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Topic: George Benson


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In the News (Tue 10 Nov 09)

  
  George Benson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Benson (born March 22, 1945) is an American jazz guitarist, singer and composer.
Benson's next recording was It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet with Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax.
Benson 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.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/George_Benson   (367 words)

  
 World Book || George Benson   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-07-20)
George Benson (1943-...) is an American guitarist and singer who has achieved success both as a jazz musician and a pop vocalist.
Benson also established himself as a singer of pop songs in the manner of Nat "King" Cole.
Benson also maintained his jazz roots in the 1980's and 1990's by recording with the bands of Count Basie and jazz guitarist Earl Klugh, among others.
www2.worldbook.com /features/aamusic/html/benson.htm   (212 words)

  
 George Benson - great jazz guitarists
George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician; and that frustrates critics to no end who would paint him into a narrow bop box.
Benson actually started out professionally as a singer, performing in nightclubs at eight, recording four sides for RCA's X label in 1954, forming a rock band at 17 while using a guitar that his stepfather made for him.
Benson retains the ability to spring surprises on his fans and critics, like his dazzlingly idiomatic TV appearance and subsequent record date with Benny Goodman in 1975 in honor of John Hammond, and his awesome command of the moment at several Playboy Jazz Festivals in the 1980s.
www.playjazzguitar.com /george_benson.html   (697 words)

  
 The Seattle Times: Local News: George Benson, 85, championed Seattle's waterfront trolley
Benson was a young boy, he told his parents he wanted to be a streetcar conductor when he grew up.
Benson served in the Navy during World War II, and his son, George, would always pester him to tell war stories, including about the invasion of Iwo Jima, where he was stationed on a ship offshore.
Benson was one of the more-conservative members, yet he was the first to have an openly gay administrative assistant, Cal Anderson.
seattletimes.nwsource.com /html/localnews/2002074001_bensonobit27m.html   (1161 words)

  
 george-benson
Benson's first album as a leader, 1964's The New Boss Guitar of George Benson on Prestige, was in the hard bop/soul-jazz vein and was followed by the critically-acclaimed, John Hammond-produced straight-ahead albums he recorded for Columbia in 1965 and 1966.
While Benson was still best known as a jazz instrumentalist during that period, he didn't hesitate to incorporate funk, soul, and rock rhythms or interpret the hit soul, pop, and rock songs of the day.
Benson had both the conviction and chops to nip at his hero's heels; his 1964 debut was released as The New Boss Guitar.
jarrettmartini.com /artists/headliners/george-benson   (2095 words)

  
 George Benson: album reviews and ratings
George Benson was born on March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
George Benson is a superior guitar player and a remarkably versatile musician who uses skillfully smoothed lush vocal harmonies, lightning speed, and a breezy sense of melodic groundwork in creating imaginative solos and captivating rhythms.
Benson takes the path of least resistance in his apparent drive towards mass appeal, and although, the album is very well crafted and of superior quality, I fear the impression on Benson aficionados, will be one of abandonment as Benson's guitar chops are gradually replaced by a bastardization of contemporary pop.
www.musicfolio.com /jazz/george_benson.html   (1142 words)

  
 George Benson Biography and Update at Soul Tracks
But unlike what Benson described as the "brainy" jazz that Miles Davis and others were emphasizing at that time, Benson's music celebrated the danceable jazz of the 40s as well as rhythm and blues, and was both more melodic and accessible than much of the jazz sounds emanating from other artists at that time.
Benson then moved with LiPuma to the GRP label and spent the rest of the 90s back in the contemporary jazz vein, but with more of a focus on his guitar work than in his 80s albums.
While Benson's Soul work certainly brought a fair amount of criticism from jazz purists, he and many of his contemporary jazz progeny have created some wonderful, accessible music for adults looking for music with a groove but who are otherwise caught between the immaturity of today's hip-hop music and the heaviness of neo-traditional jazz.
www.soultracks.com /george_benson.htm   (835 words)

