George Benson

[Moe Seager]

Hey Folks,
I'm surprised that George Benson is not mentioned much on"Favorite Pittsburgh Musicians"?! Yeah, he's done a lot of pop songs - but he remains a BMF on Jazz guitar. And a good scat singer. He was awesome in concert in Paris with Al Jarreau!! What's the word on Benson in Pittsburgh? From my digs in Paris he remains a monster.
Ciao for now.
Moe Seager
Paris

[Moe Seager]

Jazz Is
by Moe Seager

Jazz is
A way in to a way out
Way up deep down inside
Where the thought and the feel
And the drive reside
Jazz is memory calling from Ghana
Belted out in Congo Square
A round trip ticket round
The world of Africa and Africa touched

Jazz is a cat in a Pittsburgh club
A fury, in passion, melodious love
A diva in Detroit bearing her soul
Bringing the house down in turns hot and cool
Jazz is a child blessed with vision
Of universe vast beyond where he's living
Jazz is Havana blazing in heat
Blaze of trumpet, bodies in beat
Jazz is a Jew on a clarinet
Going for broke he let's it rip
Jazz is a Gypsy on a wagon stoop
Strumming new sounds from his finger tips
Jazz does duo with Mozart and Back
A spoon in tune with cafe Vienna
And jazz is a niche on a back-street in Paris
Rendevous lovers, loners and Poets

Jazz doesn't dig solitary confinement
Be big band, be bop
Slow motion shuffle
Be ballad be blue
Lay back in the groove
Come in and go out
Each time unique
Like the last time

Jazz is
A cargo the trade winds sail
To the door of the depot of the lost and found
To ring your ears and throb your heart
Stormy Monday turning sunny
Feel the blues depart

Jazz is a riff that walks me home
A bass line I climb to the top of the stairs
A hand holding mine when nobody cares
Jazz softly whispers
I know how you feel

Jazz is chump change and scratch
Is chewing through the gristle
To suck on the bone
Jazz is a holler, a cat call, a hymn
Jazz is singing saxophone in the shower
Jazz goes uptown to get down
Knows night time is the right time
And the right time is now

Jazz is an instrument of fingers and tongues
A vessel of muscle and breath
Body and mind in sync with the self
As time tics free off the clock
A serpentine march out of formation
Jazz leaps to the end of the line
Makes every stop along the block
A teller of history, a history maker
Jazz is forgiveness, Jazz is a bitch
She's the mother load

Jazz is
Sweet smell of Jasmin, smoked and hormones
Deep note moans, high pitch groans
Twists and turns, sharps that burn, howling flats
Guitar licks that sparkle
Drum beats driven off the four corner map

Jazz is a gas, a liquid
A solid mass of essence
A floating island centered
In the infinite sea
So vast is jazz
So deep and wide
The Middle Passage swept us
Side by side

Jazz is a family
A fraternity of man
Whose tap root is the music
Of the Af - Ri- Can
Polyrhythmic pollination
From the talking drum
Graced in Gospel, rolls of Rag Time
Faith in Funkin, Rock 'n Rollin
The gifts of many makers
Freely given me, freely given you

Jazz Is
A way in to a way out
Way up down deep inside
A way to a path through
The useless rubble
The poison propaganda
Cross you over to the other side

Jazz Is
No papers, no passports
No human claims denied
No charges pressed
No back-seat guests
Welcome to a dynasty
Of Open borders
Jazz Is
A Free Country.

(copyright, Moe Seager, 1998)

[Don Cerminara]

ENTIRELY TOO PROLIFIC FOR ME. I ONLY KNOW HOW I', EFFECTED I AM WHEN I HEAR A GREAT PLAYER. FOR ME, ITS FEEL, FEEL FEEL. I'M HAPPY, EXCITED , AT PEACE...THE GAMUT OF EMOTIONS....GREAT WHEN IT IS GOOD....DRAGGED WHEN ITS JIVE!

[Anthony (Tony) Janflone]

Beautiful Moe!! Can't be said much better than this!!
Tony

[Moe Seager]

Tony,
Thanks for your kind words. Better yet, I hope to hear you in Pgh. on my next visit!!
Keep the Beat on the Pulse of Life!
Moe in Paris

[Don Cerminara]

