This project had its genesis back in 1983 with a Benson promise to Count Basie that he would record an album in his style, a promise partially fulfilled the following year with 20/20's "Beyond the Sea." Focusing on standards that steer commendably clear from tunes normally associated with Basie, Benson takes on the dual challenge of big-band singer and lead guitarist and succeeds with authority in both roles.
The robust playing of the Basie band under Frank Foster poses absolutely no problems for Benson's muscular guitar, for he punches out the notes and octaves in irresistibly swinging fashion (for prime mature Benson, check out "Basie's Bag").
As a vocalist, he sounds solid and debonair, blending well with Basie vocalist Carmen Bradford on "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" There are two deviations from the format, though.
"Baby Workout" starts out as an electronic dance number, augmented by horns, that harks back to his run of routine '80s albums.
The sole Robert Farnon-arranged track, a lush orchestral treatment of "Portrait of Jennie" recorded in London, was salvaged from an aborted project that was promised back in 1988.
Clearly Benson had wrestled control of his music from the accountants, and though the direction is conservative, it makes better use of his talents.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Without a SongEdward Eliscu, Billy Rose, William Skip Rose, Vincent Youmans | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | Ready Now That You AreFrank Foster | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 05:50 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 3 | On Green Dolphin StreetBronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | Baby WorkoutAlonzo Tucker | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | I Only Have Eyes for YouAl Dubin, Harry Warren | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | Portrait of JennieJ. Russel Robinson | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Walkin' My Baby Back HomeFred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | SkylarkHoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer | George Benson, Robert Farnon Orchestra | Play | 05:07 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | Basie's BagGeorge Benson | George Benson, Count Basie Orchestra | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | How Do You Keep The Music Playing | George Benson | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 41 mins | 95 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 250 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred E. Ahlert | Composer |
| 2 | Clarence Banks | Group Member |
| 3 | Count Basie | Performer |
| 4 | Count Basie Orchestra | Primary Artist |
| 5 | George Benson | Composer, Guitar, Liner Notes, Performer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 6 | Alan Bergman | Composer |
| 7 | Marilyn Bergman | Composer |
| 8 | Carmen Bradford | Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Vocal Harmony, Vocals |
| 9 | Randy Brecker | Group Member, Guest Artist, Horn |
| 10 | Terry Burrus | Keyboards |
| 11 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 12 | Hoagy Carmichael | Composer |
| 13 | Carl Carter | Group Member |
| 14 | Ron Carter | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 15 | George Cohn | Group Member |
| 16 | Peter Darmi | Engineer |
| 17 | Mary Ann Dibs | Art Direction |
| 18 | Al Dubin | Composer |
| 19 | Barry J. Eastmond | Keyboards, Piano |
| 20 | Cleveland Eaton | Group Member |
| 21 | Edward Eliscu | Composer |
| 22 | Jon Faddis | Group Member, Guest Artist, Horn |
| 23 | Robert Farnon | Arranger |
| 24 | Robert Farnon Orchestra | Primary Artist |
| 25 | Larry Farrell | Group Member, Horn |
| 26 | Paul Faulise | Group Member, Horn |
| 27 | Frank Foster | Arranger, Composer, Sax (Tenor) |
| 28 | Earl Gardner | Group Member, Horn |
| 29 | David Glasser | Group Member, Sax (Alto), Soloist |
| 30 | Robert Hakalski | Photography |
| 31 | Kenny Hing | Group Member |
| 32 | William Hughes | Group Member |
| 33 | Duffy Jackson | Group Member |
| 34 | Bashiri Johnson | Percussion |
| 35 | Charlton Johnson | Group Member |
| 36 | Bronislaw Kaper | Composer |
| 37 | Michel Legrand | Composer |
| 38 | Robin Lynch | Grooming |
| 39 | Ralph MacDonald | Percussion |
| 40 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 41 | Bob Ojeda | Arranger, Group Member, Soloist, Trumpet |
| 42 | Eith O'Quinn | Horn |
| 43 | Keith O'Quinn | Group Member, Horn |
| 44 | James Pugh | Group Member, Horn |
| 45 | Ed Rak | Mixing |
| 46 | J. Russel Robinson | Composer |
| 47 | Billy Rose | Composer |
| 48 | William Skip Rose | Composer |
| 49 | Dave Russell | Engineer |
| 50 | David Russell | Engineer |
| 51 | Elliot Scheiner | Engineer |
| 52 | Al Schmitt | Assistant Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 53 | Lew Soloff | Group Member, Horn |
| 54 | Lorna Stovall | Design |
| 55 | Byron Stripling | Group Member, Soloist, Trumpet |
| 56 | Richard Tee | Keyboard Bass |
| 57 | Jeff Toone | Engineer |
| 58 | Alonzo Tucker | Composer |
| 59 | Roy Turk | Composer |
| 60 | Mel Wanzo | Group Member |
| 61 | Harry Warren | Composer |
| 62 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| 63 | Alexander White | Hair Stylist, Stylist |
| 64 | Little Johnny Williams | Group Member |
| 65 | Mike "Love" Williams | Group Member |
| 66 | Tim "T-Bone" Williams | Trombone |
| 67 | David Witham | Keyboards |
| 68 | Vincent Youmans | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |