Gabor Szabo

[gvopedz]

  On 6/24/2020 at 7:56 PM, gvopedz said:

Benson's autobiography might have some relevant details regarding the song "Breezin".  But I do not have the book and the library I would go to has been closed since March.  

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pp. 167-169 of Benson's autobiography:

Tommy Lipuma suggested to Benson the song "Breezin" - "a composition that was cowritten by soul singer Bobby Womack and Tommy's old friend Gabor Szabo".  Benson heard the song and writes:  "The guitar line was melodic, soulful, and simple, and the medium-tempo, churning groove would allow me the opportunity to play some hot double-time licks, some Wes Montgomery octaves, and a whole bunch of pretty stuff".

Bobby Womack subsequently told them "the story" behind "Breezin":  "Believe it or not, we just threw it together at the end of the recording session.  It was like a jam tune.  But Gabor was good at that stuff, you know, what with his folksy style, simple but jazzy.  He didn't think the song was going to be anything because it was so simple - to him, it was just do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, so he took his name off of it".

Per Benson, Womack said, "there was something I wanted to do on the track, but it never made it onto the record"...And then he [Womack] sang me the opening lick, and man, what a lick it was...I mentally patted myself on the back for coming up with the idea to bring Bobby into Capitol Records Studios."

[Shrdlu]

Get back to Gabor Szabo. The thread is about him.

As I posted when this thread started, I am very fond of his work. He had a unique and readily identifiable sound. I have enjoyed many albums by him, or with him as sideman. 

I don't know anything about the gripes about George Benson, and I skipped over them.

Let us enjoy Gabor's work.

[mjazzg]

  On 9/22/2021 at 7:27 PM, gvopedz said:

pp. 167-169 of Benson's autobiography:

Tommy Lipuma suggested to Benson the song "Breezin" - "a composition that was cowritten by soul singer Bobby Womack and Tommy's old friend Gabor Szabo".  Benson heard the song and writes:  "The guitar line was melodic, soulful, and simple, and the medium-tempo, churning groove would allow me the opportunity to play some hot double-time licks, some Wes Montgomery octaves, and a whole bunch of pretty stuff".

Bobby Womack subsequently told them "the story" behind "Breezin":  "Believe it or not, we just threw it together at the end of the recording session.  It was like a jam tune.  But Gabor was good at that stuff, you know, what with his folksy style, simple but jazzy.  He didn't think the song was going to be anything because it was so simple - to him, it was just do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, so he took his name off of it".

Per Benson, Womack said, "there was something I wanted to do on the track, but it never made it onto the record"...And then he [Womack] sang me the opening lick, and man, what a lick it was...I mentally patted myself on the back for coming up with the idea to bring Bobby into Capitol Records Studios."

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That's really interesting. I never realised that Szabo worked with Womack and would never have guessed it. And that 'Breezin' was the result. 

[gvopedz]

For those who have not seen this video:

 

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 9/23/2021 at 9:50 PM, Shrdlu said:

Let us enjoy Gabor's work.

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[mikeweil]

  On 9/22/2021 at 7:27 PM, gvopedz said:

He didn't think the song was going to be anything because it was so simple - to him, it was just do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, so he took his name off of it".

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I bet he kicked himself more than once for doing so.

[Teasing the Korean]

My copy of High Contrast on Blue Thumb lists the artist as "Gabor Szabo/Bobby Womack" on the labels, but the front cover, back cover, and spine say only "Gabor Szabo."  Anyone know the story behind this?