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.
yes, that's what he did the last time I saw "Side Eye".
I have always liked George Benson, but have not had the opportunity to listen to that album...will check it out!
Yep, not really one of my favorties, but "James" is an awesome tune. I preferred when Lyle stuck with the acoustic piano, rather than the synths.
Lyle Mays was a brilliant guy, no doubt about it.
He loved music and mathematics.
I got to see the Orchestrion tour with Pat, that was incredible.
He uses one or two of those instruments in Side Eye. He sure has an imagination.
Metheny trivia, he says he never eats before a concert, preferring to be “hungry”, says he performs better. I can believe that. Although he allows his drummer to have a minor solo here or there, he believes the drummers sole purpose is time keeping, and said as much last time I saw him. Even though his drummers are no slackers.
I’m still partial to the original PMG lineup with Danny Gottlieb and Mark Egan. I always hoped the original four would get back together, but alas, it’s not to be.
“The Beatles couldn’t hold his pick.”
There’s a difference between being a great player and being a great songwriter though. How many songs has Montgomery written that people will be singing 100 years from now? Probably close to zero I’d reckon.
So why get bothered if a great musician covers great songs written by great songwriters, just because those songwriters weren’t the best musicians? Seems a bit silly to me.
When I was a teenager in the mid to late-70s, my best friend, who had excellent taste in music, introduced me to George Benson as well as Steely Dan. I had already become a big fan of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles prior to that. Of course, in those days you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting an excellent band or solo musician. Today’s alleged music scene is a bone-dry desert by comparison, which is why you so often see commercials using music from the era we’re describing, even today. Aside from the pathetically inane themes and lyrics of today’s “music”, the biggest difference is that almost none of these current people are actual musicians or songwriters (and there are no bands any more). It’s just cookie cutter singers who all sound the same, and whose vocals are heavily processed using digital crutches like Autotune. It’s all so boring.
I agree with what you are saying. I just don’t think Beatles are that great. Sorry.
Well, everyone’s entitled to their opinion.
Not anymore!
None better.
“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.”
I read in Ted Templeman’s bio that he and Tommy LiPuma “discovered” Benson singing when they randomly stopped at a club outside San Francisco. I was fortunate to see him live when he was touring behind “Breezin”. I’m a life-long guitar player and I’ve seen many of the greats...his dexterity and phrasing were dazzling.
Yeah. Not a lot of people know Benson before Breezin.
They can check out this mad genius level 1960’s multi-track gem. Could have been a James Bond theme song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIGwwgJnWI&list=PL0RNmJPHxmg8x9JNGrpqvcrMYC2j2HK8f&index=3
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