GEORGE BENSON AT HIS FINEST-AN INCREDIBLE BUY
Written: May 30 '03 (Updated Jun 02 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great playing, great songs and over two hours of music
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This "bootleg" album showcases some of the greatest jam session guitar playing I've ever heard.
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| mike.holmes's Full Review: After Hours by George Benson (Guitar) |
Not too long ago, I reviewed George Benson’s 1971 album “White Rabbit” as part of a write-off. Two weeks ago, I came across a gem of a CD package which originally was released “semi-legally” in 1973 on the Accord Label. The “semi-legally” designation is due to the fact that Benson was under contract with Creed Taylor’s label CTI (on which “White Rabbit” was recorded.) The album was originally called “Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon, Vol. 1 and 2. This new release is on the Universe label, a division of Comet Records.
Is all that confusing enough for you? Whatever the history of the recording, it showcases Benson in his most jazz-oriented style. As I noted in the earlier review, it is almost impossible to place Mr. Benson in a single category. He has played Bop, R & B, Soul, Funk, Crossover Jazz and pure jazz. This has bothered some purist jazz critics but it probably made George’s accountants very happy. He is one of the most successful jazz guitarists in history. He is also one of the best jazz guitarists in history.
Benson has played with numerous greats such as Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, Ronnie Cuber, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan. Miles Davis chose Benson to be the first electric guitarist he had recorded with on his 1968 album “Miles in The Sky.”
Joining Mr. B on this two-disc CD are the following excellent musicians:
Mickey Tucker—pianist who has played with Sonny Stitt, Art Blakey and Junior Cook
George Duvivier—bassist who worked with Bud Powell and Lester Young
Al Harewood—who worked with Stanley Turrentine and Dexter Gordon
Probably the most outstanding feature of this album (other than the great musicianship) is that the twelve cuts average over 10 minutes each. The reason that I love this is that it allows Mr. Benson and the other players time to stretch out their solos. This “luxury” is due to the fact that the album was recorded live at the Case Caribe Club in Plainfield, N.J.
I’m not sure who recorded it but the quality is tremendous. I’m only going to “review” a few of my favorites on the CD but the entire package is excellent. Here’s some of the highlights:
Disc One
1. LOVE FOR SALE—Cole Porter 14:23
Dig the length man. I played this on my NPR local radio show. I can do that because we’re not selling SUV’s or drugs. The opening of this standard has pianist Tucker playing all around the main melody and has a little too much audience noise but then Benson and the others come blasting in with some great licks. George is said to have been influenced by both Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery and you can hear both of those greats here but you also will find Benson in fantastic form. All four cats play for 3 minutes, then Tucker sits out while Benson, Duvivier and Harewood play some gut-wrenchingly beautiful hard bop. This is an amazing performance in which Benson changes style several times. His cohorts are in perfect harmony with him as though they’d played together for years.
2. (I’M AFRAID) THE MASQUERADE IS OVER—H. Magidson/A. Wrubel 9:32
Not to be confused with the hugely successful “This Masquerade” by Leon Russell on the “Breezin” album from 1976, this cut shares the fact that George puts down his axe for a while and sings. He has a very nice, soulful tenor reminiscent of Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder (according to the All Music Guide to Jazz). What Benson doesn’t do here is scat with his guitar but he does play several minutes of great guitar and Tucker has a tremendous piano solo. In fact, George turns most of the song over to him. I always like that in a leader; he’s not afraid to share the spotlight.
3. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER YOU—M.Gordon/H. Warren 10:53
A classic standard, Benson and the boys play this ballad at about triple the normal speed. For those who doubt that Mr. B is a jazz guitarist, this cut blasts that contention straight to hell. The tempo, the timbre of his guitar, the incredible harmonic unity with his fellow musicians make this old jazz fan just sit here and smile that such greatness exists.
4. ALL BLUES—Miles Davis 12:54
The beginning guitar solo has “Wes” written all over it. Cool chords, laid-back tempo. The recording is also very true to Miles’ original rendition with Evans and the boys. After a couple of minutes, however, George stretches his playing out and his improvisations go beyond what Montgomery did. I know that’s saying a lot but you gotta listen to this man play. Solid. Moving. Funky and soulful with great chord progressions.
5. WITCHCRAFT—Coleman/Leigh 10:40
Another old standard, Benson and the guys again play at supersonic tempo and make the ballad into pure be-bop jazz from the opening notes.
6. BLUE BOSSA—K. Dorham 10:30
Quite a switch here. The opening is avant-garde piano is the low register and then the “bossa” comes gliding in. The amazing thing about this song is that it was composed by superb hard bop trumpet master Kenny Dorham who obviously could move around in the sub-genres pretty well. Tucker is again featured on a tremendous, long piano solo but Benson also displays a cool fire in his Latin style guitar solo.
Disc Two
1. OLEO—Sonny Rollins 10:29
As I promised earlier, I’m not going to review every song. O.K, I lied. Well, I’m going to cut down my comments on this side for the sake of your eyes but the music is just as great on Disc Two. This Rollins classic flies faster than the speed of sound and I can’t possibly explain how amazing it is. These guys were on fire.
2. LIL’ DARLIN’—Neal Hefti 11:14
I have always loved this song. Hefti was the arranger for many of the Basie bands’ greatest recordings and he was also one fine composer. This song is pure cool jazz and again is a natural vehicle for the Wes Montgomery sound which Benson utilizes for the first few minutes. Tucker comps behind him much like the great Earl “Fatha” Hinds as George leaves the Montgomery style and goes into his own special world of jazz guitar which just makes me want to melt. Jeez, this is beautiful.
3. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE—Hammerstein/Kern 8:59
Switching styles again, the band plays this gorgeous standard in the best hard bop method. Once again, they play the ballad at triple tempo and it rocks.
4. INVITATION—B. Kaper/ P.F. Webster 10:54
After a gorgeous melodic piano solo by Tucker, this beauty rings a bell in my mind. I have heard it countless times but could not have named it. Pity. The song is hauntingly beautiful and Tucker’s play here makes me wonder why I haven’t heard of him before this. After two minutes of solo piano, bass and drum come in with Latin Jazz qualities but Tucker is still the feature here. He and Duvivier join in some gorgeous harmony. Bass and drum finish the song with tremendous solos.
5. LOVE WALKED IN—Gershwins 13:32
I wish the Gershwin brothers could have heard this. Well, maybe Ira did because he was alive at the time of this recording. George and Ira’s works have been turned into courtless jazz classics, of course, but this cut has a soulful quality that just rocks my socks off. Only a dead person could listen to this and not be moved.
6. DAHLIN’S DELIGHT—Benson, Tucker, Duvivier, Harewood 6:43
This must have been a head arrangement but it is another example of the genius of Mr. Benson. Tremendous from the opening notes, this could be a standard.
While George Benson is a master of many styles, this straight-ahead jazz style is my favorite. FIVE STARS for this great buy which lasts over two hours and twenty minutes.
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Romancing
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Member: Mike Holmes
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