What album turned G. Benson over to the dark side?

[ghost of miles]

Speaking of vocals, didn't he sing "All Of Me" on Cookbook?

Yeah, he did. A fairly spirited early-60's soul approach, but it didn't really grab me the first time through. The CD has a bonus track that he sings on as well, a cover of Little Willie John's "Let Them Talk."

[Dan Gould]

This CD

includes George singing "That Lucky Old Sun" from the Blue Benson album (Verve). Thanks for making me pull it out - its a great track. Its a darn good CD in fact, he plays bop ("Billie's Bounce") a standard ("What's New"), some then jazz hits (Song for My Father and Sack O Woe) and a couple of down and dirty blues.

[JSngry]

I understand why people hate bad pop music, but I don't understand why people hate all pop music, as if it's all bad just because it's pop. I mean, really, I just don't understand that.

I fully understand "prioritizing" and such, but that's a whole 'nother deal right there.

Life is funny sometimes, and I don't discount the power of a few stray rays of sunshine as opposed to one blinding beam of it. Seems to me that as long as you know which is which and what's what, there's no need to be so damned...afraid.

Or whatever it is.

[Chuck Nessa]

Some folks do what they are told, some do what they can and others do what they must.

[Christiern]

Still others do nothing.

[JSngry]

And there are those who are very good at each of those, without creating or perpetrating anything worth a wholesale declining.

And there are those who aren't.

[Chuck Nessa]

And there are those who are very good at each of those, without creating or perpetrating anything worth a wholesale declining.

And there are those who aren't.

Not really sure about that. It might be comforting to think so.

[JSngry]

And it might be equally comforting to think not.

Which perhaps suggests that ultimately, it is what you want it to be.

[JSngry]

And that what you want it to be might ultimately be governed by what you need it to be.

[Chuck Nessa]

Very sorry to hear all that. I'm in a very different place and will spend the rest of my days there.

[Harold_Z]

It is what it is.

[JSngry]

I'm in a very different place and will spend the rest of my days there.

Michigan?

[.:.impossible]

i have no idea what sangrey is trying to say. anyone? some of the most oblique language i have read from you, and that is saying a lot!

i don't know much about benson. i have the new boss guitar of george benson (montego joe sounds amazing!), but that's about it. i've heard the radio hits. sounds like he has changed his tune to me.

red sox 18 twins 5

[felser]

We're trying to make a linear progression of Benson's work in the 60's-70', starting at point A and ending at point B or C (depending on if you think point A is jazz or pop), but the reality isn't so simple, either in terms of genre or quality. The Prestige and the Columbia's are pleasant enough genre exercises, but not that big a deal. I think he'd be pretty forgotten by now if that was it. The Verve's to me were poorly planned and executed sell-out's, far inferior to the early Warner Brothers sides. The CTI's contained some work which was the highlight of his career. To me, 'Beyond The Blue Horizon' is the greatest jazz guitar album ever made. By anyone. 'White Rabbit' and some of the other titles are also pretty terrific. But the CTI stuff started poorly as an extension of the Verve stuff, and ended poorly with 'Good King Bad' and Taylor's disastrous decision to overdub the Carnegie Hall stuff. 'Breezin' was a breath of fresh air, and only has two vocal cuts, less than the Verve's did, I think. Even as late as 'Live in L.A', there was still plenty of enjoyable music and plenty of fine guitar solos, although they weren't as fine as on his primo CTI titles. After that, it went bad. But something as late as "The World is a Ghetto" on 'In Flight' brings me a lot more enjoyment than anything as early as the Columbia's, which have always sounded awfully generic to me (and I've never "gotten" Lonnie Smith). Benson being true to himself doesn't neatly categorize, and that's fine with me (or was through the end of the 70's. His recordings since have been pretty useless to my ears).

[ghost of miles]

What really made George Benson turn to the dark side Edited July 10, 2008 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

If you lived here, you'd already be home by now.

[JSngry]

And no matter where you go, there you are.

(geez, what's next, Keep On Truckin'?)

[clifford_thornton]

Uncle Jim's Band, I think.

[Jim Alfredson]

What really made George Benson turn to the dark side

Worst. TV Special. Ever.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

I LOVE YOU CHRIS ALBERTSON, YOU REALLY LAY IT OUT STRAIGHT TO US. I AGREE WITH YOU 90% OF THE TIME

[robviti]

this comes from the bio section on benson's website:

Appreciated as both musician and performer by millions, George Benson has always had the duel personae of expert improviser and vibrant entertainer. He has always placed his keenly discerning art in the service of a rousing good time. Rounding out his singular approach with sly, seductive rhythm and blues, he's earned himself an impeccable reputation as one of music's most enterprising and engaging stars.

Few might have predicted that striking level of stardom some forty years ago, when Benson was a fledgling guitarist working the corner pubs of his native Pittsburgh. That's where his yen to please a crowd was born. "I was an entertainer first," he says proudly "As a kid I sang, danced and played the ukelele in a nightclub. As my career has progressed, I've had the pleasure of playing with the baddest jazz cats on the planet. But that doesn't change my desire to entertain folks. That's really who I am."

It was Wes Montgomery, one of jazz's most creative players, who came across Benson early on; the vet complimented the young guitarist, urging him to continue his already impressive work. In the early 1960s, Benson apprenticed with organist Brother Jack McDuff; he found the organist's gritty swing a fertile ground for the sly, confident and adventurous guitar lines which earned him an early rep as a master.

