A super huge hit for George Benson – and the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar – opening up sides of his talent that first emerged on his 50s R&B recordings as Little George Benson, but taken here into some very hip 70s territory! The album features George both playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, work that mixes together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce that's perfect for Benson's groove. 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". LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy work from guitarist George Benson – and a set that really helped him make the transition from small group soul jazz to some of his more ambitious work to come! The album's still quite soulful and a bit funky at times – but it also features larger arrangements from the great Tom McIntosh – cast in a blend of modern rhythms, shades, and colors that really help open up Benson's sound. The approach is similar to that McIntosh was using with Bobby Timmons and Jack McDuff at the same time – tight backings, but still with plenty of room for the lead soloist – and Benson's got a great affinity for this sort of album. The tracks are a nice mix of originals and pop items – with cuts like "Sunny", "Thunder Walk", "Walk On By", "Giblet Gravy", and "Sack Of Woe". Plus, the CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Billie's Bounce", and 2 alternate versions of "What's New?". CD

A live recording – tracks include "Blue Bossa", "Masquerade Is Over", "Lil' Darlin", "Love Walked In", and "Oleo". CD

Sweet stepping soul from George Benson – a batch of tracks that wraps up his wonderful vocals and guitar with some great contemporary rhythms! The vibe here is nicely laidback – never too smooth, nor some of the more commercial territory that Benson was trying for a decade before – and in a way, it's almost as if George has been digging some of the less mainstream soul sounds of the time, as he's hitting a sound that would certainly appeal to steppers in Chicago, or the indie soul and smooth jazz scene of the early 90s. Benson's got a great way of scatting lightly with his guitar, and there's a leanness to most of the tracks, despite a relatively full lineup of players. Titles include "I'll Be Good To You", "Got To Be There", "My Heart Is Dancing", "Love Remembers", "Come Into My World", "Somewhere Island", "Calling You", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", and "Love Of My Life". CD

A wonderfully wicked album – one that sold so many copies that it's sometimes hard to remember how great it is! George takes on all of Abbey Road – or just about all of it – as he runs through some of the most beautiful tracks The Beatles ever wrote, like "Golden Slumbers", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "The End", "Because", and "You Never Give Me Your Money". The whole thing's set to some great baroque jazzy arrangements by Don Sebesky, and George digs the whole thing so much that he even sings a bit – vocalizing in a cool chromatic way that really works well with his guitar playing, and which would soon transform into a very popular style on his records of the 70s. Keyboards are by Bob James and Herbie Hancock – and there's plenty of other great jazz players in the mix! LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks include "Myna Bird Blues", "Ode To A Kudu", "Take Five", "I Remember Wes", "Good King Bad", and "Willow Weep For Me" – 12 cuts in all. CD

George Benson is no spring chicken – but damn, he sounds plenty darn youthful here – working at the Ronnie Scotts club in London with some tight jazz funk backing! Benson sings as much as solos on guitar – and the whole thing is a great throwback to the sound of his 70s records – both in terms of the choice of tunes, and the overall spirit – that undeniable charisma that pushed George from the soul jazz underground to superstardom – a quality that's never let up over the years. Titles include "The Ghetto", "Give Me The Night", "Love X Love", "Turn Your Love Around", "In Your Eyes", "Feel Like Makin Love", "Cruise Control", "Affirmation", "Moody's Mood", and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". CD

George Benson on guitar and Al Jarreau on vocals. CD

A double-length package of organ/guitar greatness – and a set that features key 60s work by Hammond hero Jack McDuff and guitarist George Benson! First up is The New Boss Guitar Of George Benson – the first album ever cut by Benson as a leader, a cooker of a soul jazz set, recorded back when George was the guitarist in Jack McDuff's classic 60s quartet! The album's almost a McDuff Quartet one – since Jack's on Hammond and Red Holloway is on tenor – but the group's slightly different too, with the surprising additions of Montego Joe on drums, and Ronnie Boykins on bass! Benson's guitar is amazing throughout – sharp-edged and played with a tightness that's quite different than most of his later work – and titles include "Shadow Dancers", "The Sweet Alice Blues", "Just Another Sunday", "Easy Living", and "Rock A Bye". Next up is Hot Barbeque – one of our all-time favorite albums from Brother Jack McDuff! The combo here is great – with a young George Benson hard-wailing on guitar, cutting lines so fast and furious it's hard to believe – especially if you only know his later work. The legendary Joe Dukes is on drums – dancing all over the place under Brother Jack's great groovy solos – and Red Holloway completes the group on tenor sax! The title track's got a rare vocal refrain – with Jack shouting out "Hot Barbeque" over the organ – and other cuts include "Briar Patch", "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", and "The Three Day Thang". CD

