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A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation".

Yipes! This one made everyone a bucket of money – especially Quincy Jones, whose new Qwest imprint the record was one of the first to grace. George has come a long way from his roots with Jack McDuff here – but in a way that kind of has us impressed, as he's grooving away slickly on guitar, laying down some smooth vocals that we never would have imagined from his mid 60s recordings. Includes the massive hit "Give Me The Night", a cover of "Moody's Mood", and the tracks "Star Of A Story (X)", "Midnight Love Affair", "What's On Your Mind", and "Dinorah, Dinorah". The sound of a million supermarkets and elevators during the 80s!

A 2LP set that features some great early groovers from George Benson – cut for Columbia back in the late 60s, when George was fresh out of Jack McDuff's classic combo, and grooving on his own with the help of organist Lonnie Smith. These tracks have gotten pretty hard to find on vinyl over the years, which makes the set even more essential than it was a decade ago, when you could still find it easily in the cutout bins. Most numbers have a great raw organ/guitar groove – much different and a lot more soulful than most of the other jazz on Columbia at the time. Tracks include "Benson's Rider", "Clabber Biscuits", "Chicken Giblets", "Mama Wailer", "Hammond's Bossa Nova", "Peg Leg Jack", "Jaguar", "Keep Talkin", and "Slow Scene".

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce. The result is incredible – and the album is filled with loads of great songs – including George's excellent version of Bobby Womack's "Breezin", the hit version of "This Masquerade", and the cuts "So This Is Love", "Six To Four", and "Affirmation".

Sweet CTI grooving from George Benson – one of his hardest-hitting albums of the time! In a way, the record returns George to his early years at CTI – particularly the album Beyond The Blue Horizon – as the set's got a stripped down smaller group, working in a tight blend of electric jazzy bits that's very nice! Ronnie Foster lays down some great keyboards on the set, Hubert Laws is on flute, and George himself plays a hollow body with a nice soulful tone – stretching out on some straight jazz on most cuts, but also hitting a few of his smoother notes from the mid 70s. Titles include "Sky Dive", "Take Five", "Octane", "Summertime", and "Gone".

Sweet 70s funk from George Benson – an album that's a bit smoother than some of his earlier work, but still free from the commercial polish of his later hits! Maestro David Matthews is at the helm for this session – and most numbers have a full backing from players who include some of the best of the CTI/Kudu generation – including Ronnie Foster and Bobby Lyle on keyboards, Joe Farrell on flute, Fred Wesley on trombone, Eric Gale on rhythm guitar, Dave Friedman on vibes, and Steve Gadd on drums – who manages to kick in a nicely funky undercurrent, even on some of the mellower numbers. George's guitar is filled with warmly chromatic hues – gliding away nicely on titles that include the slow funky "Em", plus "Siberian Workout", "Shell Of A Man", "Hold On I'm Coming", "One Rock Don't Make No Boulder", and "Theme From Good King Bad".

Titles include "Ode To A Kudu", "We As Love", "Lady Blue", "Windsong", "Weekend In LA", "It's All In The Game", and his classic take on "On Broadway".

Benson's going for a smoother approach than on earlier CTI albums, but the sound here is still pretty darn nice! Joe Farrell's playing mostly flute and soprano sax – a lot sweeter sounding than on some of his angular funk classics from a few years back, but in a way that flows nicely with Benson's guitar – tied together here by the arrangements of David Matthews, who's at the prime of his smooth funk jazz scoring. Titles include "Old Devil Moon", "Camel Hump", "Flute Song", and "Beyond The Ozone".

Ali at his best – starring in this excellent film from the mid 70s, with a screenplay written by longtime boxing expert Muhammad Ali! The soundtrack's pretty nice and funky at times – and features the extended clubby groover "Ali Bombaye" – an almost Afro Funk-ish tune, performed by Mandrill, and written by Michael Masser, who did some of the other music for the film. Other cuts include the mellower "I Always Knew I Had It In Me" and "The Greatest Love Of All", both sung by George Benson, plus "Ali's Theme", which is pretty nice.

