The Jazz of George Benson

I don't attend many concerts these days, and, added to that, I don't have the luxury of having other friends currently contributing posts on the subject of bebop to this blog. This leaves room for creativity and deviation, my favorite norms. So, I am here to talk about George Benson, who I saw in concert last night at Bergen PAC in Englewood, New Jersey, not because he is remotely associated with bebop, but because I just had the pleasure of seeing this smooth jazz master of the past and present perform.

I'll launch with an interesting story Benson told about refusing to open a concert for his friend James Brown when he was a young man because, as he explained to Brown, "I do jazz." Due to that faux pas, it took Benson another 10 years to be recognized in the business, when "James Brown would have made me a star overnight."

Benson is a local, as are other musical greats like Stevie Wonder. I think it's in part due to that, that Benson was so generous, giving a two-hour concert, with a nice long come back after the first closing ovation. He played all the audience's favorites, such as "Give Me the Night," but also the music of his friends, tunes that appear on his most recent album, Guitar Man, which has received rave reviews. For example, he performed a beautiful rendition of his friend "Sir" Paul McCartney's early composition, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," jazzed up and arranged a la Benson. He also offered a tribute to Stevie Wonder, with his version of "My Cherie Amour," and Nora Jones, with a remake of her song, "Don't Know Why." He is accompanied by excellent musicians, particularly his longtime key board player, Joe Sample.

Benson's vocals, energy and guitar playing, remain exceptionally strong. The man is 68, not old by today's standards, but still. He is a wonderful balladeer, and I learned during this concert, an amazing mimic, doing imitations of James Brown, Little Richard and Stevie Wonder, all of them friends, whose music he has played.

Benson closed with his classic, "On Broadway," which was given a real send off by the young Chicago drummer playing with the group who blew the top off the house during a final solo in that number. He is listed only as "George Benson's drummer," playing on YouTube -- I'll be darned if I can find his name anywhere, as there was no program, but everyone had something good to say about him. He'll get an identity of his own yet!

Bergen PAC has hosted some hot and cool jazz over the years, and tonight was no exception.