Sweet single, featuring one of the best George Benson tunes since the 70s! The cut's a Latinized version of Donny Hathaway's "The Ghetto", pumped up nicely by Masters At Work, and featuring some strong keyboards from Joe Sample! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A split CTI package – with a record apiece by Hubert Laws and George Benson! Hubert Laws is first with In The Beginning – moody work from one of the most groundbreaking flute players of the 70s – and a real standout in the legendary catalog of CTI Records! Hubert Laws was not only richly talented, but he was also capable of a large number of styles – and this double-length set for CTI has him moving past the electric funky jazz that was the usual manner of the label. The set features backing by a range of different keyboardists – from Bob James, to Clare Fisher, to Richard Tee – plus tenor by Ronnie Laws, percussion by Airto, drums by Steve Gadd, and guitar by Gene Bertonicini. All tracks are long, and the material spans funk, jazz, and even a bit of classically influenced playing. Titles include "Mean Lene", "Restoration", "Moment's Notice", and "Reconciliation", and "In The Beginning". Next up is George Benson In Concert Carnegie Hall – 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". CD

Titles include "Beyond The Sea", "No One Emotion", "Please Don't Walk Away", "New Day", "Hold Me", "Stand Up", and "You Are The Love Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A super huge hit for George Benson – and the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar – opening up sides of his talent that first emerged on his 50s R&B recordings as Little George Benson, but taken here into some very hip 70s territory! The album features George both playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, work that mixes together his trademark pillow of sound with a slightly funky bounce that's perfect for Benson's groove. 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". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little record from the days before George Benson had totally hit his smooth jazz sound of the 70s, and was being pushed by Columbia as a hard wailing soul jazz leader! The record features his classic quartet with Lonnie Smith on organ – grooving away hard hard hard, sometimes even harder than George! Benson's fresh off his work with the Jack McDuff quartet, and his style's nice and lean, with some good riffs, and a very tight approach to the strings. Titles include "The Cooker", "Benny's Back", "Bossa Rocka", and "Benson's Rider". The CD adds four tracks, including "Slow Scene", "The Man From Toledo". and the previously unreleased "Let Them Talk"! CD

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! LP, Vinyl record album

George Benson on guitar with Ben Williams on bass, Harvey Mason on drums, David Garfield on keyboards and David Garfield and Joe Sample on piano. CD

Benson plays his guitar and also sings on some of these tracks, 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 on percussion. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted the orchestra. Titles 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". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweetly jazzy soul from George Benson – a key classic from his great run at Warner Brothers Records, and the kind of record that George did better than anyone else at the time! Back in the 60s, we'd never have guessed that Benson's sweetly crackling vocals would dominate popular jazz more than his great guitar work – but hearing George here, it's clear that his soul work could easily outshine his guitar, especially when set up in a package like this! Atlantic soul maestro Arif Mardin produced, and as with his Chaka Khan productions for Warner at the time, he gives Benson a clean, clear modern style that's certainly pop, but also a lot less cluttered and clunky than modes used with other artists at the time. George is mostly on the vocal tip for the set, and Kashif helps out on one track – no surprise, given that Kashif was soon to walk down the path that Benson had started with his first few vocal albums in the 70s. Titles include "Love Will Come Again", "Use Me", "Late At Night", "In Search Of A Dream", "Lady Love Me", "In Your Eyes", and "Never Too Far To Fall". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Hey Girl", "Nassau Day", "Livin Inside Your Love", "Welcome Into My World", "Before You Go", "Unchained Melody", "Love Ballad", "Prelude To Fall", and "Soulful Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Sunny", "Song For My Father", "That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)", "Some Of My Best Friends Are Blues", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Thunder Walk", "People Get Ready", "Low Down And Dirty Blues", "Groovin'", "Doobie, Doobie Blues", "The Windmills Of Your Mind", and "Giblet Gravy". CD