Benson plays his guitar and also sings on some of these tracks. He is joined by Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar, Ronnie Foster on electric piano & mini-moog, Jorge Dalto on clavinet & acoustic piano, Stanley Banks on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Ralph MacDonald. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the orchestra. Tracks include "Nature Boy", Foster's "The Wind & I", "The World Is A Ghetto", "Gonna Love You More", Donny Hathaway's "Valdez In The Country", and "Everything Must Happen".

Excellent funky work from Lou – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder".

Excellent funky work from Lou – and a groundbreaking record that was the first to feature him playing on Blue Note with drummer Idris Muhammad – who is listed on the session under his birth name, Leo Morris! Muhammad gives the album that crackling funky bottom sound that instantly defined Lou's later years at Blue Note – a hard and heavy approach to soul jazz that's had incredible repercussions in the world of hip hop, as well as soul and funk. The rest of the group features soul jazz burners Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lastie on trumpet, and George Benson on guitar – and the album includes the highly successful "Alligator Boogaloo", plus hard groovers "The Thang", "Aw Shucks!", and "One Cylinder".

A legendary album – and for good reason too – a set that's as mysterious as it is funky, and a record that's stayed at the top of our crates for years! The album features a really unusual collective of musicians, pulled together under the guidance of producer Paul Winley – a group that features George Benson on guitar, Dave Baby Cortez on organ, Willis Jackson on tenor sax, and Earl Williams on some massively funky drums! The music's a mix of funky jazz and gritty soul – put together with some really weird studio touches – including an uncredited male voice that comes in and out of the tracks, bad-rapping along with some very hip commentary. Ann Winley sings the female vocals on the set – often egged on by the dude – but the real charm of the record lies at the bottom – the wicked drums, funky basslines, and choppy instrumental bits that have gotten the set sampled plenty over the years. Titles include the classic "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" alone, the groovy "Finger In It", a great breakbeat version of "Ain't No Sunshine" with a tenor solo by Willis Jackson, and the slow bluesy talking cut "Fed Up", a baaaad rap about a couple splitting up – done here in both vocal and instrumental versions.

An amazing second CTI set from Freddie Hubbard – one that takes off nicely from Red Clay territory, and starts to hit an even funkier mode! The tracks here are all relatively long, with a huge amount of solo space for Freddie on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor, George Benson on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano. The title track "Straight Life" has a style that's quite searing and righteous at points – almost some of Freddie's boldest playing on record from the time. It's followed by an excellent take on Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" – one that's rompingly funky while still as righteous as the work on side long title track – played with some great electric piano from Herbie and sweet guitar lines from Benson. The set closes with a mellow take on "Here's That Rainy Day", played in a way that reminds us of Hubbard's more lyrical style – but still with plenty of CTI 70s overtones.

Smooth soulful jazz from Harvey Mason – one of his strong 70s winners for the Arista album, and a record that really brings a new level of class to his sound! There's less of the grit in the grooves than you might expect from the down-home reference of the title – and in a way, the record's a similar shift to well-produced R&B as Michael Henderson or Norman Connor's work from the same time – a soaring, fluid groove that's still supported by solid jazz instrumentation, but which also has a nice dose of soul in the mix! Players here are a real all-star lineup – with talents that include Dorothy Ashby, George Benson, Ronnie Foster, Bob James, and Phil Upchurch – and most cuts have vocals, by The Waters and others. But possibly best of all is the production – which is by Harvey, and really wonderful – sophisticated and smooth, but never slick – a really careful balance that really puts him right up there with Norman Connors or Roy Ayers! Titles include "Pack Up Your Bags", "Till You Take My Love", "Funk In A Mason Jar", "What's Going On", "Set It Free", "Space Cadets" and "Freedom Either Way".

