George Benson - Shape Of Things To Come (2007)

Artist: George Benson
Title Of Album: Shape Of Things To Come (Remastered)
Year Of Release: Sep 18, 2007
Label: Verve (USA)
Genre: Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Guitar
Quality: MP3 / Joint Stereo
Bitrate: VBR kbit/s / 44.1 Khz
Total Time: 33:23 min
Total Size: 48 MB
WebSite: http://www.georgebenson.com/

Tracklist:
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01 Footin' It 04:23
02 Face It Boy, It's Over 04:06
03 Shape Of Things To Come 05:16
04 Chattanooga Choo Choo 03:34
05 Don't Let Me Lose This Dream 04:43
06 Shape Of Things That Are And Were 05:49
07 Last Train To Clarksville 05:32

Personnel: George Benson (guitar); Buddy Lucas (saxophone, harmonica); Marvin Stamm (trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo); Joe Shepley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Burt Collins (trumpet); Wayne Andre (trombone, Baritone horn); Alan Raph (trombone, tuba); George Marge, Romeo Penque, Stan Webb (flute); Bernard Eichen, Charles Libove (violin); David Mankovitz (viola); George Ricci (cello); Jack Jennings (vibraphone); Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones (piano); Charles Covington (organ); Ron Carter, Richard Davis (bass); Leo Morris (drums); Johnny Pacheco (percussion).

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

In which George Benson stretches out over the pop grooves of 1968, pursued stage left by flutes, strings, harmonica, and studio brass orchestrations. Not to mention the sound of Benson himself holding forth on, according to the original liner notes, "alto guitar with Varitone attachment--a wild, doubled sound."

If you want to hear the heir to Wes Montgomery swing hard over a standard, forget it--and you'll have to wait until the second-to-last cut to hear him get serious on a blues. Finally though, on "Shape of Things That Are and Were," he does his thing with style and abandon. When the horns surface, they provide a kick reminiscent of Oliver Nelson's charts for Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith. It's worth the wait. Benson works up a serious head of steam on "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream," employs lush chord-melody work on "Face it Boy, It's Over," and gets plenty of room to stretch over a vamp during "Last Train to Clarksville."