Jazz Monthly.com Interview with George Benson

“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” George Benson

Smitty: I am overwhelmingly ecstatic to welcome to Jazz Monthly for the first time a living legend. He has such a groove. You know him from “Give Me the Night,” “Breezin’,” “This Masquerade,” “On Broadway,” and the list goes so far on. You have got to check out this new record. He’s collaborated with one of the greatest artists in this business, Mr. Al Jarreau. They have masterfully merged their talents, passion, and histories to put together an exquisite new project. It is called Givin’ It Up. Please welcome the rhapsodic and amazing Mr. George Benson. George, how ya doin’, my friend?

George Benson (GB): Real good. How you doin’ there, brother?

Smitty: All right. So, now, I’ve talked to Al (Jarreau) about this remarkable record and I couldn’t wait to talk with you, and I must say, and I said this to him, when I heard this record, I said “They should’ve done this long time ago.” (Laughs.)

GB: That is for sure. And time flies by so fast, we didn’t realize that this project, which we knew was coming one day, it took so long because you can’t realize when you’re out here working and busy how fast time flies by.

Smitty: Yes.

GB: But when they finally mentioned it…. “Hey, man, how would you like to do something with Al?” I said “Oh, man, where have you been all this time?”

Smitty: (Laughs.)

GB: So that’s how it came about. It was just a matter of timing more than anything else and making the space for it.

Smitty: Yes, and I know that everyone put a lot of love in this record because you lined up a magnificent lineup of artists to come in and contribute to this record, and it’s such a long list of extraordinary musicians.

GB: Yeah, Jill Scott and Herbie Hancock and Patti Austin…

Smitty: Patrice Rushen…

GB: Patrice Rushen, Stanley Clarke…

Smitty: Marcus Miller…

GB: Marcus Miller, yeah. (Laughs.) Abe Laboriel… You know, all the great ones, man.

Smitty: Yes. Marion Meadows, Dean Parks…

GB: Marion Meadows…he’s got a great sound, man.

Smitty: Oh yeah.

GB: He really did a great job on this record for us.

Smitty: Yes, and Barry Eastmond. What a fantastic keyboard player.

GB: Yes.

Smitty: The opening track, very appropriate to open with “Breezin’” but, boy, what a surprise and what a beautiful track. I mean, Al just really laid it down with the vocals and you just step right in there….you two were meant to collaborate together.

GB: I believe so. I think that we think alike and, well, since we came from pretty much the same era, Al leaned more to the jazz side of things and I leaned more toward the R&B side, but we both have knowledge of all the three genres….pop, jazz, R&B, and some other things that people haven’t heard of yet.

Smitty: Yes. (Laughs)

GB: So we were able to bring some of that stuff to this record, which is phenomenal, and then we had some other surprise guests and things to make it interesting.

Smitty: Well, I think you’re spot on there because it’s evident because you both have the hardware and the love to prove that you know what’s happening with all three genres because between the two of you, there’s over 50 million records, there’s 20 number one hits, 13 Grammys, I mean, the list goes on. So you two have really earned your keep and delivered a new level when it comes to making great music, you really have.

GB: Well, we had a lot of fun doing it, and I can tell you that our favorite thing is to be in front of an audience and to show them what we’ve been working on, and to create something that is only for the moment, never gonna happen exactly like that again.

Smitty: Right.

GB: So that’s what kind of era we come from where the artists we listened to, that’s what they did every night, so that’s in our blood.

Smitty: Yes indeed. And I just wanna say for the record before we continue, we have started a….I got a group of fans together and we have started an Al Jarreau coffee fund so that in case you swipe his coffee again in John Burk’s office… (Both laughing.)

GB: He perceived that, but that wasn’t the case.

Smitty: Yeah.

GB: What he did was set up a great scenario for us to get into this record.

Smitty: Yeah.

GB: He ordered a coffee before I ordered one, so when he came in the room and he saw me drinking coffee, he said “I bet you that’s my cup he’s drinking.” (Both laughing.) And, you know, I said “Oh, Al, don’t start no schtuff” and he said “George, don’t start no schtuff” and, man, that should be the title of the album. We already got a title already.

