George Benson

George Benson is the 'Oscar Peterson' of jazz guitar. Besides being a fantastic musician, George has taken the guitar to a level of technical mastery that is unmatched. Although I can't stand any of the commercial smooth jazz genre he has helped to create, he has also produced an amazing body of work which no jazz guitar lover can ignore.

The first of these has been reissued in many ways. I have seen it called Cookbook as well as many other names. It's a fantastic album in an organ trio setting, with the addition of baritone saxophonist Ron Cuber.

• Bayou - A 'rhythm changes' tune with a great head and an amazing solo. In the 2nd chorus, Benson gets very angular with lines that go up and down the entire range.
• Mina Bird Blues - Again Benson goes from extremes of melodic/bluesy to angular in a very natural way at high speed.
• Hello Birdie - A shifty blues that lets Benson explore the entire range of the instrument.

The following solos are part of an album that has also been reissued under many names. One of them is Live at Casa Caribe. This is a straight-ahead jam session where Benson takes long solos over standards. The recording quality is poor, but the playing is unbelievable.

• Witchcraft - This solo builds to a series of incredible climaxes and showcases Benson's bebop chops on a standard taken at high speed.
• There Will Never Be Another You - More of the same, bebop guitar heaven.

The CTI era, although commercially oriented, produced some of Benson's most amazing solos that have inspired a whole generation of guitarists. My favorite is the Bad Benson album, where he is joined by Kenny Barron on piano.

• Take Five - This 5/4 tune by Dave Brubeck is taken to a new place, with Benson's now mature sound, unbelievable technique and rhythmic freedom.
• My Latin Brother - Another great tune from the album. This is Benson's out-take after the last head. The speed, articulation and time are staggering.

In general, all of the CTI albums are great and you should check them out. Another great album from the 70's is Weekend in LA which is on the Warner Bros label.

• Ode To a Kudu - Benson's playing on this tune (in a live situation) is simply beyond words. As many times as I hear this, I am always amazed all over again how it's possible to play this fast, so relaxed and with so much fire and emotion.