Hello, i just listened to an old boot with Prince and George at a London aftershow in the mid 90s. I really wanted anyones advice / recommendation on cds that will show off his jazz guitar playing the most . Any suggestions?.

Love that you asked this.

His first album (which was hard for me to find) it's called "Boss New Guitar" and it is just AMAZING.

Never been into anything else he's done but this album has mad me want to go looking

Not sure about technical skill but I always enjoyed his playing on "Living Inside Your Love" the most.
[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 10:55:16 2004 by intha916]

Breezin is also great
[This message was edited Wed Apr 7 10:56:54 2004 by intha916]

javed said:

Many people don't realize that the bulk of Benson's recorded history occurred before Breezin.
If you're looking for works where he was just a guitarist and not a vocalist you have to go pre-Breezin. Benson's career is amazingly similar to Nat King Cole's in that once both artists started singing, people forgot what great instumentalists they were.

Try these:

George Benson Cookbook


Body Talk


George Benson - Verve Jazz Masters 21


White Rabbit


Best of George Benson

This is a good one because it's a compilation of material from his works on the CTI label.

Some of these may be hard to come by, but if you find them you've really got something.
Especially anything done on the CTI label.

Good luck.

Tribal Disorder

much appreciated, thanks.

TheAudience. Good picks. I also want to recommend an album he releasded in 1971 also on the great CTI label called Beyond The Blue Horizon. That one is a stone cold masterpiece. I think it is one of his most essential albums. I still think he is one of the greatest living guitar players around. Beautiful tone and he never seems to run dry of ideas on the six-string fretboard. Pat Metheny said in an interview two years ago that the world needs a pure guitar jazz album from Benson. My sentiments exactly!!!!!

BRO915 said:

VERY interesting as I happen to be a huge Pat Metheny fan.

The same could probably be said for Ray Parker Jr. He was supposedly a pretty good guitar player long before the Ghostbuster's stuff came out.

every album with george benson's name on it features him showin off on the guiatr in some form so no matter which one u pick u'll never go wrong... my favorite is the 1987 album "collaboration" with his student earl klugh.... the best song on the album 2 me is dreamin 'cause the combination of electric and acoustic makes it sound like it comin straight out of a dream....

BRO915 said:

BRO915,

You are right on point. If I had it to do again i'd substitute it for White Rabbit in my list.
CTI made some great sounding records.

Regarding him making "a pure guitar jazz album" again, here a 2 quotes from George Benson himself that may lend some insight into that possibility.

"We tried to find a place where Jazz belonged because we didn't sell records. Jazz artists didn't have the numbers and end up in the households. That's where I wanted to be, in people's households."

"The bulk of my audience came to hear the hits, and most of my audience did not know me as a guitar player. They knew me as the guy who sang those romantic R&B tunes, so I had to give them what they paid for."

Nothing wrong with what he's saying, but it makes it sound as if a pure jazz guitar album might not be in the cards anytime soon.

Tribal Disorder

SteamForest said:

The 1st Pat Metheny Group album with the tune Jaco and Phase Dance is still my favorite.

Tribal Disorder

diamondpearl1 said:

It's interesting that you picked that album as it was the 1st all-instrumental album he'd done in over a decade. Very good record.

Tribal Disorder
[This message was edited Thu Apr 8 19:36:08 2004 by theAudience]

I like his CTI shit.

Bad Benson is a coold cd also.

13inchshoe said:

Another really great one I forgot about. A CTI record at that.
No Sooner Said Than Done & Full Compass (should've put this one on the funk thread)

Tribal Disorder

theAudience said:

That Pat Metheny Group album is excellent!!

Blue Benson
Good King Bad
[This message was edited Sun Apr 11 16:29:24 2004 by cranshaw62]