George Benson Night

Monster Music presents to you the amazingly crisps and dynamic HDS High Definition Surround Sound SuperDisc Songs and Stories, George’s second SuperDisc, following up the multi-GRAMMY® winning Givin’ It Up, with Al Jarreau.

George Benson steps completely into the pop singer spotlight on this 1986 recording; there are no instrumentals here. While The Сity Sleeps is made up of ballads, such as the popular "Kisses in the Moonlight," the poppy title track, and dance tunes such as "Shiver," which is one of the album's better rhythmic pieces. Although Benson is still lead guitarist here, his well-known fretwork definitely takes a back seat to his vocals; his playing can best be heard on "Love Is Here Tonight."

Seiji Ozawa is recognized as one of the supreme Gershwin conductors. Multi award winning blind pianist Marcus Roberts is known as one of the foremostpianists of contemporary jazz. Roland Guerin is not only an instructor for Applied Jazz Bass at the University of NewOrleans, he also toured extensively with Jazz greats such as Gerry Mulligan, George Benson and Jimmy Scott, and he made recordings with Ellis Marsalis and Allen Toussaint among others. Drummer Jason Marsalis is the son of pianist Ellis Marsalis and the youngest brother of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Together, the four brothers and their father Ellis comprise New Orleans' venerable first family of jazz.

Shakatak was an underground instrumental dominated jazz-funk band at a time when the genre hadn't really hit the mainstream, mainly showcasing the keyboard skills of Bill Sharpe and the jazz guitar of Keith Winter. Taking a chance on a female vocalist, Jill Saward, they released their second album, Nightbirds, which featured a radio-friendly vocal over the top of their jazz meanderings, and suddenly the pop market opened up for them with the hit single "Easier Said Than Done" with its mainly piano based tinkling and a dance beat, and Saward's vocal on the chorus. They followed this with an even bigger hit, "Night Birds" which became the title track of the second album.