The second of Benson's John Hammond-produced albums is far and away the superior of the pair, mixing down-to-basics, straight-ahead jazz with soul-drenched grooving.
Suddenly Benson's backup group - same as that of Uptown, with Benny Green added on trombone now and then - has found its bearings and apropos to the title, they can cook, even sizzle.
The effect upon Benson's own playing is striking; with something to react against, his sheer ability to swing advances into the realm of awesome.
The rapid-fire work on "The Cooker" and "Ready And Able" will make you gasp.
Only one vocal here, an exuberant "All Of Me." [In mid-2001 Columbia/Legacy reissued this 1966 classic, along with It's Uptown, recorded only several months earlier.
Four bonus tracks include a (previously unreleased) doo wop vocal rendition of Little Willie John's "Let Them Talk" and two Benson originals that are pure rock-n-roll: "The Man from Toledo" and "Goodnight." Two of the bonus cuts are preceded by control-booth comments from the session's legendary producer, John Hammond.].
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The CookerGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Benny's BackGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Bossa RockaGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | All of MeGerald Marks, Seymour Simons | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:10 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 5 | Big Fat LadyGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Benson's RiderGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 7 | The Borgia StickGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | Return of the Prodigal SonHarold Ousley | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 9 | Jumpin' With Symphony SidLester Young | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 06:36 | 15 MB | 42 MB |
| 10 | Slow SceneGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:10 | 4 MB | 14 MB |
| 11 | Let Them TalkLittle Willie John, Sonny Thompson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 12 | GoodnightGeorge Benson | George Benson, The George Benson Quartet | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 13 | Ready And Able | George Benson | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 48 mins | 112 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 305 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Benson | Composer, Guitar, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 2 | The George Benson Quartet | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Steven Berkowitz | Producer |
| 4 | Marion Booker | Drums |
| 5 | Stacey Boyle | Tape Research |
| 6 | Ronnie Cuber | Sax (Baritone) |
| 7 | Didier C. Deutsch | Producer |
| 8 | Howard Fritzson | Reissue Art Director |
| 9 | Bennie Green | Guest Artist, Trombone |
| 10 | John Hammond | Producer |
| 11 | John Hammond, Jr. | Producer |
| 12 | John Hammond, Sr. | Producer |
| 13 | Don Hunstein | Cover Photo, Photography |
| 14 | Billy Kaye | Drums |
| 15 | King Curtis | Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor) |
| 16 | Little Willie John | Composer |
| 17 | Jimmy Lovelace | Drums |
| 18 | Ray Lucas | Drums |
| 19 | Gerald Marks | Composer |
| 20 | Randall Martin | Reissue Design |
| 21 | Blue Mitchell | Guest Artist, Trumpet |
| 22 | Harold Ousley | Composer |
| 23 | Elvira Rios | Performer |
| 24 | Seth Rothstein | Project Director |
| 25 | Seymour Simons | Composer |
| 26 | J. Smith | Composer |
| 27 | Jimmy Smith | Composer |
| 28 | Dr. Lonnie Smith | Organ |
| 29 | Sandy Speiser | Cover Photo |
| 30 | Sonny Thompson | Composer |
| 31 | Mark Wilder | Mastering |
| 32 | Albert Winston | Bass |
| 33 | Lester Young | 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). |