George Benson - The Other Side of Abbey Road (1969) {A&M 8283930282}

George Benson - The Other Side of Abbey Road (1969) {A&M 8283930282}

Just three weeks after the U.S. release of the Beatles' swan song, Abbey Road, Creed Taylor ushered George Benson into the studio to begin a remarkably successful pop-jazz translation of the record (complete with a parody of the famous cover, showing Benson with guitar crossing an Eastern urban street). It is a lyrical album, with a hint of the mystery and a lot of the cohesive concept of the Beatles' original despite the scrambled order of the tunes.

Benson is given some room to stretch out on guitar, sometimes in a bluesy groove, and there are more samples of his honeyed vocals than ever before (oddly, his voice would not be heard again by record-buyers until he signed with Warner Bros.). Don Sebesky's arrangements roam freely from baroque strings to a full-throated big band, and Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Fortune, and Hubert Laws get some worthy solo space. Yet for all its diversity, the record fits together as a whole more tightly than any other George Benson project, thanks to his versatile talents and the miraculous overarching unity of the Beatles' songs. One wonders if the Fab Four liked it, too.

George Benson - The Ultimate Collection (2015) [2CD] {Rhino}

George Benson - The Ultimate Collection (2015) [2CD] {Rhino}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 1.02 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 375 Mb

Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 129 Mb | 5% repair rar

© 2015 Rhino / Warner | 081227955014

Jazz / Contemporary R&B / Mainstream Jazz / Crossover Jazz / Quiet Storm / Soul Jazz

The Ultimate Collection is quite different from the two-disc George Benson overviews that preceded it, including The George Benson Anthology. Like that 2000-released set, this one was also issued through Rhino, though there are only 17 tracks of overlap. The Ultimate Collection has even less in common with Legacy's The Essential George Benson (2006), which naturally favors Benson's Columbia and CTI output. The heart here is 1976-1983, an era during which Benson recorded for Warner and was regularly listed in the Top Ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Lonnie Smith - Live At Club Mozambique (1970) {Blue Note Rare Groove Series}

Lonnie Smith - Live At Club Mozambique (1970) {Blue Note Rare Groove Series}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 460 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 175 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 116 Mb | 5% repair rar | Blue Note Rare Groove Series

© 1995 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 31880 2 4

Jazz / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Boogaloo / Organ

Recorded on May 21, 1970, at Detroit's Club Mozambique, this was shelved and remained unreleased until it was retrieved for CD issue in 1995. It's odd that Blue Note decided to sit on it for so long, because it ranks as one of Lonnie's better sets. The band, featuring George Benson on guitar, is relaxed and funky without being in your face about it, and unlike much soul-jazz of the time, most of the material is original, Smith having penned six of the eight numbers. Although the riffs often owe a lot to James Brown, this is definitely at least as much jazz as soul, with Lonnie taking a rare vocal turn on "Peace of Mind."