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George Benson: Ready and Able

Rating: 100/100 (learn more)

After the crisp execution of this Jimmy Smith-penned melody on the chords of "I Got Rhythm," it’s equally exciting to hear Benson’s comping behind Ronnie Cuber’s baritone solo. It’s a lesson in taste and subtlety, as well as an indication of why a musician’s rhythmic feel is so important. Although George’s chordal ideas are voluminous, they’re most properly placed (in both rhythm and octave range) to excite and propel the music and seemingly always relevant in those same ways to the drama of the soloist’s phrases.

Benson’s solo takes the excitement level up even more, which is quite a feat considering the superb solo it follows. I’m particularly fond of his harmonic vision here, which makes what and how he plays on these changes seem very unique and personal to him. As always, his command of the jazz idiom and syntax, and how he chooses to fuse these with blues and R&B leanings to form a distinctive and influential jazz guitar style, is apparent. A much more obvious observation, though, is that his technique here is simply mind-boggling. What makes this solo so breathtaking has less to do with how fast or lengthy his lines are, than how he is able to think and hear ahead in order to shape finely crafted melodic ideas through the chord progressions. The component that completes his stunning technique is the quicksilver response and coordination that allows him to execute so flawlessly.

Reviewer: Bobby Broom

If you liked this track, also check out

• George Benson:The Gentle Rain
• Wes Montgomery: Far Wes
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Tags: guitar