MFSL LP 1-011: GEORGE BENSON - Breezin' - JAPAN 1979 NM OOP MOFI
  C$   100
  $   70

 


C$ 100 Sold For
Feb 17, 2021 Sold Date
May 25, 2018 Start Date
1 Number Of Bids
  Canada Country Of Seller
eBay Sold at
 
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Description

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Background -

Simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, George Benson is an amazingly versatile musician, whose adept skills find him crossing easily between straight-ahead jazz, smooth jazz, and contemporary R&B. Blessed with supreme taste, a beautiful, rounded guitar tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing, Benson's inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, 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 proven 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, and 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 teenage 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 him 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 '80s. 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.

Benson began to see numerous reissues of his catalog material from his years with producer Creed Taylor on Verve, A&M, and CTI, from 2008 on. In 2009, he signed to Concord and released Songs and Stories for the label; he followed it up with his first primarily instrumental album in 35 years entitled Guitar Man in 2011. Two years later, in 2013, Benson released Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole, featuring arrangements by Nelson Riddle and Randy Waldman. Recorded at the age of 70, it was one of Benson's finest albums. - Richard S. Ginell

Breezin' is a studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records.

The album marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially. Breezin' topped the Pop, Jazz and R&B album charts in Billboard and spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a smooth jazz standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten pop and R&B hit. The album itself was certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

The album won multiple prizes at the 1977 Grammy Awards. The album won the awards Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Benson and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Al Schmitt and was nominated as Album of the Year for Tommy LiPuma and Benson. "This Masquerade" received the award Record of the Year for LiPuma and Benson, while it was nominated as Song of the Year for Leon Russell and as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for Benson.

In a contemporaneous review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "C" and dismissed most of its music as "mush". In a retrospective review, Allmusic's Richard S. Ginell gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and said that, although Benson's guitar is "as assured and fluid as ever", Breezin' is "really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity."

All of a sudden, George Benson became a pop superstar with this album, thanks to its least representative track. Most of Breezin' is a softer-focused variation of Benson's R&B / jazz-flavored CTI work, his guitar as assured and fluid as ever with Claus Ogerman providing the suave orchestral backdrops and his crack then-working band (including Ronnie Foster on keyboards and sparkplug Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar) pumping up the funk element. Yet it is the sole vocal track (his first in many years), Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" -- where George unveiled his new trademark, scatting along with a single-string guitar solo -- that reached number ten on the pop singles chart and drove the album all the way to number one on the pop (!) LP chart. The attractive title track also became a minor hit single, although Gabor Szabo's 1971 recording with composer Bobby Womack is even more fetching. In the greater scheme of Benson's career, Breezin' is really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity. - Richard S. Ginell

Though purists may accuse this respected jazz guitarist of having sold out by scoring with a platinum album of mood music, none could deny that Breezin' contains superior mood music. Its six medium-length cuts are extended song arrangements which don't allow daring improvisation yet show off Benson's flawless technique. All sound pretty much the same -- vaguely wistful and vaguely Latin American -- due to the grafting of gossamer strings onto quietly  cooking rhythm and instrumental tracks. But this homogenization is a big step up from "Theme from 'A Summer Place,'" the refrain of which is heard in Bobby Womack's title cut. 
Leon Russell's "This Masquerade," the only cut on which Benson sings, features fine scatting on top of the guitar part and an interpretation that pleasantly apes Stevie Wonder. If the success of Breezin' tells us very little about the state of jazz, it indicates a great deal about present influences on the popular mainstream. Here is a comfortable but sophisticated jazz, R&B and MOR blend, whose light romantic style ultimately derives from and dilutes the spirit of Stevie Wonder's ballads. - Stephen Holden, Rolling Stone, 11/4/76.
Delicate, safe, unobtrusive music. That's what Benson delivers on his debut LP for the label. The emphasis is on light, airy material, rather than on any heavy concentration of soul or funky jazz. Consequently, Benson's light touch on electric guitar weaves in perfectly with a sweet string section working with Claus Ogerman's charts. Benson doesn't sweat on this disk at all; his long, single note lines are very relaxed and easy to take. He phrases like Stevie Wonder on his one vocal outing: "This Masquerade." Best cuts: "Breezin'," "Six To Four.” - Billboard, 1976.

Thanks to George Benson sometime in 1977 I became a jazz fan. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon his release Breezin', maybe it was its triple-platinum sales or maybe its three Grammy awards. Nonetheless, this Bruce Springsteen rock fan fell for Benson's bluesy guitar sound and wordless vocals. I was also listening to Chuck Mangione and Al Jarreau. All three piqued my interest, and I followed Mangione back to Art Blakey and Jarreau's version of "Take Five" was my ticket to Brubeck. I found an old (now out-of-print) George Benson record called Benson Burner (1965) where he played soul jazz and bebop. I was intrigued by his cover of Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce," and started buying Parker LPs. Actually I stayed with all things current of the time including Weather Report, Tom Scott, and of course Grover Washington Jr.

These musicians provided the sounds of my college years, but also directed me to my future studies in the respected churches of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Jazz musicians, even those we, of the elitist jazz snob schools, look down on, can lead adventurous (and even semi-adventurous) listeners back through history and more importantly prepare them for the inevitable changes the future of jazz will bring.

