Customer Reviews

George Benson Cookbook

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

 

 

Would you believe that about 20 years ago, they were selling this session in the 99 cent cassette tape bin at K-Mart... I'm not joking... it was a frequent find, and that's where I first heard it... and my first impression was... Wow, now there's a guy who can give Pat Martino a good run for his money ! And Jeez, this album is boppin', yet at the same time its so darn funky ! (This was at a time when EL HOMBRE was one of my favorite Jazz albums.)

I played and played and played the session, long before I got into the organ, and came to realize who Lonnie Smith was, or realize the brilliance of a Jazz guitar being coupled with by lines from a Bari Sax, and the wildly swinging significance of the "bossa rocka" rhythms... - - By the time I came to take this session for granted it was gone forgotten and out of print. Then, by the time I came to appreciate it, it was long gone and out of print.

GB at the time was a bluesy hard swinging bop guitarist, rumored to be the "next" Wes (- - at a time when everyone was desperately searching for the next Wes !) - - Fresh from boot camp with Jack McDuff The GB COOKBOOK shows him at his technical pinnacle... but all good things had to come to an end. From the begining GB said he wasn't really a guitarist and came to NY to become a singer (*while his guitar playing on this album definitely makes this sound funny, his singing, even on ALL OF ME, definitely doesn't disprove it either !) - - in the end, he'd make much better money doing the contemporary crossover Jazz thing, and not many CDs like this would follow... What a darn shame. This session is history... its gold, and now its remastered, with bonus tracks and even bonus photography.

In the end all I can say is GET IT... Its all its rumored to be and more - - and by the way, the cover happens to be one of my all time favorite Jazz covers... it definitely gets the pun across - - these cats were cookin ! ! !

George Benson became a crossover superstar in the late 1970s and scored a number of Top 10 singles and albums that were primarily R&B based and featured his singing. Benson, however, is one of the greatest jazz guitarists who ever lived, and this album features a young Benson showing the world what he can do on the guitar.
He's backed by Lonnie Smith on organ and Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and a number of guest performers, including Bennie Green (trombone) and Blue Mitchell (trumpet). The CD, from the very beginning, simply cooks, with the opening song, aptly titled "The Cooker," and stays uptempo throughout. The CD features a post-bop sound, and even some bossa nova. Benson sings on two cuts "All of Me," and "Let Them Talk." Columbia has added four bonus tracks on the 2001 remaster.
If you like jazz guitar and music that really moves, then this CD is for you.

Nothing fancy here, just 4-5 piece straight ahead jazz, no vocals, just jazz in 4-4 time with a superb back up band. If you like Wes Montgomery and Jimmie Smith with a nice sax, then you will love this CD.

Fans of mid-to-late 60s' soul/funk/jazz fusion will enjoy this re-release, long overdue. I remember, when Benson achieved pop stardom in the mid-70s, cheapo record labels flooded the market with his earlier, more straight jazz releases, in an effort to cash in.

Turns out most of these records rocked! This is cool, effortless, feel-good jazz/soul fusion, lifted by George's fluid, speedy, harmonic guitar runs. Lonnie Smith's organ, of course, is essential to grooves of this type, and he does not disappoint.

I'm pleased to see this one finally see the light of day.

Wondering what is so great about George Benson's guitar playing? Check out his early cd's. This is one and "It's Uptown" is another. It is amazing that a guitar player this talented would end up a famous jazz SINGER.

This was like "It's Uptown" (part two). He was using the space provided by his rhythm section to experiment almost in the same way that Charlie Parker did twenty years before.
Many people might not like the hip 60s funky soul/jazz groove but unfortunately THIS was the sound of the mid 60s, especially with regard to black music. George always did nod in the direction of the pop market even back in 1965..but then so did Grant Green, Pat Martino and Wes and many other jazz artists.
What one can't fail Benson for is not providing the goods. His solos are immaculate..now and again he may slip up but it just adds to the tension. He's testing the ground and you can hear the amount of progress he'd made since he'd started with Jack McDuff. His solos are more fluent, imaginative. He's got the ability to hammer-on notes from the 1st fret to the 24th in one fell swoop. Wow, he must've burnt ALOT of midnight oil.

I heard the 8-track of cookbook playing in a store when I was quite young. I didn't see a record so I bought the 8-track of this when I didn't even have an 8-track player.
My brother had an 8-track player that I used when he wasn't home.
I was still playing the 8-track of this in my car when I was going to college, but when the 8-track went by the way side, so did my copy of this music until today.
So glad to have you back George! Sounding better and more clear than ever to me!
I use sax, trombone and organ on many of my own recordings because of these early influences.
http://www.soundclick.com/members/default.cfm?member=k9lb

If you like Jazz Guitar then get this CD. I bought this CD because of a review I read in Guitar Player Magazine. This CD is what I call "Serious Jazz." If you want to know why George Benson is considered one of the all-time greats then get this CD. After one listen, you won't have any questions about his greatness. BTW, the other soloists on the CD are also fantastic.

I like George Benson. I think he's a great jazz guitarist. However, this album fails to do anything but remind me of what a waste of tape this album was. It's way too commercial. It doesn't break any barriers or really has nothing to say musically that's interesting. He might have been a great jazz guitarist during this time, but his songwriting is awful. Nothing deep about this music. I also have to say that his improvisations on this album are totally cliche of jazz at that time. What a disappointing album. He should have titled this album "The George Benson Fake Book," because it's like Columbia hired a "fake" George Benson to come in and play guitar. George Benson has done some great albums, unfortunately, this isn't one of them.