George Benson - Bad Benson (1974/2016) [Official Digital Download 24-bit/192kHz]

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George Benson - Bad Benson (1974/2016) [Official Digital Download 24-bit/192kHz]

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George Benson - Bad Benson (1974/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/192 kHz | Time - 33:44 minutes | 1,28 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time - 33:44 minutes | 727 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover

Preceding Breezin', his crossover smash for Warner in 1976, Bad Benson shows the guitarist still hanging on to his Wes Montgomery roots in places while stretching his soul-jazz persona into even funkier arenas. CTI had a formula for making funky, accessible jazz and fusion records that in 1974 still held true. Arranged by Don Sebesky, Bad Benson is a collection of delicious, varied, and sometimes confusing choices. Benson's own playing is precise and smooth as always, and guitarist Phil Upchurch keeps a large color palette for him to draw from, as in the funkified version of "Take Five." Other notables are the stellar "My Latin Brother," which begins as a Debussy-ian impressionistic string study before becoming a heavily arpeggiated variation on the samba. Kenny Barron's pianism here is the driving force behind a rhythm section that also includes drummer Steve Gadd and bassist Ron Carter. They give Benson a harmonic floor for one of the most inspiring solos of his career. These intensely meaty cuts – along with Upchurch's stellar swinging in the pocket groover "Full Compass" – are juxtaposed against ballads such as "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" and "The Changing World," a pair of ballads that ape Montgomery's later snore-fest session for A&M. Not a great album, but a very, very good one.