George Benson - MTV Music History (1999)

George Benson Simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, George Benson is an amazingly versatile musician whose adept skills find him crossing easily between straight-ahead jazz, smooth jazz, and contemporary R&B. Blessed with supreme taste, a beautiful, rounded guitar tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, as always, an unquenchable urge to swing, Benson's inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format; skills he first garnered attention for as a member of Brother Jack McDuff's band in the early '60s. Benson can also sing in a lush, soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. In a sense, he is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole, a fantastic instrumentalist whose smooth way with a pop vocal helped solidify his prowess in the marketplace. It is this combination of singing and guitar playing that has garnered him numerous accolades and chart success, including most notably his 1976 breakthrough Breezin', which topped the pop, R&B, and jazz charts and took home Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Record of the Year.
Tracklist
CD1
1. Nothing's Gonna Change
2. Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet
3. Six Play
4. Last Train to Clarskville
5. Strings of Love
6. You Are the Love off My Life
7. Chatanooga Choo Choo
8. My Cherrie Amour
9. Oh! Darling
10. Octopus Garde the End
11. Give Me the Night[Edit]
12. This Masquerade[Edit]
13. Because (Come Together)
14. Everything Must Change[Edit]
15. Here Comes the Sun (I Want You)
16. Breezin'
17. Lady

CD2
1. Sunny
2. Golden Slumbers (You Never Give Me Your Money)
3. Inside Love (So Personal)
4. Affirmation
5. Moody's Mood
6. Doobie, Doobie Blues
7. The Windmills of Your Mind
8. Black Rose
9. Tell It Like It Is
10. Johnnie Lee
11. Out of the Blue
12. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
13. Low Down and Dirty Blues
14. Love Dance
15. Turn out the Lamplight
16. Some of My Best Friends Are Blues