Search - George Benson :: Jazz Moods: Hot

Hot, Hot, Hot

F. Hagan | Raleigh, North Carolina, USA | 05/31/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"George Benson is a very handsome man. It has been argued that many of his early vocal hits were carried along by his charming good looks, but to focus on that aspect of his persona would be a tragic mistake. When it comes to jazz, George Benson is a genius whose hands were made to play modern guitar. His fresh playing style and diverse selection of material has always placed him highly among music critics. The "George Benson: Jazz Moods - Hot (Columbia/Legacy)" CD showcases his energetic and contrasting use of classic and modern ideas by way of guitar excellence.



The first selection on this collection is a true oddity, Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" interpreted at first as an almost Paso Doblé-like march flowing freely into an uptempo piece of progressive hot jazz. "Body Talk" takes George's clean guitar licks into the vein of funk with that great light cymbal treatment so prevalent in the 70's. Truly, the energy on all of these tracks is palpable, and certainly a tangible ambience for an evening that needs to convey excitement. "Take Five" is a wonderful guitar cover of Dave Brubeck's chartbuster, making the perennial five-time recording even more intimate by choice of instrument. "Old Devil Moon" is brisk and exciting in bossa nova-like waves that seems to pulse with Brazilian fire, and the "Theme From Good King Bad" is late 70's jazz in a nutshell--hot guitar licks "funkified" with a clean baseline. "California Dreamin'" is played with rapid guitar movements that carry the often slow and dreamlike standard to a level of feeling that reminds us that songs about our visions don't have to lack vigor. Motivating a different piece from its natural shape, Benson interprets Duke Ellington's "Take The `A' Train" with a rapid guitar performance that conveys all of the energy and movement of a modern train line. The lengthy "So What" and the extremely uptempo "Clockwise" also delight musically, but one of the truly great gems of this recording is the very funky "Hold On I'm Coming" with an accompanying male vocal, seeming to suggest that George Benson has to keep up with his audience, when anyone listening to the entire album knows the opposite is the real truth.



George Benson's great library of sound provides the careful jazz fan with lots of "hot" tracks to convey the mood of excitement and dynamism, regardless of the subject or design. Each track is a piece of art, different in its texture or idea, but each is presented gloriously with the same fire by the same good looking artist.

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