Recommended George Benson albums

[gavinashun]

I'd like to explore George Benson - he is one of the only 'greats' that I really haven't listened to much. As I was going through some albums, I was reminded of an obstacle I've had before: his catalogue is huge and so much of it is really not my cup of tea. There are so many albums of muzak & dated sounding 70's R&B. (Sorry if anyone likes these albums - all good, but not my jam.)

Can anyone recommend 3-5 favorite Benson albums? I'm open to instrumental funk/R&B as long as it isn't too retro sounding (for example, one album I found that I like is Body Talk which has plenty of groove tracks that are great).

[Average Joe]

Breezin is smooth, but it's good smooth imho. It still has merits as good solid music that is smooth.

Beyond the Blue Horizon and Giblet Gravy are both very good guitar focused albums, as is Bad Benson

[AndyV]

I've always enjoyed "Off the Top" with Jimmy Smith on B3 nd Stanley Turpentine on tenor.

[Jonah]

GB always sounds like GB but can be quite different also..

He did a lot of albums and many are nice but seem just to fill the time with a choice of pop songs.
And some are pure jazz, and some are mix... I like all of it more or less.

But if I had to choose


The Other Side of Abbey Road (The Beatles Abbey Road cover)

Tenderly 1989 - I like that this LP gives a feeling of integrity though it is a mix of standards and pop tunes and he sings and plays but at the same time it is very jazzy (mostly combo) with McCoy Tyner and Ron Carter.

Guitar Man 2011 - quite a lot of pop stuff here but I also like the special integral sound of this record. Mostly typical smooth GB but also very lively and fresh.

Absolute Benson 2000 - typical George, but again I like the mix of funky group and orchestral arrangement, it has a very integral sound.
I also love the live Ireland concert version Absolutely Live that is based on the same repertoire and with mostly the same musicians.

[supersoul]

Stanley Turpentine on tenor.

Stanley Turrentine. He's not named after paint thinner!
George plays on Stanley's "Sugar" album, and the title track is excellent. The album cover is one of my favorites, as well.

[AllanAllen]

[GuyBoden]

Red Clay

California Concert: The Hollywood Palladium (CTI Records 40th Anniversary Edition)

[dasein]

In my mind, there are three Bensons:

1. Early Benson, up until about 1971 or so. Young hotshot, the next Wes. Do not worry about getting an album "too early" in his career, because he basically came out of the womb playing perfect jazz blues guitar.

Lots of great stuff. "Uptown Benson" and "The Cookbook" are great. But the track I always point to is "Billie's Bounce" from "Giblet Gravy." You can learn a lot from that one.

Also don't sleep on the Jack McDuff collaborations. There are a bunch of live recordings from that era that have been reissued under many different names. Lots of extended solos, astounding stuff guitar playing for a kid who wasn't even old enough to legally drink, very much worth seeking out.

2. Mature Benson, from 1971. I don't know what happened, but around this time his playing took a huge leap in terms of both technique and phrasing. His label at the time was CTI, and he tended to play less straight-ahead jazz and more in that borderline zone between blues, jazz, and R&B that was very popular in the 60's and 70's but virtually does not exist anymore. Do I love all of it? No (there's a record called "Erotic Moods" that's as cringeworthy as it sounds). But it's pretty much all worth checking out, because at any point he has the ability to casually throw off some double-time line that makes you want to give up guitar all together.

Highlights for me:

"Beyond the Blue Horizon" with an absolutely killer band
"Body Talk" -- checkout the solo on "Plum"
"Live at Carnegie Hall" -- both for "Take Five" and "Sky Dive"
"Benson and Farrell" -- burning "Old Devil Moon"

Also plays great sideman roles with Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine. And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his playing on Jimmy Smith's "Off the Top" with the most effortless doubletime blues solo you'll ever hear in your life on "I'll Drink To That"

Finally, there's the infamous Caribe Club bootleg that has been floating around forever under different names. If the sound quality were better, this would be one of the all time, no doubt, top-tier jazz guitar albums ever. But Benson's guitar sound is buried under the piano. But oh man, oh man... the version of "Oleo" on that alone is one of those things you have to hear to believe.

3. Pop Benson. It's not my bag, but there are still some gems. "Affirmation" on the "Breezin" album has a great solo. "Tenderly" has a terrific version of "Stella."

[gavinashun]

In my mind, there are three Bensons:

1. Early Benson, up until about 1971 or so. Young hotshot, the next Wes. Do not worry about getting an album "too early" in his career, because he basically came out of the womb playing perfect jazz blues guitar.

Lots of great stuff. "Uptown Benson" and "The Cookbook" are great. But the track I always point to is "Billie's Bounce" from "Giblet Gravy." You can learn a lot from that one.

Also don't sleep on the Jack McDuff collaborations. There are a bunch of live recordings from that era that have been reissued under many different names. Lots of extended solos, astounding stuff guitar playing for a kid who wasn't even old enough to legally drink, very much worth seeking out.

2. Mature Benson, from 1971. I don't know what happened, but around this time his playing took a huge leap in terms of both technique and phrasing. His label at the time was CTI, and he tended to play less straight-ahead jazz and more in that borderline zone between blues, jazz, and R&B that was very popular in the 60's and 70's but virtually does not exist anymore. Do I love all of it? No (there's a record called "Erotic Moods" that's as cringeworthy as it sounds). But it's pretty much all worth checking out, because at any point he has the ability to casually throw off some double-time line that makes you want to give up guitar all together.

Highlights for me:

"Beyond the Blue Horizon" with an absolutely killer band
"Body Talk" -- checkout the solo on "Plum"
"Live at Carnegie Hall" -- both for "Take Five" and "Sky Dive"
"Benson and Farrell" -- burning "Old Devil Moon"

Also plays great sideman roles with Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine. And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his playing on Jimmy Smith's "Off the Top" with the most effortless doubletime blues solo you'll ever hear in your life on "I'll Drink To That"

Finally, there's the infamous Caribe Club bootleg that has been floating around forever under different names. If the sound quality were better, this would be one of the all time, no doubt, top-tier jazz guitar albums ever. But Benson's guitar sound is buried under the piano. But oh man, oh man... the version of "Oleo" on that alone is one of those things you have to hear to believe.

3. Pop Benson. It's not my bag, but there are still some gems. "Affirmation" on the "Breezin" album has a great solo. "Tenderly" has a terrific version of "Stella."

Thank you for this great post!!! Lots to check out here ... some I had already found but much I hadn't! Cheers!

[Tomcat]

Big Boss Band with Count Basie Orchestra:

Absolute Benson: funk jazz with great guys like Joe Sample:

[Doctor Jeff]

I like all of the above.

A personal fave after Breezin' is Weekend in LA, which yes is highly orchestrated and produced in a typical late 70s jazz fashion, but has some great playing and great energy. There were some iconic versions of songs like On Broadway and The Greatest Love of All. If you don't like Benson singing, forget it, but man his voice is top notch. Only George could give Whitney a run for her money pipes-wise on Greatest Love.

I also like the CTI stuff including The Other Side of Abbey Road, Beyond the Blue Horizon and White Rabbit. As noted, his playing on The California Concert is extraordinary, as is the stuff from the other players.

Coincidentally there's a guitar workship this week in Phoenix featuring George, with Al Dimeola, Tommy Emmanuel and Jon Scofield, among others.

Here's a solo that's not so well known, but really off the charts, IMO--reunites George with Miles and many other bandmates:

[DestinyT]

Benson plays on the 1981 Dexter Gordon album 'Gotham City':