Posted on 05/24/2023 12:38:25 PM PDT by nickcarraway
‘If you go left, they’ll say, ‘You should have gone right,’ and vice-versa,’ reflects the master guitarist.
George Benson has described the new album he’s been working on as “something really special,” in a new interview with guitar.com. He also addresses the reaction from some fans to his predilection for crossing genres with his work.
He says: “Anytime somebody says, ‘What’s George doing playing this kind of music?’ I want to say, ‘Well, why shouldn’t I?’ I like to challenge myself. One thing I understand about this world, if you go left, they’ll say, ‘You should have gone right,’ and vice-versa. That’s common stuff, and it happened to a lot of my friends.”
Expanding on the subject, he namechecks one of his great influences as a guitarist, who experiences similar issues. “It broke Wes Montgomery’s heart when he went home to play in Indianapolis,” he notes. “He was a star by then, and he was playing at a local arena downtown. Every time he played a pop tune, his older fans would boo. Then he would play the jazz tunes and they would go crazy. He was caught in the middle of all of that. I understand how that works.”
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The master guitarist is well practised at standing by his artistic decisions and ability to “cross over” to different audiences. As 1976’s Breezin’’ album took him to an enormous new audience beyond his jazz base, he told Sounds: “It’s just like languages. English may be my native language, but if I go to France, it would be wise for me to speak a little French.
“If I speak English to a French speaking audience, it comes out to them as gibberish. They don’t understand it, just as a broadbased audience doesn’t always understand jazz. So I mix it up a little. I speak a little French with my English. It doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to speak my native language fluently. I’m just communicating in a way that will be more easily understood.”
Benson has selected his vintage 1976 performance at one of his regular live settings, the Montreux Jazz Festival, as his first multi-format live release from the famous annual gathering. George Benson Live At Montreux 1986 will be released by Mercury Studios on July 14 as a DVD+2CD set. The visual format was previously released in 2005, but the double CD has never been available before.
Benson is a monster jazz guitarist. Too many people think of him only as a popstar.
He’s amazing.
How did I not know this???
Leon Russell’s widow should still send him a Christmas card every year.
Wes Montgomery crossed over too, basically doing covers of Beatles songs.
Bkmk.
Here's Kenny Rankin doing one:
Paul McCarthy asked him to perform it at the Beatles' induction into the Rock&Roll Hall Of Fame.
Oh yeah, Wes. That thumb. Those Octaves. Killer!
Jazz purists are nuts anyway. They all seem to forget that most of the “jazz standards” started out as pop songs in the first place, until some jazz guy “crossed the line” and covered them.
Also, “The Other Side of Abbey Road” is really a great album by Benson, and who cares if it is all covers of Beatles songs? It’s still a great album.
Yep, same label, too.
I find that frustrating. Montgomery was amazing. The Beatles couldn’t hold his pick.
He certainly is, and has been for 50+ years. When he came out w/Breezin’ in the 70’s he probably multiplied his income 2000 times. Before that, he was a bar-band jazz player in the “chitlin” circuit and nobody ever knew he could sing, and sing very well.
He also played on some Sinatra sessions in the early 60’s.
The really odd thing is, for me, when I watch YT videos of him playing (and I play guitar) it doesn’t at all look like his hands are playing the notes that are coming out.
But he used his thumb.
Personally, I get annoyed when I hear Motown do a Beatles cover. Or Stax did a whole album of Beatles covers. Or even in the 80s, when all the country singers did Beatles covers.
But Siouxsie and the Banshees doing Dear Prudence. I can't blame them, and that was better than the original.
You know who didn’t cross over much is Metheny. I’ll see him again this year at the Saratoga Jazz Fest doing, I think he calls it Side eye.
It is typical virtuoso mesmerizing Metheny Jazz but when he does a song from Off Ramp people go nuts, in a good way.
He really likes to stick with jazz, I miss the metheny, mays, version of his career
“we tried to talk it over, but the words got in the way” I love him, and so many people don’t even know who i am listening to!
Me too. I still play all of the ECM records. I also have hours of concerts from Pat's early years I listen too. I just can't get into his new stuff. I think he really needed Lyle, those two together were magic.
Are You Going With Me?
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