Smitty: (Laughs.) And that’s what happens when great friends get together and do a record. There are so many other cool things that come along with that and that just makes the music blend so well, when you’ve got that kind of rapport and relationship.

GB: And neither one of us could possibly know what effect we were gonna have on the world when we hooked up in the mid-seventies, you know, or the late seventies. We had no idea that what we were doing was gonna be so accepted and given a special place in people’s minds and hearts.

Smitty: Yes. It’s been such a great ride to this point.

GB: And then the record sales on top of that because the first thing they told me when I went to New York was jazz artists don’t sell very many records, so don’t expect to sell any records. I said “What do you mean?” They said “Well, if you sell ten thousand records as a jazz artist, you’re considered a superstar.” I said “Ten thousand?! That’s nothing!”

Smitty: (Laughs.)

GB: And then one day we sold a record, Breezin’, sold ten million copies. I said “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Smitty: Yes sir! And, George, I was among the ten million. (Both laughing.) I must tell you because of Breezin’ I must have wore out four or five needles and four or five turntables. I was probably at least four or five in that ten million because I wore out your records.

GB: That band was one of the baddest bands in history. It was a collection of really hot guys, young musicians who were raring to show what they could do. And they would accept nothing less than an ovation every time they got finished playing a solo. They were so used to people standing and applauding when they played. They searched for that every time they played a solo, and even if they didn’t get the applause, they still stood up and bowed anyway.

Smitty: Yes indeed. And that’s the way it should be.

GB: Yeah.

Smitty: Absolutely. I just want to mention John Burk. What a jewel of a guy to pull you guys together with this idea and really steer you two together and do such a fantastic project. This record should be in everybody’s top two or three albums of the year because it’s that good.

GB: Well, I hope so.

Smitty: And my hat’s off to all of you cats and John Burk and everybody who had something to do with this record because it’s on a another level. Each of the songs has a whole new level of musicianship and I really love the way you and Patrice Rushen and Al all blend together so well with the vocals and putting this record together with all the other fantastic musicians.

GB: How ‘bout that solo that Herbie Hancock played on “Tutu”?

Smitty: Oh, man.

GB: Knocked me out of my socks.

Smitty: Yes, Al and I were talking about that. That is such a bluesy and just a funked up track. It is unbelievable. And, you know, Herbie’s in a class all by himself.

GB: Yeah, that’s true. (Both laughing.) Yeah, we really had a ball doing it. I’ll tell you, Jill Scott came outta nowhere. She came in the studio and just lit it up with her personality and it was just a matter of finding something that, you know, she was comfortable with and then trying to make it follow her lead.

Smitty: Yes.

GB: We let her do that. She came in and just laid down into this vocal and I had the privilege, man, of being a partner in it. I never did that song before (“God Bless the Child”). I hardly knew it. But she was so good and I said “Man, let me see if I can get a piece of this before Al grabs it.”

Smitty: (Laughs.) And he tried to jump in there a little bit with some vocals, but it’s a wonderful track and Jill, boy, I tell ya, she was really incredible. I mean, she was on another level with that track.

GB: Especially that bridge.

Smitty: Oh Yeah.

GB: When she came in and did the bridge, (singing) “Money, got lots of friends. “Hanging around….” Well, she just ripped that apart and when she got finished, man, that was my inspiration to, you know, lay it on heavy.

Smitty: (Laughs.) Yes, now, Al told me a little bit about Paul McCartney coming in to the studio, but just talk to me about what you were feeling as you and Paul were doing this track (“Bring It On Home To Me”) together because the way Al described it, I got a chill. It was that good.

GB: Oh yeah, it was definitely….it was an inspired moment, man. He came into the studio unannounced, he just walked in and when I saw him I said “That looks like Paul.” I said “That is Paul.”

Smitty: (Laughs.)

GB: The rest of the people turned around and said “Man, that’s Paul McCartney! What’s he doing in here?”

