![]() Foster contributes a nice Fender Rhodes electric piano solo that adds to the heightened proceedings, particularly when he dials up some grungy tones on a ring modulator for edgy effect. By mid-tune, Benson is flying up and down the neck of his guitar with remarkable ease, nonchalantly double-timing the tempo while tossing off pyrotechnic filigrees through chorus after chorus of his extended solo. They start off with a fairly faithful reading of that John Phillips tune before the guitarist and his empathetic crew start taking great liberties with the song. Next up is a lively instrumental interpretation of "California Dreamin'," the hit pop song by The Mamas and The Papas which had also been covered in 1966 by Benson's guitar idol, Wes Montgomery. Although only a snippet was preserved on tape from this GAMH concert, the giveaway here is the 5/4 meter of the vamp that Benson blows over. ![]() Again accompanied by keyboardist Ronnie Foster, a brilliant jazz pianist who was equally conversant with Fender Rhodes and Mini-Moog, along with bassist Wayne Dockery and drummer Marvin Chappelle, Benson lit into what sounds like the tail end of his epic rendition of "Take Five" (which appeared on the live In Concert: Carnegie Hall released in January of that year). George Benson's second set at the Great American Music Hall on April 5, 1975, was marked by the same unparalleled six-string work that characterized his opening set. Other singles that have made the Billboard Hot 100 charts include "On Broadway" (1978), "Love Ballad" (1979), "Give Me The Night" (1980) and "Turn Your Love Around" (1982).īenson continues to play outstanding jazz guitar, as evidenced on recordings such as Jimmy Smith's Off the Top, Benson's own live album Par Excellence, and Tenderly, on which Benson is accompanied by McCoy Tyner on piano.įor his contribution to the recording industry, George Benson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7055 Hollywood Blvd.George Benson - guitar, vocals Ronnie Foster - keyboards Wayne Dockery - bass Marvin Chappelle - drums This album represents a shift to more commercially oriented music which brought Benson a wider audience but alienated some jazz fans. One of his major hits is the song "This Masquerade", which is included in the top-selling album Breezin'. Benson followed it up with "The George Benson Cookbook," also with Lonnie Smith and Ronnie Cuber. This album showcases Benson's talent in constructing swinging bebop lines at blistering tempos. In 1964, at the age of 21, Benson recorded his first album as leader, The New Boss Guitar, with Brother Jack McDuff on organ.īenson's next recording was It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet with Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax. Benson got his first experience playing with his several-year stint with McDuff's group. ![]() He started out playing straight-ahead instrumental jazz with organist Jack McDuff. George Benson is a jazz guitarist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on 22 Ma… Read Full Bio George Benson is a jazz guitarist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on 22 March 1943. ![]()
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