George Benson::The Other Side of Abbey Road

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catalog# A&M/CTI SP-3028

Artist: George Benson
Format: Vinyl LP 180 grams
DiscSet: 1
Genre: Jazz
Label: Speakers Corner
Release: 1970

George Benson::The Other Side of Abbey Road

Jazz purists probably turned up their noses when this LP appeared in 1970. George Benson, influenced by Wes Montogmery, had only just gone from being a well-kept secret to a bright star in the celestial jazz firmament. Despite his tender age! His youthful, happy-go-lucky ways may well have led him and his producer Creed Taylor to turn to this important Beatles album and - without great pathos or standing in awe - they put the music through a mincer as it were, adding a large pinch of jazz spice and a good portion of strings and Latin percussion on the way, and serving up this tasty dish to jazz freaks and beatniks. Today, almost 25 years later, this compilation, which ranges from "Come Together" to "The End," has lost nothing of its freshness and certainly need not shy away from comparison with the originals. These are no mere copies but little masterpieces in which the Fab Four’s immortal ideas have been taken up and remixed. George Benson’s singing is unobtrusive and reserved, knowing full-well that he cannot hope to compete with John and Paul - but as a guitarist he certainly can stand alongside George in every respect. The other soloists rank with Freddie Hubbard, Jerome Richardson and Herbie Hancock and offer a first-rate background in the arrangements from Don Sebesky. While this LP is certainly not a milestone in jazz history, one thing is for sure: it opened up boundaries. And that is why it is worth listening to in this day and age.
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