We've only ever seen this one record by singer Mel Dancy, and it's a groovy little set that makes us wonder why he never moved on to greater fame! The record's got this mix of soul and jazz at the core – with occasional hints at the territory that would be opened up later in the 70s by singers like George Benson or Al Jarreau – that more expressive, yet always swinging style that vocalists of their generation worked in a space past older jazz modes. Wade Marcus handles the arrangements here – working in warm jazz instrumentation with some larger orchestrations – in a lineup that includes Cornell Dupree on guitar and the great Paul Griffin on piano and keyboards. Titles include "Day Star", "This Time We'll Know Him", "Beginning To Feel The Pain", "Wasn't It You", "See Saw", "Just A Little Lovin", and "Let Me Do What I Want To Do". CD

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. LP, Vinyl record album

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. CD

A lovely little tune from Sharon Jones – one that begins with a mellow guitar line at the start – almost a slinky 70s George Benson riff – which Jones expands nicely with her vocals in this really laidback flow! The guitar comes back strongly on the instrumental side – which is peppered with gentle horns that really fit the groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A trio of Earl Klugh albums from the mid-to-late 70s – Earl Klugh, Living Inside Your Love and Magic In Your Eyes – in a 2CD set! Earl Klugh is the guitarists debut – a player whose sound went onto dominate late 70s fusion in a big big way! Klugh's clearly stepping here into a space allowed by George Benson at the time – a blend of jazz and R&B that's warmer and mellower than work previously done on Blue Note in the decade (or on CTI and Kudu for that matter) – one that's less focused on rhythm than it is on tone, and the kind of setting that allows Earl to shine wonderfully. There's a lot less of the cheesiness here that would hurt Klugh's later albums, and the overall presentation is nicely retrained – arranged by Dave Grusin at a time when he still knew how to bring a good deal of soul into a session, avoiding cliche and letting the soloist step forth unmarred. Other players include Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, and Grusin himself – and Klugh plays both electric and acoustic guitar, on tunes that include "Angelina", "Slippin In The Back Door", "Vonetta", "Waltz For Debby", and "Wind & The Sea". Living Inside Your Love is his second album for Blue Note – and like the first, a nicely stripped-down album that we like a lot better than his later work! Klugh's sound and tone are still very pure here – set up in some nice small group arrangements by Dave Grusin, and recorded in a way that brings out all the sweetness in Earl's approach, without falling into the cheesy qualities that it inspired in so many other, weaker players. If anything, Klugh's style is stronger and more confident than on his first outing – on titles that include "Kiko", "The April Fools", "Captain Caribe", "Felicia", and "Living Inside Your Love". Magic In Your Eyes is another sweet early effort from Klugh, with the title track plus "Alicia", "Julie", "Rose Hips", "Cry A Little While", "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" and more. CD

Features work from old music partners George Benson on guitar and Red Holloway on tenor! CD

Slammin live work from the legendary Brother Jack McDuff – a player who was almost better on the bandstand than he was in the studio! First up is the album Live – a killer, and one of three live sides McDuff cut for Prestige during the 60s – a monster session of stretched-out jazzy grooves, with many fine little dancers, and a raw soulful feel throughout! The group's one of Jack's best – as Red Holloway's tenor blows and hollers over the fingerpoppin' grooves delivered by a young George Benson on his first major guitar gig – and the soulful drums of Joe Dukes scatter across the place, taking the whole band into some incredible rhythms! Titles include cookin' live versions of "Rock Candy", "Sanctified Samba", "Undecided", and "A Real Goodun'". Live At The Jazz Workshop features a group that's 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! CD

