While George Benson's solid jazz reputation supposedly rests on his early John Hammond-produced Columbia albums, one listen to this disc will reveal that his interests roamed widely from the beginning.
Yes, there is plenty of straightforward bop playing here, with Benson stretching his technical chops on "Hello Birdie" and "Myna Bird Blues" and ruminating thoughtfully on "Willow Weep for Me." But Benson also had an interest in quasi-rock & roll, producing Wes-like octaves on "Young Jaguar," and some Bo Diddley-in-Spain rhythm chording on "Bullfight." The young Benson sounds pure and mellifluous on three vocal numbers, the basic elements of his later successes mostly in place.
Yet Benson's backing combo doesn't click on all cylinders; Lonnie Smith is reliable on organ but Ronnie Cuber's blunt baritone sax is rather cumbersome here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ClockwiseGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | SummertimeGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:25 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 3 | Ain't That PeculiarWarren "Pete" Moore, Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers, Marvin Tarplin | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | JaguarGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Willow Weep for MeAnn Ronell | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 07:49 | 17 MB | 42 MB |
| 6 | A Foggy DayGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Hello BirdieGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | BullfightGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Stormy WeatherHarold Arlen, Ted Koehler | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:20 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 10 | EternallyGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | Myna Bird BluesGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | J.H. Bossa NovaGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 13 | ClockwiseGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 14 | EternallyGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 15 | SidemanL. Michael Smith | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 16 | Minor ChantStanley Turrentine | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 62 mins | 142 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 371 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 2 | George Benson | Composer, Guitar, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 3 | The George Benson Quartet | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Steven Berkowitz | Producer, Reissue Producer |
| 5 | Stacey Boyle | Tape Research |
| 6 | Ronnie Cuber | Sax (Baritone), Saxophone |
| 7 | Didier C. Deutsch | Producer, Reissue Producer |
| 8 | Howard Fritzson | Art Direction, Reissue Art Director |
| 9 | George Gershwin | Composer |
| 10 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 11 | John Hammond | Producer |
| 12 | John F. Hammond | Producer |
| 13 | John Hammond, Jr. | Producer |
| 14 | DuBose Heyward | Composer |
| 15 | Don Hunstein | Photography |
| 16 | Ted Koehler | Composer |
| 17 | Kristin Kozusko | A&R |
| 18 | Jimmy Lovelace | Drums |
| 19 | Ray Lucas | Drums |
| 20 | Randall Martin | Reissue Design |
| 21 | Blue Mitchell | Guest Artist, Trumpet |
| 22 | Warren "Pete" Moore | Composer |
| 23 | Charlie Persip | Drums |
| 24 | Smokey Robinson | Composer |
| 25 | Robert Rogers | Composer |
| 26 | Ann Ronell | Composer |
| 27 | Seth Rothstein | Project Director |
| 28 | Darren Salmieri | A&R |
| 29 | L. Michael Smith | Composer |
| 30 | Dr. Lonnie Smith | Guest Artist |
| 31 | Marvin Tarplin | Composer |
| 32 | Stanley Turrentine | Composer |
| 33 | Clare Walker | Package Manager |
| 34 | Clarence Walker | Packaging Manager |
| 35 | Mark Wilder | Mastering |
| 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). |