  
 George Benson   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-07-20)
Benson was impressing audiences in concert with extrapolations of songs such as "California Dreamin'", "Come Together" and, digging deeper into mainstream pop, "Cry Me A River" and "Unchained Melody".
After Bad Benson reached the US album lists and, via disco floors, the title song of Supership cracked European charts, he was well placed to negotiate a favourable contract with Warner Brothers Records, who immediately reaped a Grammy-winning harvest with 1976's Breezin" (and its memorable "This Masquerade").
Benson is one of a handful of artists who have achieved major critical and commercial success in different genres, and this pedigree makes him one of the most respected performers of the past 40 years.
musicstore.mymmode.com /artist.do?artistID=5957401   (510 words)

  
 HistoryLink Essay: George Benson: Seattle’s Favorite “Unpolitician”
George Benson’s first foray into politics -- a field he never planned on entering -- was motivated by the values that would later distinguish his long career as a public servant: decency, a sense of community responsibility, and personal loyalty.
Benson had fond memories of the municipal streetcar system in his hometown of Minneapolis, and had purchased the running gear salvaged from one of that city’s streetcars back in 1952 with the notion of building one of his own.
Benson, who chaired the City Council’s transportation and utilities committees, was initially encouraged by Mayor Uhlman but discovered that the city’s planning staff dismissed the project as “Benson’s Folly.” Similarly, the regional Metro Transit agency offered only lip service while focusing on their goal of building a light rail system.
www.historylink.org /essays/output.cfm?file_id=7115   (1913 words)

  
 Metro Transit says goodbye to George Benson, father of the Waterfront Streetcar
King County and Metro Transit employees were saddened to learn of the Oct. 25 death of George Benson, one of public transit's biggest boosters and the "father" of the Waterfront Streetcar in downtown Seattle.
Benson, 85, was a Seattle City councilmember from 1974 to 1993, and a member of the old Metro Council before the agency merged with King County.
Benson has been universally proclaimed as the "Father of the Waterfront Streetcar," and in June 2002 Metro named the line in Benson's honor.
transit.metrokc.gov /am/history/history-benson2004.html   (673 words)

  
 Deep Groove Encyclopedia - George Benson
Benson's recording career began with Jack McDuff's organ combo and the attention he received led to the formation of his own group in the mid 1960s.
Benson never really challenged that theory, only saying he wanted to play to as many people as possible with the realization that some compromises had to be made to reach that goal.
Double LP of Benson in sunny California, highlighted by his thundering version of "On Broadway," which became a trademark of all his shows.
www.allthingsdeep.com /dge/benson.htm   (868 words)

  
 GEORGE BENSON - Jazz Music Artists - Corporate Entertainment Booking
Born in Pittsburgh, George Benson fell in love with a variety of music as a child and was only eight when he first sang in a local nightclub.
George Benson's first album as a leader, 1964's "The New Boss Guitar of George Benson" on Prestige, was in the hard bop/soul-jazz vein and was followed by the critically-acclaimed, John Hammond-produced straight-ahead albums he recorded for Columbia in 1965 and 1966.
It was in 1976 that Benson took the plunge and became a superstar in the pop and RandB worlds thanks to the platinum "Breezin'," which soared to #1 on the pop charts and contained his GRAMMY-winning hit recording of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade." For the first time, Benson was enjoying worldwide mass appeal.
www.delafont.com /music_acts/George-Benson.htm   (676 words)

  
 HistoryLink Essay: Benson, George (1919-2004), Father of the Seattle Waterfront Streetcar
George Benson was born January 10, 1919, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a Swedish immigrant family.
George’s plan was to send for Delores Peterson once he was settled, but she surprised him and told him she and a friend were coming to Seattle to visit.
George held many offices for his association work, including president of the Seattle King County Pharmaceutical Association in 1955, and in 1957, he was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Puget Sound Branch of the American Pharmaceutical Association.
www.historylink.org /essays/output.cfm?file_id=7121   (3270 words)