Smitty: (Laughs.)

GB: We’ve been friends for a little over 20 years. So I went over and hugged him and everything. He came in for two reasons: he wanted to meet Al Jarreau and he wanted to say hello to me. Everybody was in the studio, Herbie Hancock, and we had the song up, the Sam Cooke tune. Paul was listening to it and I said “You know this song, man?” He said “Yes, I know it.” I said “You sure you don’t wanna get a piece of this, man?” (Both laughing.) He looked pretty strange at me, but I had to try and had a suspicion that he might want to. So he said “Well, not right now ‘cause I’m next door doing my own thing,” he said “But I’ll come back when I get some space” and I thought he was just being nice. But I said to myself when he left, I said “You know something? He just might come back and do that.”

Smitty: (Laughs.)

GB: And I saw him in the hallways ‘cause it’s big complex. And we took some photos and stuff. The next day he came back in the studio and I said “Man, put that song up, man,” and everybody was there, the engineer put the song up and I said “Man, are you sure you don’t wanna take a stab at this?” He said “George, I’ll take one take.” He actually did end up doing two or three takes and that was phenomenal, man.

Smitty: Oh, wow. And I’ll tell you, that track, you put it in the right place on the album.

GB: Yeah.

Smitty: Because you cats all just brought it home.

GB: (Laughs)

Smitty: Man, what a way to close out a great project, very cool. The mixing, it’s a great mix. Everything about this record is top notch. I mean, it’s just pristine and it’s just got that nice funky vibe, it’s got some blues in there, some jazz, some pop….

GB: Oh yeah.

Smitty: .…anything you would ask for. I can’t say enough about this entire project and all the people that had something to do with it. You cats really…you brought it home, man.

GB: I appreciate you mentioning the producer, John Burk, too because he was the cat who had the record company put their whole resources behind it. Whatever thing we dreamed up, they were behind it and they made it happen.

Smitty: Oh, absolutely.

GB: And John is…I knew him as a young man when he was producing a record by Jack McDuff and his big claim to fame is he did the Ray Charles project that was so big a couple of years ago that ended up winning an Academy Award, and Grammys and the whole thing (Genius Loves Company). So he’s a very important cat and he did it himself. He worked hard at producing artists that he liked and he put his heart in every project as he did this one, so I’m glad you mentioned him. He’s a good man to know.

Smitty: Yes indeed, a brilliant man, and I really anticipate some fantastic things with this project. I can’t wait to see you cats play some of this stuff live.

GB: Yeah, we were on tour this summer….four weeks of concerts, about 10 or 15, I can’t remember now, but I’m sure we’re gonna put it back together.

Smitty: Yes indeed.

GB: But we gotta get down your way.

Smitty: Yeah man, that would be very cool.

GB: It wouldn’t make any sense to not get down there.

Smitty: That’s right, my friend. Looking forward to it.

GB: With all the fans we have down there.

Smitty: Yes, and it was great to see you in New York around 9-11. What a show! I mean, that entire show with all of those great artists that were there that entire weekend. I have already said this, but I think your show put that crowd in such a groove that no one else was able to capture that whole weekend, because when you came in with “Give Me The Night” and “On Broadway,” what a way to close it out. I mean, that crowd was really on fire, and so it’s just a testament to your great musicianship and what you’ve done for so many years.

GB: Thank you, man. I appreciate that.

Smitty: George, it’s been a pleasure talking with you about your career and this marvelous project. Look forward to seeing you out there on tour.

GB: Thank you, Smitty. The pleasure was mine as well.

Smitty: We’ve been talking with a living legend, the incredible George Benson. He’s just finished a fascinating collaborative project with Al Jarreau. It’s appropriately called Givin’ It Up. I highly recommend this legendary CD. It’s street date is October 24th George, thanks so much, and all the very best with this record and everything else you’re doing, my friend.

GB: Thank you, Smitty. See you soon.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

For More Information Visit www.georgebenson.com and www.aljarreau.com and www.concordmusicgroup.com and www.monstermusic.com