Customer Reviews

Best Of George Benson: The Instrumentals

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i love the concept of no vocals for this cd collection of benson's hits. i enjoy listening to well recorded jazz guitar and this fits the bill perfectly. the selections cover his work from 1976-1993. the selections are well spread out, not concentrating too much on any particular cd of his. just a good mix of his slow and uptempo numbers. included is "breezin'", an all-time classic. my favorites are two slow tempo romantic tracks, "tenderly" and "being with you". these tracks showcase the delicate touch george has with his guitar, not to mention the beautiful melody these tracks convey. this is my first benson cd and certainly not my last. the sound quality is excellent on this remastered edition from 1997. highly recommended!

In my opinion, "Breezin'" is the ultimate and the most precious of all George Benson's gems, and the most stunning track on this compilation CD. I remember the way my sister Debbie and I were 'going nuts' over this melody when it first came out in the late '70s and played the album (original platinum selling "Breezin'") over and over and over again and would repeat the track "Breezin'" quite a number of times that it must have broken our late father's turntable needle! (you remember that, don't you? And you were just too scared to tell Papa about it since he had been telling us to handle it with extra-care because the brand he used was so expensive and precious like diamonds!) Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories and it's like being on a 'sentimental journey' to the past with my sister.

"Breezin'" was the first album that got me hooked with the music of Mr. Benson. My sister and I collected most of his earliest albums. My sister stopped collecting several years ago but I remained the 'faithful fan' to this day and continued with my collection. I always enjoy listening to his kind of music. I truly believe that he's one of the greatest and polished guitarists of all-time and an awesome vocalist as well.

A good friend of mine who has an impeccable taste in music and an extensive musical knowledge who also plays the guitar has the following reflection on our mutual favorite, George Benson, and I quote:

"George Benson is the best 'flat pick' guitarist who ever lived -- his single note sequences are better jazz than Lenny Breau, but he looked up to Lenny as the greatest all around finger style guitarist who ever lived. His "Tenderly" is the best flat picking solo of all time I'd say -- I saw George perform at a Town Hall in Bermuda in the '70s, just as "White Rabbit" LP was making him a star and his own composition "Ode To A Kudu" is the finest 'live' performance I have ever heard by any guitarist bar none."

This compilation CD consists of some of my cherished melodies of all-time, and it's a testament of Mr. Benson's mastery of guitar. The tracks I love the most next to "Breezin'" are "Tenderly" from his 1989 album of the same title, "My Heart Is Dancing" from "Love Remembers" album in 1993, his very own composition "Weekend In L.A." from his 1978 album of the same title, "We All Remember Wes," a Stevie Wonder-penned-bubbly- melody, Jose Feliciano's "Affirmation" from the 1979 album "Breezin'" and one of his original compositions "Mimosa" from his 1987 album "Collaboration" (with another guitar virtuoso, Earl Klugh).

This CD is a must-have and has the greatest collection of the best instrumentals ever recorded in the history of jazz. You should listen to it, and thank me for it! It's absolutely a gem!

George Benson is truly one of the best!! I am new to jazz music (plus I am getting older) and while my taste in music has changed (for the best). I still know good music when I hear it, regardless of the genre. So when I say this is an excellent album for old and new jazz fans...Trust me!! This cd helped bridge me into Miles Davis and others, but is still old school enough to be real. I love this cd and you will, too.

A very classic, smooth, absolutely essential Benson album,exactly as a Benson lover would expect. Classic yet moving pieces, great feelings listening to these arrangements. For the Benson connoisseurs a must have.

I really like this CD, but it's missing a few of his key songs... It could have been better, but I'm happy to add it to my collection.

3 1/2

Although this can seemingly be tracking Benson's decline into more gently padded, adult contemporary fare, the fact that this spans a few decades makes at least a good amount still retain looseness and feeling- particularly on late 70's and live tracks as opposed to the synthesized beat-driven smooth Jazz you will here him playing later, albeit still with noticeable soloing spark.

This was one of the first George Benson CDs I bought, and it was a great pick. At the time, I didn't know he made so many great instrumentals, but this CD quickly got rid of that! There's not a bad song on here, although the first five are especially enjoyable and the live version of "We All Remember Wes" was very good as well.

This CD was a gift for a guitarist and Benson fan. He loved it.

I was so Hyped to Hear We all Remember Wes.Because Wes Montgomery is one of the Baddest Guitar Players ever and he has had a Major Impact on George Benson's work.Breezin' is a classic.I really dug Dinorah,Dinorah from The Give Me The Night Album.G.B is a Genius he is still Bad!

Don't be fooled by the reviews. If you're looking for some jazz, don't buy this album. This is a CD of easy-listening music. If you're looking for some jazz guitar, check out the early CDs like George Benson Cookbook or the stuff he recorded with Brother Jack McDuff. I guess this stuff is okay to put on while watering the plants, but there is no substance to this ear candy. What a waste of talent. And George QUIT SINGING YOUR GUITAR SOLOS. It's bad enough that you sing, but singing during a solo just diminishes both the singing and the guitar playing. YAWN!