Customer Reviews

Masquerade Is Over

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The Liquid CD issue of this Benson classic material has a disclaimer that certain "anomalies" from analog recording are to be found. There's no excuse for what I am hearing. The screechy, distorted edge to piano, voice, cymbals, you name it is execrable, and I mean really bad. AVOID this CD. The original recording may have been decent, but you would never know it from this piece of audio trash.

Some things you should know before you buy this: George Benson plays guitar on only three of the six tracks. He sings on another track, without playing. The recording sounds like George was sitting in for a set at a Micky Tucker (piano) Trio gig (April '73). The sound quality is not great, especially on "All the Things You Are." That said, there's some value here for the George Benson aficionado. George sings the title track, a jazz standard, in the doo-wop/soul style that appears again in 1989, much developed, on his great Tenderly album. His singing on this track sounds good, not highly polished, but natural and pleasant. On "Blue Bossa" he plays guitar in a nice straight ahead Wes-influenced style, both single note and octaves. Cut #5 on the album (not cut #6 as listed) "Dahlin's Delight" is an up tempo blues where George also plays in this same straight-ahead style, but here with some trademark licks, like the sharp fluttering octaves and a couple of dazzling runs. This was recorded a couple months before Body Talk on CTI, which is funkier and more electric. So it's interesting to hear George's straight ahead playing around this time. The liner notes report that Miles asked George to join his band in '68, but he declined. I hadn't read that before, and the liner notes contain some innaccuracies (for example that Giblet Gravy was released in '67, when it was recorded in '68), so the information may be unreliable. But the tale is worth looking into.