| George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician, and that frustrates to no end critics who would paint him into a narrow bop box. He can play in just about any style -- from swing to bop to R&B to pop -- with supreme taste, a beautiful rounded tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing. His inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery -- and he can do dead-on impressions of both -- but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format. 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. Benson is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole -- a fantastic pianist whose smooth way with a pop vocal eventually eclipsed his instrumental prowess in the marketplace -- but unlike Cole, Benson has been granted enough time after his fling with the pop charts to reaffirm his jazz guitar credentials, which he still does at his concerts.
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. Exposure to records by Christian, Montgomery, and Charlie Parker got him interested in jazz, and by 1962, the teenaged Benson was playing in Brother Jack McDuff’s band. After forming his own group in 1965, Benson became another of talent scout John Hammond’s major discoveries, recording two highly regarded albums of soul-jazz and hard bop for Columbia and turning up on several records by others, including Miles Davis’ Miles in the Sky. He switched to Verve in 1967, and, shortly after the death of Montgomery in June 1968, producer Creed Taylor began recording Benson with larger ensembles on A&M (1968-1969) and big groups and all-star combos on CTI (1971-1976).
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. His first album for Warner Bros., Breezin’, became a Top Ten hit on the strength of its sole vocal track, "This Masquerade," and this led to a string of hit albums in an R&B-flavored pop mode, culminating with the Quincy Jones-produced Give Me the Night. As the ’80s wore on, though, Benson’s albums became riddled with commercial formulas and inferior material, with his guitar almost entirely relegated to the background. Perhaps aware of the futility of chasing the charts (after all, "This Masquerade" was a lucky accident), Benson reversed his field late in the ’80s to record a fine album of standards, Tenderly, and another with the Basie band, his guitar now featured more prominently. His pop-flavored work also improved noticeably in the ’90s. 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. His latter-day recordings include the 1998 effort Standing Together, 2000’s Absolute Benson, 2001’s All Blues, and 2004’s Irreplaceable. Three songs from 2006’s Givin’ It Up, recorded with Al Jarreau, were nominated for Grammy Awards in separate categories.
Alwyn Lopez "Al" Jarreau (born March 12, 1940) is an American singer. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, he is the only vocalist in history to win in three separate categories: jazz, pop, and R&B. He won the aforementioned Grammys within a span of four consecutive decades — the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a vicar, Jarreau’s first singing experiences were in a church choir. He attended Ripon College, where he also sang non-professionally with a group called the Indigos, and graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor Of Science degree in Psychology. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa and worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco while also performing evenings with a jazz trio headed by George Duke.
In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez. The duo became the star attraction at a small Sausalito night club called Gatsby’s. This success contributed to Jarreau’s decision to make professional singing his life and fulltime career.
In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez headed south, where Jarreau appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino’s, the Troubadour and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and David Frost, while he expanded his nightclub appearances to include performing at The Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi, among others. Al Jarreau in Wroc┅aw, Poland; June 25th, 2006
In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by Warner Bros. Records and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him to international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.
One of Jarreau’s most commercially and artistically successful albums is Breakin’ Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We’re in This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well-known for his scat singing and the ability to imitate conventional guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa’s "We Are the World" in which he sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand."
He has toured and performed with such greats as Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Rick Braun and George Benson. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
Al Jarreau appeared in a duet with American Idol finalist Paris Bennett during the Season 5 finale and on Celebrity Duets singing with actor Cheech Marin
Benson and Jarreau
Benson and Jarreau first met in the mid-1970s at the Coconut Grove Ballroom in the landmark Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.Benson recalls, “Al sang lyrics to ‘Take Five’, which I’d never heardbefore. I’d recorded an instrumental version of the track on my albumBad Benson, so I was really checking this cat out. His style ofimprovising was quite interesting.” Of Benson, Jarreau adds, “Georgeand I share something of the same age, but George can describe thingshe was doing as a professional at the age of 8! He was an idol withinthe jazz community, one that I aspired to, but I didn’t arrive on thescene with my first record until seventeen years later in 1975. Georgewas a hero to me.” “He’s a prolific cat,” finishes the guitarist. “I’vealways loved Al, but I have a different respect for him now.”
Today,Two of the world’s greatest Jazz superstars, George Benson and Al Jarreau, will unite together in concert for the first time in China.Following a sell-out world tour, this magical collaboration is headingeast for an Asia tour that includes two intimate dates in Mainland China, which promises to be a uniquely spectacular concert experience.
With18 GRAMMY Awards and over 8 decades of performance between them, GeorgeBenson & Al Jarreau are touring together in support of their highlyacclaimed album “Giving It Up”. Friends and label-mates for over threedecades, this release marks the first time that the two Gold andPlatinum selling artists, have recorded together as equal partners.Topping the Contemporary Jazz Charts, as well as netting two GRAMMYs in2007, “Giving It Up” is a testament to these legends at their best.
Album tracks：
01. Just To Be Loved 4:18
02. Let Me Love You 4:41
03. In My Music 4:05
04. Through It All 4:30
05. Tomorrow, Today 4:41
06. Flame 5:31
07. Something That You Said 5:57
08. Last Night 3:48
09. God's Gift To The World 4:28
10. It's How You Say It 4:45
11. Puddit (Put It Where You Want It) 2:44
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