A killer diller of a live set from Brother Jack McDuff – a cut that burns with energy that almost beats his studio 60s classics for Prestige! The group is one of Jack's best ever – a lineup that includes the twin tenors of Red Holloway and Harold Vick, plus incredibly sharp guitar from a young George Benson, and some of the most unique soul jazz drum work you'll ever hear – courtesy of the amazing Joe Dukes. Despite their individual strengths, which might make this whole thing an ego-fest – all players fit perfectly into place on the album's hard wailing batch of groovers, and groove together with a sympathetic energy that's simply amazing! Titles include a great remake of "Jive Samba", plus "Dink's Blues", "Grease Monkey", "Passing Through", and "Vas Dis". This is the kind of thing live recording equipment was made for!

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! As usual for Kudu, the players are an all-star lineup – one that includes Richard Tee on keyboards, George Benson on guitar, Maceo Parker on tenor, and Bernard Purdie and Billy Cobham on drums – and Don Sebesky's also on deck a bit, to sweeten a few tracks up with light strings. The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together".

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! As usual for Kudu, the players are an all-star lineup – one that includes Richard Tee on keyboards, George Benson on guitar, Maceo Parker on tenor, and Bernard Purdie and Billy Cobham on drums – and Don Sebesky's also on deck a bit, to sweeten a few tracks up with light strings. The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together".

Smooth mellow jazz funk from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – a player who hit harder notes in earlier days, but who's playing here in a sweet slick style that's a bit Wes Montgomery, and a bit George Benson. Most of the tracks have large arrangements with backing vocals – but Jimmy's guitar is still out front, and we have to say that we actually really dig the super-dope style of production laid down by Sonny Lester. Titles include "Chasing That Face", "A Trip To The Stars", "A Clue", and "Turn".

The last album ever from the amazing Minnie Riperton – and one of her greatest records as well! The album was sadly issued after Minnie's untimely early passing from this planet – but it's a heavenly batch of tunes that definitely shows that her love of music lives forever – thanks not only to a strong talent for songwriting and sublime production from husband Richard Rudolph – but also some important help from a variety of all-star guests who are all brought together out of deep affection for Minnie. George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Patrice Rushen, Peabo Bryson and others all make key appearances here – working with arrangements from Johnny Pate, and vocals the Minnie recorded for the record before its completion. Titles include the perennial favorite "Here We Go" – easily one of Minnie's greatest tunes ever – plus "I'm In Love Again", "You Take My Breath Away", "Strange Affair", "Island In The Sun", and " The Song Of Life (La-La-La)".

Sweet early CTI work from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard – the kind of groundbreaking electric jazz that really helped him find a new space in the 70s! The album follows strongly from Freddie's classic Red Clay set for CTI – and like that one, it features extended tracks that build beautifully as they roll on – taking Freddie's airy trumpet as the base, and layering in electric piano, flute, guitar, and percussion – plus some wonderfully subtle strings – used sparely, but in just the right way to underscore the wider vision of the record. Arrangements are by the mighty Don Sebesky – and other players include George Benson on guitar, Hubert Laws on flute, Phil Kraus on vibes, and Airto on percussion – plus Richard Wyands on the keys, making a rare CTI appearance here. Titles include a surprisingly great version of "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" which has some great breaks in the middle – plus "First Light", "Moment To Moment", and "Yesterday's Dreams".

Freddie Hubbard at the peak of his 70s powers – and one of his finest albums of the decade! The record follows strongly in the tone that Freddie set at CTI on his mighty Red Clay set – long, drawn out tracks – done with lots of electricity in the rhythms, and a very cosmic approach to the solos! The groove is funky, yet easy – featuring playing that's very open and very soulful, by a group that includes Freddie, Ron Carter, George Benson, and Hubert Laws. Titles include "Keep Your Soul Together", "Spirits Of Trane", "Destiny's Children", and "Brigitte".

Warm and wonderful work from Freddie Hubbard – a killer of a record recorded for CTI, and one of his most soulful efforts for the label! The album's got a bit more of a human heart than some of the more cosmic sessions Freddie cut at the time – a bit more contemplative and introspective, but no less open-minded and electrically charged. The assortment of players is all top-shelf – with Billy Cobham, Airto, Lennie White, George Cables, Hubert Laws, and George Benson all backing Freddie up on the set – and titles include a great take on "People Make the World Go Round", plus "Naturally", and "Son of Sky Dive", which grooves just like its papa!

