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Home , George Benson, This Masquerade, Tommy LiPuma, Turn Your Love Around

ISSUE #31 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #31 MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Why a Cole tribute album now? to beef up because it already has those essential benson Nat Cole put out all kinds of songs—jazzy elements. Then I’m not hurting anything. I songs, novelty tunes, beautiful ballads. They try to enhance it. It doesn’t always happen all went over well, and his audience ranged but I’m always glad I tried. Later I go Body Talk, 1973 across the board. That really impressed me. back and hear things I didn’t hear when Those who’ve never I always said, “I want to play for everybody. I was recording and I might say, “That experienced George I don’t want to just play for some people.” wasn’t a bad effort at all. This album’s Benson as pure gonna come alive!” guitarist should take Who chose the songs? note of this funky entry. My producer, John Burk. One thing I’ve How did you find your style? Surrounded by such aces as , learned is to give the other man room to Everybody is made up of their experiences. , Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, breathe—he might come up with a great I try to bring everything I’ve learned. But I Benson lets his fingers fly on the uptempo idea. It was [producer] Tommy LiPuma who don’t go to the table with half my arsenal—I jams and wrings soul from the ballads. brought me “.” I asked him, bring everything to every gig. I’ve listened to “Why do you want me to do this song? I them all—Charlie Christian, , Breezin’, 1976 don’t know this guy who Kenny Burrell, , and the baddest Benson’s debut for wrote it.” It was the same thing with “On cat who’s ever done it, Django Reinhardt. Warner Bros. elevated Broadway.” Tommy asked if I knew the song And I hung out with the baddest cat of him to superstar status and I said, “I know it, but you don’t want me our time, Wes Montgomery. I had a lot with sales in the millions. to destroy it, do you?” Tommy made a star of things I could pick from, and I melded He still focuses on out of me with his suggestions. I’ve come them all together. guitar almost exclusively in this collection of to realize there’s value in paying attention to instrumentals, but the one vocal track, Leon the comments of others. You recorded with producing giant Russell’s “This Masquerade,” landed him in John Hammond. the Top 10 and altered the course of his When did you decide to sing? I had so much respect for John Hammond music forever. I was actually a first. Then I went because he introduced Charlie Christian instrumental and gained my fame through and and Count Basie to Weekend in L.A., 1978 my instrument. Then I went back to the world. I used to sit in his office listening The term

