George Benson, the guitarist/singer awarded with numerous Grammys, scoring hits with This Masquerade, Give Me the Night and Turn Your Love Around is a legend and adored by the audience. His name is also recorded for creating beautiful, intense albums like Absolute Benson, where vocals are subordinated and the sounds of his guitar melt into jazz and R&B. Even though Benson is still capable of playing decent straight-ahead bop – don’t forget, this also was the man who shared the stage with Wes Montgomery, Jack McDuff and Kenny Burrell – his love for R&B, rock and pop is deeply rooted. “Some old fans were miffed about this new pop success. I guess that's the biggest crime I've made as far as jazz lovers go. They don't always like to see you play for the general public. They want to be catered to. But I've tried that approach and it doesn't work for me. Nobody can stay one way for 30 years I've always tried to let my experience show itself. You learn, you change. The door opened and I walked through it.”, according to Benson. That doesn’t alter the fact that he keeps a keen eye on the jazzscene. Playing with and listening to young enthousiast musicians like Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove and Christian McBride frequently rekindles the old flame. Benson: “When they tell me I've still got the chops, I feel great.”
