George Benson – Soulful seduction
He’s back in Marbella this summer, one of those performers whose silky sound just seems to fit right into the setting. Think of it; a sultry summer’s night at the Puente Romano Tennis Club, and George Benson’s unique blend of jazz, pop, R&B and romance rising into the air against a backdrop of palm trees and La Concha Mountain. No wonder it has become such a mutual love affair, this was the sort of place his music was made for. The artist himself says it is one of the most beautiful locations he has played at, “It has to do with the topography of the region, the sunshine and beautiful seaside.”
George Benson, however, is far more than the sum of his beautiful love ballads.
Born out of soul, moulded by jazz and enriched by R&B, Pop, Bossanova and, latterly, Hip-Hop, his own inimitable style is a personal blend that is the product of a creative spirit whose desire to learn and develop as an artist has led him to absorb, accumulate and experiment with music as few others have. Never happy to be categorised and limited to a single style, he sought out fellow musicians in other genres, to learn not only the required techniques but also to feel the music in question. “Nat King Cole and Charlie Christian, one of the world’s greatest guitar players, were two of the greatest influences in my musical career,” says George, who first rose to fame in the 1960s as one of the most promising young jazz guitarists in the world.
By 1976, when he broke through the mould that had been cast around him and recorded a cover of the ballad This Masquerade, George Benson’s skill with the guitar was already legendary, but he wanted to experiment more and return to singing, his original talent. Exposure to new musical styles led him to create a suave, romantic style that produced such all-time greats as Give me the night, Turn your love around and Love times love. “One of the great joys of my life is to create new music, therefore I am always working on a new project, and when I hear a song, I approach it with my total experience, which includes soul, jazz, pop and my romantic inclinations.” As a man who has walked the musical labyrinth and is a master of many musical trades, his art is not just diverse, it remains valid, drawing as much on the social beat as on the musical tone.
A good example is his new album, Irreplaceable, which charts this progress beautifully. Asked if he thinks modern music has killed romance, he answers “Well, like in all ages, the music simply reflects the times. The expressions are present in all creative arts, including music, but romantic music has always been there and will always be there.”
Although an eager and thoughtful artist, and a jazz-musician at heart, George has always regarded himself first and foremost as a performer. “Music without people is just a sequence of sounds. It is something that cannot be quantified or intellectualised too far, because without an audience even the prettiest tunes can’t have real content and meaning.” It’s a philosophy that comes through in his live performances, when he infuses his fans with his energy and enthusiasm. Benson takes his music really seriously—but not too seriously. “Music is in the service of the audience. I really like when people kick up their heels and go crazy.” Breaking some conventions along the way, he decided not to stick to the unwritten law of being cool and aloof, and not letting things get too raunchy. “But jazz was once hanging-out music, and the greatest way to involve people is by getting ‘em tapping their feet. That’s when I can float any kind of jazz line into the music.”
Few musicians have done as much to bridge the gap between pop music and jazz, showing jazz purists that pop is not necessarily too flighty and insignificant for their genre and giving the broader public a glimpse of just how cool a touch of jazz can be.
