George Benson - Breezin'
George Benson, lead guitar, vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring George Benson]
Phil Upchurch, rhythm guitar
Ronnie Foster, electric piano, mini Moog
Jorge Dalto, clavinet, acoustic piano
Stanley Banks, bass
Harvey Mason, drums
Ralph MacDonald, percussion
1 LP, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Friday Music
Original Label : Warner Bros
Recorded 6–8 January 1976 in Capitol Records Studios, Hollywood, California
Engineered & mixed by Al Schmitt
Produced by Tommy LiPuma
Remastered by Joe Reagoso
Originally released in 1976
Reissued in 2013
Tracks:
Side A :
- Breezin'
- This Masquerade
- Six To Four
Side B :
- Affirmation
- So This Is Love?
- Lady
Reviews :
"All of a sudden, George Benson became a pop superstar with this album, thanks to its least representative track. Most of Breezin' is a softer-focused variation of Benson's R&B/jazz-flavored CTI work, his guitar as assured and fluid as ever with Claus Ogerman providing the suave orchestral backdrops and his crack then-working band (including Ronnie Foster on keyboards and sparkplug Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar) pumping up the funk element. Yet it is the sole vocal track (his first in many years), Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" -- where George unveiled his new trademark, scatting along with a single-string guitar solo -- that reached number ten on the pop singles chart and drove the album all the way to number one on the pop (!) LP chart. The attractive title track also became a minor hit single, although Gabor Szabo's 1971 recording with composer Bobby Womack is even more fetching. In the greater scheme of Benson's career, Breezin' is really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity." AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3,5 / 5 , Discogs : 4,12 / 5