  
 George Benson: Irreplaceable
George Benson has been on a pop singer’s roll since he recorded his version of “This Masquerade” in 1976.
Benson the guitarist is impossible to pick out of the lush mix on a number like this.
But that’s part of the problem: when a name as well-known as George Benson’s is on the album, he shouldn’t seem like a mere contributor to its overall sound.
www.jazzitude.com /benson_irreplaceable.htm   (600 words)

  
 SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Features -- Jazz guitarist George Benson goes hip-hop
LOS ANGELES – Nearly 30 years after he burst into the pop mainstream with his smash hit "This Masquerade," singer-guitarist George Benson is reaching out to a new generation of fans with his first studio album in four years, and he has gone hip-hop.
Benson acknowledges that the multilayered, highly produced sound of such songs as the album's opening title track and "Cell Phone," a soulful reflection on death and the hereafter, is a deliberate departure from previous works.
Benson shows off his guitar prowess throughout the 10-song collection, especially on the instrumental piece "Take You Out," a tribute to Vandross, and "Strings of Love," a flamenco-spiced ballad touted as the first time Benson has played acoustic guitar on a recording.
www.signonsandiego.com /news/features/20040816-0500-leisure-benson.html   (602 words)

  
 George Benson
George Benson's stepfather was into jazz, and it seemed that there were always some Charlie Parker records around the house, but there were also older items, like Charlie Christian's electric guitar riffing the light fantastic before taking off into the heavens on devilishly swinging Benny Goodman Sextet sides.
Benson absorbed it all and--in 1951, when he was eight--took up the guitar.
Benson's stay at Columbia was brief, but he was given the freedom to perform as he saw fit, so he was pleased with the result.
members.tripod.com /~hardbop/benson.html   (825 words)

  
 George Benson: Body Talk
George Benson's Body Talk was the followup to his highly successful CTI recording White Rabbit.
Not that Benson was altogether new to soulful RandB sounds-he cut his teeth with Brother Jack McDuff playing funky blues and honing his considerable chops.
Benson is also backed by CTI's house rhythm section of Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette with Harold Mabern manning the electric piano and percussionist Mobutu providing some tasty side dishes.
www.jazzitude.com /cti/bodytalk.htm   (310 words)

  
 Irreplaceable.net - George Benson's Official Label Site
Assisting Benson in his 2004 hit mission is renowned songwriter/producer Joshua Thompson, whose platinum touch has graced the albums of RandB stars ranging from The Temptations and Luther Vandross to Alicia Keys and Tyrese.
Shrewdly strategic in his approach to creating music for Benson, Thompson explains that his goal was, “to maintain the romance and integrity of his artistic history as well as try something more youthful and new.
It says a lot that an artist as established as George Benson would even be open to such a makeover at this stage in his illustrious career.  However, change is nothing new to a man who has pretty much done it all, though he does admit it wasn’t easy.
www.vervemusicgroup.com /artist.aspx?ob=ros&src=lb&aid=2731   (1114 words)

  
 Jazz -- GEORGE BENSON
George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician - and that frustrates critics to no end who would paint him into a narrow bop box.
Yet Benson can also sing in a lush soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway - and it is his voice that has proved to be more marketable to the public than his guitar.
While the A&M and CTI albums certainly earned their keep and made Benson a guitar star in the jazz world, the mass market didn't catch on until he began to emphasize vocals after signing with Warner Bros. in 1976.
www.geocities.com /BourbonStreet/Delta/7733/george_benson.html   (650 words)

  
 BBC - Urban Review - George Benson, Irreplaceable
George Benson first came to prominence in the 60s as a powerhouse jazz guitarist.
George Benson needs to quit trying to be a mediocre pop performer and go back to being the best damn jazz guitarist in the world.
In an interview on BET george said They noticed a lot of younger people in the audience and felt he need to appeal to them.Well I think these young people are there to hear the same George Benson as the older audience.
www.bbc.co.uk /music/urban/reviews/benson_irreplaceable.shtml   (1068 words)