A sweet late 70s set from Freddie Hubbard – a slight move away from some of his highly-electric sides of the CTI years, yet one that still has some of the most soulful qualities of that work! Freddie's trumpet has a nicely spacious quality throughout – one that's flowing, and almost glowing at time – cascading along with qualities you might be more likely to hear from Art Farmer on some of the gentler numbers, yet really bursting out with that old Hubbard dynamism on the rest. Other players include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hubert Laws on flute, Kenny Barron on piano and keyboards, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – and George Benson also guests on guitar on one number too. A good number of the titles are originals, and tracks include "Super Blue", "To Her Ladyship", "Take It To The Ozone", "The Gospel Truth", and "Theme For Kareem".

Although the genius of the CTI label might be often thought of in a studio format – especially since the Creed Taylor Influence on the label is what really turned the sound into something wonderful – this live set from 1971 shows that the label's players, with the right frame of mind, can easily get into the CTI groove in any setting – soaring out in a magical blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation, really stretching out on some killer long tracks! The group's a great all-star one – with organ and electric piano by Johnny Hammond, guitar by George Benson, flute by Hubert Laws, trumpet by Freddie Hubbard, tenor by Stanley Turrentine, and percussion by Airto – and all tracks are long, and very free-flowing. Titles include "Red Clay", "Sugar", "Blues West", "Leaving West", and "Fire & Rain".

One of Hubert Laws' funkiest records for CTI – recorded with a full group funky style that's plenty darn great, and a lot harder-hitting than some of Hubert's more laidback sessions for the label! Arrangements are by Bob James and Laws – working here with a large batch of players who come together beautifully, almost in the style of a funky 70s cop show soundtrack! James plays keyboards, and other players include George Benson, Phil Upchurch, Stanley Clarke, Randy Brecker, Don Grolnick, and Ron Carter – on titles that include James' own "Chicago Theme", a great cover of "Midnight At The Oasis" with wonderful drums from Steve Gadd, who also kicks it nice and large on Laws' own "I Had A Dream". Other tracks include "Going Home", "I Had A Dream", and "Inflation Chaser".

Don't be put off by the staid sound of "concert" in the title – because the album's a great set of swingin' live McDuff, recorded at his prime, with the classic quartet of George Benson, Red Holloway, and Joe Dukes. The album's filled with screamin' groovers throughout, including a great version of "Girl From Ipanema", plus originals like "Another Goodun" and "S'Okay". McDuff was always best in a live setting – and this rare gem is a great testament to that fact!

An excellent Hank Mobley session – with an unusual twist that takes it past his earlier work! The lineup's great all the way through – with Woody Shaw on trumpet, George Benson on guitar, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the addition of Benson's guitar gives the tracks a groovily swinging edge that really makes them dance nicely! The set's got 4 originals – "Good Pickins", "Up Over & Out", "Beverly", and "Lookin East" – and 2 soul covers – "Reach Out" and "Goin' Out Of My Head" – and Mobley never misses a beat. Mobley was so great during this period, and we always mourn the fact that he hardly recorded much afterward!

A great little small combo record that proves that Jimmy was still hitting strong in the late 60s! Although the bulk of the more famous Verve material featured Jimmy in larger settings or singing or playing pop material, there were also some nice stripped-down sides hidden in the catalog, which featured Jimmy back in his Blue Note groove from earlier days. This set's one of them – and it was recorded live at La Carousel in Atlanta, with a trio that included George Benson on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums. The recording quality's not totally great, and we wonder if the set wasn't issued just to cash in on Benson's increasing fame in the late 60s – but the overall feel is very nice, and it's good to hear Jimmy still grooving in a club. Tracks are all long, and titles include "Fingers", "This Guy's In Love With You", and "The Boss".