THERE'S NO DOUBT, THE GUY CAN PLAY...WITH ANYONE! AND, AFTER WES,HE TRIED TO 'TAKE OVER' BUT JUST COULDNT MAKE A GOOD LIVIN. SO? WHAT TO DO? RECORD A POP TUNE. MASQUERADE HIT, AND HIT BIG...SO BENSON DECIDED TO QUIT BANGIN HIS HEAD AGAINST THE WALL...WENT ON TO BECOME A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE....PLAYIN POP STUFF. PARKER WOULN'T HAVE DUG IT, BUT, WHO'S TO QUESTION BENSON'S RATIONALE? ANYTIME HE WANTS TO REALLY ENJOY HIMSELF, AND PLAY "OUR MUSIC", HE DOESN'T HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING. I CAN THINK OF A DOZEN WHO SIMPLY HUNG IN THERE AND CONTINUED WITH "OUR MUSIC"...BUT TO NO AVAIL. JOE PASS DIED JUST "MAKIN A LIVIN'...JIM HALL STILL, JUST MAKIN A LIVIN. GOD BLESS 'EM ALL
THE PEOPLE JUST DONT WANT TO PLAIN "DIG". NO TIME OR PATIENCE TO SIT AND LISTEN TO AN ARTIST. IF THEY'RE NOT JUMPIN UP AND DOWN AND SIMULATIN' DANCE...THEY'RE JUST NOT HAPPY. THEY'RE MISSIN A TRUE "ART FORM"...NOT THIS CRAP BEIN' RECORDED TODAY. WE....HAD THE BEST OF IT. WE DUG SOME SERIOUS MUSICIANS. SOME CATS WHO PLAYED FROM THE HEART. TODAY, IN LARGE MEASURE, THEY PLAY FROM THE "CHART". O, THEY CAN PLAY...BUT THERE'S JUST A CERTAIN SOMETHIN' MISSIN....AND, NEVER MORE TO RETURN...IN ANY APPRECIABLE QUANTITY!
DONNY C THE BE=BOP GURU AND IMPRESSARIO!!

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

Donny,

Playing from the "chart" and not from the "heart" is absolutely on the money. I'll be quoting you profusely on this one. Thanks for joining in.

[Moe Seager]

Today at home in Paris, on TSF Paris Jazz radio: Frank Sinatra's version of Mack the Knife, written by Kurt Weil for Bertolt Brecht's Three Penney Opera. Frank sings arguably the best version of this song done by hundreds of recording artists and cabaret singers, including the monster version by Bobby Darrin. Frank belts out band members names by beginning with the name of the driving guitarist George Benson. Every time I hear this song I groove to Frank commanding it as only he can. George Benson driving the orchestra.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

That's one of my favorite versions. Frank really respected all of his musicians and made it a point to do it right on stage. It was Frank, tony Bennett and Dean Martin who threatened to boycott the Sands Hotel if they didn't hire the Basie Band.

[Dr. Nelson Harrison]

I played with Tony several times, the first time for a week when he shared the bill with Lena Horne, the second time for a week with his own show, and the third time with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops under Nelson Riddle. He is a real sweetheart. I never played with Frank or Dean. The Live at the Sands gig was a bit before my time with Basie.

[Moe Seager]

"Deezer" is a Paris generated share-for-free play list site. Under "George Benson" - 172 songs! Tracks of pure jazz, yeah. Tracks with Al Jarreau, with Frank Sinatra and other collaborations featuring George, not to mention other tracks where he's simply an orchestra member and sessions player. I have a - top 10 Benson favorites - list. The more I listen to George the more that list changes - because he's done so many awesome recordings and live performances.

Today I wanna call out Benson's Willow Weep for Me, 7 minute LP version.

George played his way onto the top of the jazz world, achieved global fame for his vocals in ballad album, Gimme the Night, and went on to perform with symphonies, and other music ventures. Quite extrordinary for any musician. Benson joins other polyglots who mastered other musical forms, like Sinatra, Pavarotti and Paul Robeson. And as members recall, George expresses his gratitude and love for family, r&b and soul singers, band mates, fondly adding many of his Pittsburgh experiences.

Willow Weep for Me? When I hear it I'm wearing a smile.

[Anthony (Tony) Janflone]

George Benson is playing jazz HIS WAY. He's so great!! So many kats out there that think they are jazz "pureists" are trying to cop his licks. It seems like anyone who makes money in music (from a jazz standpoint) sells out. Remember Wes Montgomery!! I had to learn some of Wes' tunes when they were popular and always said to those who criticised him; can you play them?? George was the first guitarist I met in Pittsburgh. He played at a club called Masons. It was across the street from the Grill. Down a little way. I was blown away by his playing and singing!! I didn't care what his thing was called. Georgie, you know I love you.
We used to jam at Berinski's house on 5th Ave. Thanks Georgie for all the inspiration.
Tony

[Moe Seager]

Tony,
Your comments on Georgie, on jazz players who sell, who merge styles - I and so many others share these same sentiments. Note: When Dizzie, Trane, Parker , Roach and Pgh.'s Art Blakey came out with BeBop in 1947, the big band leaders called Bop "noise". In the mid-70's when Carlos Santana recorded with Alice Coltrane, with Wayne Shorter, purists dismissed the collaborations as "not jazz". Aren't we and the music world grateful to these innovators for reinventing the music rather than shelving it forever in one "pure" expression!! Reality check: the majority of jazz fans don't involve themselves in this argument. Most jazz musicians don't get caught up in the debate. The same parallel arguments circulate among the Dons of the poetry world. We just simply move ahead. And the band played on.
Keep the Beat on the Pulse of Life!