  
 George Benson @ Soundbug
George Benson (born March 22, 1943) jazz guitarist, singer and composer.
Benson's first major label recording was It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet with Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax.
Benson continues to play outstanding jazz guitar, as evidenced on recordings such as Jimmy Smith's Off the Top and Benson's own live album Par Excellence.
www.soundbug.com /artist/1542   (196 words)

  
 George Benson MP3 Downloads - George Benson Music Downloads - George Benson Music Videos   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-07-20)
This is the peak of George Benson's courtship of the mass market -- a superbly crafted and performed pop album with a large supporting cast -- and wouldn't you know that Quincy Jones, the master catalyst, is the producer.
Benson's guitar now plays a subsidiary role -- only two of the ten tracks are instrumentals -- but Q has him play terrific fills behind the vocals and in the gaps, and the engineering gives his tone a variety of striking, new, full-sounding timbres.
Benson should have worked with Jones from this point on, but this would be their only album together.
www.mp3.com /albums/24476/summary.html   (430 words)

  
 George Benson   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-07-20)
When George Benson was signed to Columbia Records in 1965, he joined an elite group of preeminent artists -- including Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Charlie Christian, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Bruce Springsteen -- considered the "discoveries" of the legendary A and R man-producer John Hammond.
Whatever direction he chose, from the finger-breaking bebop of "Mynah Bird Blues" (one of seven Benson originals herein) to a cover of Marvin Gaye's hit "Ain't That Particular" or a captivating vocal on "A Foggy Day," his music was accessible to one and all.
The George Benson Cookbook, from 1966 was the superlative guitarist's second album for Columbia, an exciting follow-up to It's Uptown, recorded earlier the same year.
www.legacyrecordings.com /georgebenson   (476 words)

  
 George Benson
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1943, guitarist and singer George Benson started to sing in a local nightclub when he was only eight years old.
George Benson calls Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and Hank Garland his guitar heroes.
On his new album, George Benson is joined by bassist Christian McBride, who represents the younger jazz generation.
www.cosmopolis.ch /english/cosmo7/benson.htm   (590 words)

  
 George Benson - Breezin’ (Deluxe Reissue) - at Rhino
By 1976, George Benson was known worldwide for his stellar guitar work on his own Prestige/Columbia/Verve/CTI/A&M releases, and accompanying “Brother” Jack McDuff and a host of other jazz artists.
But George had been polishing his vocal chops on stage since age 4, so when the time finally came to branch out beyond jazz, he was more than ready.
Benson’s cover of Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade” was the single that sparked Breezin’ to #1 on three charts and to triple platinum sales.
www.rhino.com /store/productdetail.lasso?number=76713   (206 words)

  
 Amazon.com: The George Benson Collection: Music   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-07-20)
In Benson's hands, Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" becomes a quasi-symphonic instrumental with touches of flamenco, and the vocal duets "Love All the Hurt Away" with Aretha Franklin and "We Got the Love" with Chaka Khan are solid soul ballads.
Probably George Benson's finest, and in my personal opinion, the best song ever written, was easily chosen "On Broadway." His talent and passion for singing was shown in the 2005 American Idol, (Which I cannot stop watching), he sang the greatest performance in the HISTORY OF SONG.
George Benson is an amazing man, and please may I persuade you to purchase this item.
www.amazon.com /exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002KMI?v=glance   (802 words)

  
 Teacher Feature - "George Benson"
George Benson is arguably the most popular legend among active jazz guitarists today, and
Among George's early musical influences were Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, as well as Grant Green and Hank Garland.
George is one of the most recorded jazz guitarists in modern history.
www.visionmusic.com /benson.html   (550 words)

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