George Benson was only 21 when, on May 1, 1964, he recorded his first album as a leader, The New Boss Guitar of George Benson.
At that point, the guitarist had yet to become a huge name in jazz, although many of those who knew him for his work with Jack McDuff's group (which he joined in 1962) agreed that he showed great potential.
Benson still had some growing to do in 1964, but even so, this is an impressive debut.
The guitarist had developed a distinctive, recognizable sound on his instrument, and he plays with both feeling and technique on five Benson originals (including the sly "Shadow Dancers," the exuberant "Rock-A-Bye," and the earthy blues "I Don't Know") as well as interpretations of "Easy Living" and "Will You Still Be Mine." Benson, of course, had an insightful teacher in McDuff, who plays both organ and piano on this hard bop/soul-jazz date.
Tenor saxophonist Red Holloway, another member of McDuff's early-'60s group, is also on board, as are bassist Ronnie Boykins and drummer Montego Joe.
In 1964, Benson's best work was yet to come; nonetheless, this album is historically important as well as rewarding.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow DancersGeorge Benson | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | The Sweet Alice BluesGeorge Benson | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | I Don't KnowGeorge Benson | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 06:52 | 15 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | Just Another SundayGeorge Benson | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Easy LivingRalph Rainger, Leo Robin | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 06:41 | 15 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Rock-A-ByeGeorge Benson | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | My Three SonsGeorge Benson, Joe Dukes, Jack McDuff | George Benson, Brother Jack McDuff | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | Will You Still Be Mine | George Benson | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 40 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 208 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Adair | Composer |
| 2 | Chris Albertson | Liner Notes |
| 3 | George Benson | Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Ronnie Boykins | Bass |
| 5 | Phil DeLancie | Digital Remastering |
| 6 | Matt Dennis | Composer |
| 7 | Joe Dukes | Composer, Drums |
| 8 | Lew Futterman | Producer |
| 9 | Red Holloway | Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor) |
| 10 | Brother Jack McDuff | Primary Artist |
| 11 | Jack McDuff | Composer, Keyboards, Organ, Piano |
| 12 | Montego Joe | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 13 | Ralph Rainger | Composer |
| 14 | Leo Robin | Composer |
| 15 | Don Schlitten | Photography |
| 16 | Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer |
| 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). |