Benson's Breezin relied heavily on producer Tommy LiPuma's tastes in popular music and choice of musicians to accentuate Benson's jazz talents. He enlisted a 40-piece string section for sounds that were lingua franca to the disco audiences and such a large part of today's smooth jazz. In the late seventies, as well as today LiPuma understood the devices needed to sell jazz to a larger audience than to hard-core jazz fans. Synthesizers, electric pianos, and lush orchestration feed into the polyester and Dacron worlds of the disco era. His vocals on the "This Masquerade" turned the one time Wes Montgomery protege into a pop star. But what is significant in the year 2001 is that underneath all that production is an extremely talented guitarist. Unlike many of the smooth artists of today, his talents have never forsaken his straighter roots. Breezin' remains an easily accessible introduction to jazz newbies. - Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

This was the definitive Benson album commercially and also the best of the crossover batch from an artistic standpoint; counterpart to Wes Montgomery's pop works of the 60s. Platinum Album. - Ron Wynn, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Start your day in the right mood and breeze on through the afternoon with this mellow master's pop crossover, a pivotal album in mainstreaming jazz. Though people knew the man could play, most didn't know he could sing, but this disc convinced them. A showcase for Benson's singular guitar talent and flirtatious vocals, it combines quiet fire and smooth soul in one fabulous package of light hits. * * * *- Zagat Survey Music Guide - 1,000 Top Albums of All Time, 2003.

    • MFSL - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Record LP item - BLACK & BROWN record labels with SILVER lettering

    • Record Made in JAPAN

    • Pressing is in STEREO - recording is from 1976 - originally issued on the WARNER BROTHERS label

    • Limited Edition LP

    • Record Speed: 33 1/3 rpm

    • Record Made issued in: 1979 (one of the earliest MFSL titles made)

    • Record Catalog Number: MFSL 1-011

Featured on this item:

George Benson

Title of this Audiophile LP -

Breezin'

Track Listings -

A1. Breezin’ - Bass – Phil Upchurch Written-By – Bobby Womack - 5:40         
A2. This Masquerade - Piano [Acoustic - Solo] – Jorge Dalto Written-By – Leon Russell - 8:03         
A3. Six To Four - Bass – Phil Upchurch Synthesizer [Mini-moog - Solo] – Ronnie Foster Written-By – Phil Upchurch - 5:06         
B1. Affirmation - Electric Piano [Solo] – Jorge Dalto Written-By – Jose Feliciano - 7:01         
B2. So This Is Love? - Electric Piano [Solo] – Ronnie Foster Written-By – George Benson - 7:03         
B3. Lady - Written-By – Ronnie Foster - 5:49
Performed By / Credits on this LP include -

• George Benson – guitar, vocals
 • Jorge Dalto – acoustic piano, clavinet, acoustic piano solo
 • Ronnie Foster – electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer, Minimoog solo, electric piano solo
 • Phil Upchurch – rhythm guitar, bass
 • Ralph MacDonald – percussion
 • Stanley Banks – bass
 • Claus Ogerman – arranger, conductor
 • Harvey Mason – drums
 • Arranged By, Conductor – Claus Ogerman • Art Direction [Lockart] – Ed Thrasher • Design – Peter Palombi • Engineer [Assistant] – Don Henderson • Liner Notes – Al Young • Mastered By – Doug Sax
• Photography By – Mario Casilli • Producer – Tommy Lipuma
• Producer [Assistant] – Noel Newbolt
• Recorded By, Mixed By – Al Schmitt
Other Information -
Original master recording, Copies are Half Speed mastered by Stan Ricker JVC. 
Covers have "Contains: This Masquerade". 1st generation issues are limited to 5000 pressings and have sunrise styled label along with catalog insert. 
Recorded & Mixed at Capital Records, Hollywood, on January 6, 7 & 8, 1976 
Mastered at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood 
Track A1 published by Unart Music Corp./Tracebob Music Co. (BMI) 
Track A2 published by Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc. (BMI) 
Track A3 published by Utam Music Pub. Co. (BMI) 
Track B1 published by J & H Pub. Co. (ASCAP) 
Track B2 & B3 published by Communicated Music Co. (BMI) 
Phil Upchurch appears courtesy of CTI Records 
Ronnie Foster appears courtesy of Blue Note Records 
Jorge Dalto appears courtesy of Spring Records, Inc. 
Harvey Mason appears courtesy of Artista Records, Inc. 
1976 Warner Bros. Records Inc. • a subsidiary and licensee of Warner Bros. Inc. • 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, Calif. 91510 • a Warner Communications Company • Made In U.S.A.

CONDITION Details:

LP Jacket:

  • The jacket is in Near MINT condition - no seam splits!

  • The jacket has NO splits of any kind - it is completely solid and intact, and shows only some very minimal shelf wear.

  • It has NO drill holes or saw marks of any kind.

  • There is NO writing on the front or back of the jacket.

  • The cover has clean and sharp colors - see picture with this listing for more detail.

The LPs (vinyl) itself:

  • The LP is in Near MINT condition - super glossy and appears never played!

  • This is the near mint copy you want for your collection - any super picky audiophile would be happy with this one!

  • As for any record, even brand new, sealed ones, we always recommend a proper record cleaning before playing!

A Short Note About LP GRADING -

  • Mint = Only used for sealed items.
  • Near Mint = Virtually flawless in every way.
  • Near Mint Minus = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible.
  • Excellent = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise.
  • Very Good Plus = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.


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