George Benson Live

George Benson - In Concert - Carnegie Hall (1975-76) {Mosaic Contemporary MSC 5009 rel 2007}
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© 1975-76, 2007 Mosaic Contemporary / Sony BMG Music | MSC 5009
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Crossover Jazz / Guitar

In Concert – Carnegie Hall is George Benson's final recording for Creed Taylor's CTI label, and was mostly recorded on one night in 1975. There was some additional recording done at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in 1976, where Taylor replaced the original rhythm section of Wayne Dockery on bass and Marvin Chapell on drums with Will Lee and Steve Gadd, for whatever reason Taylor had at the time. Regardless, this is a solid "live" effort with Benson cooking on all burners, beginning with a monster version of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," which had been cut on an earlier album and had become a staple in the live set.

Taken from Columbia's multi-volume jazz primer, this is not bad for a single-company compilation. The selections split down the middle between George Benson's early 1965-1966 Columbia albums and his 1971-1976 CTI output that Columbia now controls; the gaps are obvious but the title of the series neatly narrows the scope of the survey. We hear the young, eager Benson in four cuts from It's Uptown and only two from the superior George Benson Cookbookincluding the spectacular "The Cooker" – before sampling a cut apiece from CTI's Beyond the Blue Horizon, Bad Benson, Good King Bad, and In Concert-At Carnegie Hall.

George Benson - Weekend In L.A. (1977) {Warner Bros. 3139-2 rel 1999}
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© 1977, 1999 Warner Bros. Records Inc. | 3139-2
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Crossover Jazz / Quiet Storm / Guitar

Recording live at Los Angeles' Roxy club – then a showcase for many of the hottest acts in pop – was just the tonic that George Benson and his Breezin' band needed on this often jumping album. With unusually lively crowds (for a record-industry watering hole) shouting encouragement, the band gets deep into the four-on-the-floor funk and Benson digs in hard, his rhythmic instincts on guitar sharp as ever. The balance between vocals and instrumentals is about even – George's voice sounds more throaty and soul-oriented than before – and amid the new material, there is a revisit to a favored CTI-era instrumental, the lovely "Ode to a Kudu."

While the City Sleeps… is a 1986 studio album by George Benson, released on Warner Bros. Records. It features musicians like Paulinho da Costa, Preston Glass, Paul Jackson, Jr., Marcus Miller and Narada Michael Walden (as drummer and producer), alongside young talents of the time like Kenny G, Randy Jackson and Kashif. Although it does not have any instrumental tracks, Benson's guitar playing is somewhat in the headlight in songs like "Love Is Here Tonight", "Teaser" and "Too Many Times". The most successful single of the album, "Kisses in the Moonlight", is still frequently played by Benson at live performances and is present on many of his compilation albums.

Ain't No Sunshine is a previously unissued concert recordings from one of the greasiest and funkiest Hammond B3 organists of all-time, Brother Jack McDuff. The album features his then working band saxphonists Leo Johnson and Dave Young, guitarist Vinnie Corrao and drummer Ron Davis.

Ain't No Sunshine is a previously unissued concert recordings from one of the greasiest and funkiest Hammond B3 organists of all-time, Brother Jack McDuff. The album features his then working band saxphonists Leo Johnson and Dave Young, guitarist Vinnie Corrao and drummer Ron Davis.