Greg a llen —to the chagrin of many. It was right to him tell stories about Bob Dylan, Bruce had yet to be coined, yet Springsteen. Once he was leaving Kansas this live album virtually City and heard Count Basie on the radio. defines the genre. He turned around, found the radio station, Expertly but cautiously ‘Music will never and paid for him to come to . The played by Benson and band, the tunes bandleader that Basie was working for died, lean to the lighter side of R&B. The die, and it will never so John went to Basie and said, “Bill, how’d highlight, a 10-minute take on the Drifters’ you like to take over the band?” “On Broadway,” would become a permanent settle in one place.’ Benson staple. How the elite guitarist opened his mouth and changed jazz history Wasn't cutting ’s after the death of [ great] Wes “White Rabbit” in 1971 an odd choice? The Essential George by Jeff Tamarkin Montgomery. He was so loved, and they I had never heard of it before. I’d never even Benson, 2006 wanted somebody to fill his shoes. I said, heard of the group! It sounded so bizarre, as This double-CD By the early 1970s GeorGe Benson was quickly Benson. “and that was a great thing. i said to myself, ‘i can’t let “That ain’t me, because there’s only one opposed to what I wanted to do. But I have anthology is the most gaining recognition as a young hotshot guitarist on the jazz scene. he’d anyone dictate how i’m going to live my life,’ and i didn’t.” Wes Montgomery.” He was a very good never run away from a challenge. I will try concise overview of already cut more than a dozen acclaimed instrumental albums and had on his latest album, Inspiration: A Tribute to , friend and I learned a lot from him in terms anything, and if it fails, I know not to go that Benson’s career through been tapped by the likes of to lend his six-string chops. Benson honors one of his lifelong vocal influences, performing of approaching music. I never got all his route again. The White Rabbit album was 1980. It reaches back to his earliest days But Benson wanted to try his hand at singing, testing the waters “unforgettable” (with guest trumpeter ), “straighten concepts down but I loved listening to him very exciting—it was an adventure. I really with organist Brother Jack McDuff, samples with a cover of ’ . although the album was up and Fly right,” “route 66,” and other cole classics—some go from one thing to another, how he knitted enjoyed doing that stuff. Benson’s output for the Prestige and CTI well received, a half-dozen years passed before Benson’s vocals featuring recently discovered arrangements by the late nelson things together so beautifully. labels, and offers the best of his Columbia would impact his career. that happened with the release of Breezin’ riddle. the album, produced by John Burk, begins and ends with How have you seen music evolve? years and Warner Bros. hits. in 1976. Fueled by the top 10 hit “this Masquerade”—featuring the timeless ballad “Mona lisa,” the first take recorded when “lil’ Did you ever consider not playing? Music will never die, and it will never settle Benson’s trademark scatting and soulful vocals—Breezin’ became Georgie Benson,” as he was then called, was just 8 years old. even I had a manager who tried to convince in one place. Lots of jazz musicians, when Guitar Man, 2011 the first-ever platinum-selling jazz album, according to the riaa. then, he knew his way around a song. me to put the guitar down. I said, “Oh no, they heard the Beatles, said, “Ah, that music Benson returned to the following decade would see more smash singles, including at 70, Benson has lost none of the flair and skill he’s always man. I’ve spent too much time.” That was ain’t going to last.” That’s when I learned his guitar-playing “on Broadway,” “Give Me the night,” and “,” brought to the guitar. still a tireless performer, the 10-time Grammy a controversy that Nat dealt with. Nat’s my lesson. They said the same thing about roots with this chiefly and sold-out concerts worldwide. “By the time my records as a winner discussed his new project, how he developed his distinctive wife told him, “You’re the world’s greatest Elvis Presley. What are we supposed to instrumental collection. vocalist started to get popular, i was not a kid. i was like 33,” says style, and why he still practices. singer—they can’t stop you from singing!” So do, sit back and wait till it dies? We’ll be On material ranging instead Nat stopped playing piano. dead before their music dies. So I formed a from an orchestral take on the Beatles’ different opinion, and still have that mentality: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to John ‘I don’t go to the table with half my arsenal—I bring What makes a great song? One guy will come along and bend us in a Coltrane’s “” to standards like “Paper Something with a great story, or something different direction or add something new. Moon,” Benson reminds us that he’s still a everything to every gig.’ that feels good. Something I don’t have Prince, same thing, he brought something formidable axeman.

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M mag 31.indd 48 11/21/13 9:02 AM M mag 31.indd 49 11/21/13 9:02 AM ISSUE #31 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #31 MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Martial Trezzini/EPA/Landov

Onstage at the , Montreux, Switzerland, 2013

‘I have never run from a challenge. I the jazz singer will try anything, and if it fails, I know When George Benson announced he was not to go that route again.’ going to sing and play, not everyone was on board. “I decided to sing a song and got opposition from my own band!” he says. “They new. That kid turned the Any effects? were telling me, ‘I didn’t sign up to play behind world upside down. No, I don’t like effects because they take no singer.’ I felt bad. But then B.B. King told away from what I’m going to play. I’m a man me the same thing happened to him and he What guitars do you play? who plays a lot of notes so I need to pay started thinking, ‘Wait a minute, this is my Acoustic and electric F-hole type. Some are attention all the time. band.’ When he started singing his whole life full-sized jazz guitars I created for Ibanez. The changed. He went from being ‘ Boy’ to best-selling model in the history of Ibanez is Do you still practice? ‘King of the Blues.’” Benson’s intuition soon the GB10—that’s a mid-sized guitar. When I I play every day, even when I’m not working. proved on the money. “I was in a New Jersey designed it they told me I was going to lose I practiced this morning. Without even club and the owner told me, ‘When you sang some low end, but I said, “Well, that might thinking, I grabbed the guitar and tried to the other night, nobody left. They stayed for be good because most of these instruments look for something I didn’t play yesterday. the next set.’ So I put it to the test and sure play so loud.” My guitar rejects feedback, and I always keep one within arm’s length. On enough, I sang one song and everybody it’s one of the world’s greatest road guitars. the road I get exercise every night because stayed. That was my way of filling up the It’s hard to damage. I’ve done about eight it’s really demanding. But when I’m home I’m clubs so the owners could afford to pay me.” or nine models with the company over the playing out of pure joy, and searching for new In 1976, George Benson scored his first years. I also just signed a deal to design an ideas. That keeps my chops up. If you don’t Top 10 hit singing on the Grammy-winning amp for Fender called the Hot Rod Deluxe. use something it’s going to clam up on you. “This Masquerade.”

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