly	Tenderly	1989
We All Remember Wes	Weekend in L.A.	1978
Weekend in L.A.	Weekend in L.A.	1978
That's Right	That's Right	1996

The classic Breezin' is first rate as are Benson's version of Donnie Hathaway's Valdez In The Country, Tenderly, and Dinorah, Dinorah.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this solely based on Benson's proven musicianship and Valdez In The Country, a favorite piece ever since I was introduced to it in high school jazz band.

Previously revisited for the blog:
20/20 (1985)
The George Benson Collection (1981)

George Benson - The George Benson Collection (1981)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a double LP, later replaced by a CD.

George Benson is one of the great jazz guitarists of all-time. The way he sings his guitar solos while he plays them absolutely amazes me. He is one of only a few musicians (who knows? he could be the only musician) that successfully transitioned from instrumental jazz to pop vocals. As Quincy Jones writes in the liner notes: "If George had never sung a note in his life, his guitar could done his singing for him and certainly no one would have thought there was anything lacking. But sing he did, and he showed that he is light years beyond being a guitar player who also sings." The only downside of this CD is the fact that, in order to get 2 LP's on 1 CD, they had to take out a track. That track was the fantastic Cast Your Fate To The Wind. Bummer.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "attractive to all"
• Stereo Review: "truly moments to remember"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #14
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #5
• CashBox: #17
• CashBox Jazz: #1
• Rolling Stone: #15

Tracks: What a great start. The first 5 tracks are Turn Your Love Around, Love All The Hurt Away (a duet with no less than Aretha Franklin), Give Me The Night, Never Give Up On A Good Thing, and the classic On Broadway. The cover of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit falls flat in spite of some inspired playing by Benson, but then the CD quickly bounces back with This Masquerade and Love Ballad. Also good are Livin' Inside Your Love and Breezin'. The CD ends with the original version of The Greatest Love Of All which Benson recorded for a 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic. Most people are more familiar with Whitney Houston's 1986 hit version, but I heard this one first so it's the one I think of.

Song	Year	Hot 100	AC	R&B
Turn Your Love Around	1981	5	9	1
Love All The Hurt Away	1981	46	-	6
Give Me The Night	1980	4	26	1
Never Give Up On A Good Thing	1981	52	29	16
On Broadway	1978	7	25	2
White Rabbit	1971	-	-	-
This Masquerade	1976	10	6	3
Love Ballad	1979	18	12	3
Nature Boy	1977	-	-	-
Last Train To Clarksville	1969	-	-	-
Livin' Inside Your Love	1979	-	-	-
Here Comes The Sun	1970	-	-	-
Breezin'	1976	63	13	55
Moody's Mood	1980	-	-	-
We Got The Love	1978	-	-	-
The Greatest Love Of All	1968	24	22	2

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Another "Summer of '85" album. One of the best summers ever. I remember buying the double album set at a Sound Warehouse in Houston across US 59 from Westwood Mall. Sadly, the record store and mall are no longer in existence.

My wife and I saw Benson in concert in Dallas in June 1990. We were somewhere in the first 10 rows and my wife swears she and Benson made eye contact and he sang a song directly to her. She still gets a little swoony whenever she recalls that show.

George Benson - 20/20 (1985)

NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

George Benson started off as a jazz guitarist in the '60s and, by 1985, had become a pop vocalist. There's little of his fabulous guitar playing on this CD and that's a shame, but you can't really blame him and his record company for trying to get some money from pop music consumers. This recording puts Benson with some of the most popular studio musicians (Steve Lukather, Richard Tee, Nathan East) and pop songwriters (Michael Sembello, Michael Masser & Linda Creed) of the time. It sounds a lot like a Al Jarreau release.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "showcase Benson's versatility"
• DownBeat (★★★): "He's the baddest guitarist on the planet, period."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #45
• Billboard Jazz: #3
• Billboard R&B: #20
• CashBox: #25
• CashBox Jazz: #2
• Rolling Stone: #28

Tracks: No One Emotion is a good pop opener. Please Don't Walk Away sounds almost exactly like Benson's 1981 hit Turn Your Love Around. Soaring ballads are here: Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You, New Day, and You Are The Love Of My Life. There's a great take on the standard Beyond The Sea including a fantastic big band arrangement and, finally, a Benson solo. How Benson can sing his solo while he plays it just amazes me. I liked the title track from the get go. It's synthesized bass, drum machine, and DSX sequencing date the track, but in a good way (if that makes any sense) - kinda like seeing a pair of parachute pants and chuckling to yourself while shaking your head. Plus, the track has another Benson guitar solo (it's the only non-synthesized instrument on the track). Stand Up is a nice, jazzy instrumental track where Benson gets to stretch out a little.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The cheesy, polished production of this music reminds me of pop music and the pop culture of 1985. Pound Puppies, Miami Vice, big hair, Care Bears, Bloom County, etc. Me in '85? Mullet and an earring. All photographic evidence has been destroyed.