After 9 months, we’re honestly stuck without an “O” guitarist for October. Well, we gave it the good ol’ college try…I don’t think anyone will be displeased with this months pick: George Benson. This guy is special for me because I can honestly say that hearing his playing is what made we want to play jazz. I probably didn’t really listen to a full George Benson album until college, but his tone, fluidity, improvisation and technique (all while using .13’s on his guitar) is just top notch. Above all else, his ability to communicate exactly what melodies he wanted to hear on the guitar is still amazing to me to this day. And did I mention that he can sing too? This guy is the total package: awesome guitarist, great vocalist and talented song writer.

George Benson was originally born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1943. It’s incredible to hear stories about how young he was when he started out on the “scene”. He was playing ukulele in front of the drug store for a few dollars a week at age 7. Just a year later he was playing in a night club (wtf?), which was eventually closed down due to being unlicensed. At the tender age of 9 he started recording and actually released four singles. His initial music tenure didn’t last long however; the singles failed, he was soon in trouble at school and his guitar was impounded. His dad was nice enough to make him a new guitar and he went on to learn straight-ahead jazz while attending high school. He also had the good fortune of hooking up with Jack McDuff. At age 21, he released his first album as a band leader, The New Boss Guitar, featuring McDuff on organ. He went on to play with many notable players in the 60’s, including Miles Davis, who featured George on the album Miles in the Sky. He also joined other jazz legends such as Freddie Hubbard and Stanley Turrentine while he was signed to the CTI record label.

The 70’s were an entirely new decade for George Benson. Many of the smooth hits like “Masquerade”, “Breezin'”, and “On Broadway” were written and released while he was signed with Warner Brothers. Other than Benson Burner and Body Talk, the Breezin‘ album is the probably the most recognized George Benson album of all time–and it really is a great one. This is a good place to start if you want to get involved with Mr. Benson. As the decade progressed, he really scored with the release of Give Me the Night, his breakthrough Pop album featuring “Turn Your Love Around”, “Love Inside” and of course, the title track! (One of the most sampled guitar riffs of all time!) All in all, the 70’s were the years where Mr. Benson’s fan base multiplied big time and probably my favorite decade of his.

Benson continued to tour throughout the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, appearing in various places and jazz festivals around the world. I caught him recently during the 2018 New Orleans Jazzfest. At that point in his long esteemed career, he was just a young 75 years old! Admittedly, he wasn’t playing with the same fire as he did in the Benson Burner years, but man did he put on a show! The audience was so psyched to see him perform the hits. He opened the show with “Breezin'” and went on through his catalogue, culminating with a high energy version of “Give Me the Night.” It was nice to see him still doing it, almost 70’s years after he first started playing in front of the drug store!

Benson’s slightly amped-up clean tone and jazz phrasing is really one of a kind. It’s also awesome to hear just how much he commands the fretboard, especially in the early days. For any guitarist, not just jazz in particular, George Benson’s playing has something to add to their collection. Pay particular attention to the effortless fluidity in his riffs and phrases–this is the way you want to be able to play the guitar, regardless of ability. Also, listen to his chord work and octave/fifth riffs that he is well known for. All this has massive style points, even if not completely original to George. Most of all, realize the gigantic smile on your face that relatively few guitarists can accomplish with just their playing alone. Keep on rockin’, George!