"Jack turned me on to a lot of stuff," muses Benson. "A lot of the jazz tunes we played together were danceable, and that furthered my understanding of what people wanted. When jazz was danceable, it was king. The intellectual stuff that came later on - Charlie Parker and all that - turned toward a brainier sound. That was good, and I dug it. But I really like when people kick up their heels and go crazy."

Montgomery had called one of his best records Boss Guitar. Benson had both the conviction and chops to nip at his hero's heels; his 1964 debut was released as The New Boss Guitar. It lived up to its title. Benson's tone was juicy, and his blues solos sparkled with a carefully honed logic. A jaunty funk and swing aesthetic prevailed. By the time legendary talent scout John Hammond signed Benson to Columbia, the guitarist's name was bubbling throughout the industry. His work for the label proved Hammond's hunch to be on-target: brains and flash were in perfect synch.

"I'd sat down with a great blind pianist from San Francisco name Freddy Gambrel," recalls Benson. "He turned me onto some wonderful ways to get in and out of chord changes and weld harmonies together. Of course I still wanted to be like Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Hank Garland - my heroes. I've always liked the hot guitar guys."

Playing the combination won Benson access to all sorts of arenas. His work was boundless: in the late '60s he sat in on heady Miles Davis sessions, and also put a personal spin on the tunes from the Beatles' Abbey Road. Hooking up with the CTI label in 1970, he was united with many of jazz's finest instrumentalists, including Stanley Turrentine, Ron Carter, and Freddie Hubbard. His visibility and prestige grew even further. Classic albums, such as Beyond the Blue Horizon, abounded. But after a while different ideas began to flow from Benson's muse. And the environment didn't seem right for growth.

"I'd been screaming about my guitar sound for years, and they didn't want to hear about it. I wanted to use my band in the studio, just get comfortable and test out some stuff. But it was like pulling teeth. The first time I tried to sing along with my guitar, everybody in the studio booed. They all said that it wouldn't work. When I got with Tommy LiPuma all that changed. He said 'Sure, let's go with some vocals, see where we get.' And you know what happened after that." What happened was Breezin', the first jazz record to attain platinum sales. The 1976 blockbuster, his first in a long association with Warner Bros. Records, brought the instrumental title track to jazz radio. And Benson's soulful update of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade," which featured the guitarist scatting along with his solo break, was a pop smash. He followed up with a sultry version of "On Broadway," and the irresistible "Give Me The Night," which thrilled many a dancer. Benson was a superstar.

Some old fans were miffed about this new pop success. "I guess that's the biggest crime I've made as far as jazz lovers go," offers Benson. "They don't always like to see you play for the general public. They want to be catered to. But I've tried that approach and it doesn't work for me. Nobody can stay one way for 30 years. I've always tried to let my experience show itself. You learn, you change. The door opened and I walked through it." Throughout the 1980s Warner Bros. and LiPuma followed their smash success with several terrific Benson records. Individually, they blended grooves and guitar work, proving that R&B was a natural part of Benson's profile. Collectively, they cemented his global renowned. The guitarist has won eight Grammies, played around the world, and thrilled many crowds with his playing.

In the mid-'90s Benson followed LiPuma to the GRP label. Their association had proven artistically and commercially fertile; both wanted to sustain it. Together they cut the 1996 gem That's Right. It offered a modern version of contemporary jazz that reminded its listeners Benson was one of the genre's forefathers. These days Benson's interests are many. He's often spotted out at Manhattan jazz clubs, checking the action of fledgling guitarists. The most impressive of the lot are sometimes invited back to Benson HQ for jam sessions and stylistic powwows. The guitarist is resolute about keeping the sparkle in his playing.

"The younger cats awaken something in me from the early days. I love listening and playing with guys like Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Christian McBride. When they tell me I've still got the chops, I feel great." Benson's latest GRP disc is Standing Together. It not only assures that his chops are sharper than ever, but suggests that his studio savvy is continuing to grow. This time around, he uses elements of hip hop and Caribbean rhythms to keep his personalized R&B on the edgy side.

"I'm not against ear candy," he chuckles, "but I like mine to be significant, not just noises in the record. Some of those backing tracks on the new record are cool. They give me little tidbits of sound to bounce my guitar lines off of." Said like a open-minded creative type, which is exactly who Benson is. Unfazed by the constrictions of predictability, he's built a career on sniffing out what people enjoy hearing, and what he enjoys playing. "I had to break a couple rules along the way," he reflects. "There was an unwritten law: be cool, don't get too raunchy. But jazz was once hanging-out music. And the easiest way to involve people is by getting 'em tapping their feet. When they're tapping a bit, they'll go your way. That's when I can float any kind of jazz line into the music. Once the audience knows I respect them, they let me be whatever I want to be. I hope - no, I firmly believe - that will always be the case."

[andybleaden]

"The first time I tried to sing along with my guitar, everybody in the studio booed"

oh bless!

least he didn't give

[Big Beat Steve]

Reading a good deal of this thred made me ask myself this question:

How would a similar discussion of WES MONTGOMERY have evolved if he had lived a lot longer?

(And this was before I came up to today's post from Jazzshrink that mentions Wes )

[Joe G]

What really made George Benson turn to the dark side

Worst. TV Special. Ever.

Mother of GOD!

[jazzypaul]

who said he EVER stepped over to the dark side?

Turn Your Love Around is just as much of a bad ass song as Rock Candy.

Benson as jazz guy = bad mutha on a guitar

Benson as pop/R&B guy = great voice, great groove, wish he was more of a bad mutha on that guitar.

Nothing in there, as far as I can see, about any sort of dark side.