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! CD

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! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet soulful lines from guitarist Jimmy Ponder – working here in a warm set of bigger backings that almost give the record the same feel as classic late 60s outings from Wes Montgomery, or some of the CTI work by George Benson! Backings are put together by Brad Baker – in that same great mix of jazz and soul he used with his B Baker Chocolate Company material – and although there's a bit of chorus vocals on the album (sung by a group that includes Gwen Guthrie and Jocelyn Brown), the main focus is on the soulful, chromatic lines of Ponder's guitar – which have a poise and focus here that really tops some of his earlier work. The groove is pretty super-dope throughout – that great late Groove Merchant approach to funky jazz – and titles include "Love Me Right", "Chasing That Face", "A Trip To The Stars", "A Clue", and "Turn". CD

Featuring George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, and Oliver Nelson. CD

Guitarist Dave Stryker really steps out here – getting these full, fluid backings from the WDR Big Band, conducted by reedman Bob Mintzer – who also takes a few tenor solos on the record too! It's not always easy to have a guitar shine out in front of a large group – but Dave does a great job here, almost recalling 60s sessions of this nature from Wes Montgomery and George Benson, and doing a similar style of mixing the colors of his strings with the larger flourishes of the jazz ensemble! The group also features some nice solo moments – Hammond from Billy Test, tenor from Paul Heller, alto from Johan Horlen, and trombone from Andy Hunter. Titles include a nice version of the Marvin Gaye tune "Trouble Man" – plus "Stan's Shuffle", "Shadowboxing", "Blues Strut", "When Doves Cry", and "Aha". CD

One of Bobby Womack's biggest albums of the 80s – part of a set that helped reintroduce him to the soul music mainstream – and which has him standing tall as the superstar he is – with guest help from George Benson, Patti Labelle, and Wilton Felder! There's a new sort of sophistication to Bobby's music – never too smooth, especially on his vocals, which retain their original raspy charm – but a different vibe than the 70s, but one that's still very different than most mainstream soul of the time! Titles include "Tryin To Get Over You", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Love Has Finally Come At Last", "Who's Foolin Who", and "I Wish I Had Someone To Go Home To". CD

One of Bobby Womack's biggest albums of the 80s – part of a set that helped reintroduce him to the soul music mainstream – and which has him standing tall as the superstar he is – with guest help from George Benson, Patti Labelle, and Wilton Felder! There's a new sort of sophistication to Bobby's music – never too smooth, especially on his vocals, which retain their original raspy charm – but a different vibe than the 70s, but one that's still very different than most mainstream soul of the time! Titles include "Tryin To Get Over You", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Love Has Finally Come At Last", "Who's Foolin Who", and "I Wish I Had Someone To Go Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

A dozen tracks on this 12th volume of one of the longer running sample track type compilations. Like the others in this series, this one tips you off to who used, in case you couldn't figure it out for yourself. . . Latimore "Let Me Go", Main Ingredient "A Car of Love", Ray Bryant "Up Above The Rock", The Outlaw Blues Band "Deep Gully", Melba Moore "Standing right Here", Norman Connors "The Creator Has A Master Plan", George Benson "The World Is A Ghetto", Main Ingredient "Instant Love", Herb Alpert "Treasure Of San Miguel", Cymande "Dove", the Dramatics "In The Rain" and Monk Higgins "Little Green Apples". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Saturday Night Live Band, Manhattan Jazz Quintet, Ronnie Cuber & David Sanborn, Wolverines Big Band, Rio Nido, John Basile, Ronnie Cuber & George Benson and Steve Gadd. CD

Leon Russell's a shaggy-haired legend, with one of the most distinct styles in 70s rock – but the singer was also a songwriter and key studio talent in the 60s – already a very big influence in American music, long before he got his time in the spotlight! Russell's always known for having a deeply soulful approach to his music – and that quality definitely shows through here – in material that's all penned by Leon, and taken on by a host of talents in a nicely wide range of styles – soul, rock, country, and even a bit of jazz – all showing the depth of a Leon Russell tune, and how much it can open up in different sorts of interpretations! The set follows in the best tradition of the songwriter series on Ace Records – opening up our understanding of a figure in the backstage, but who lurks behind such key cuts as "Make Love To The Music" by Maria Muldaur, "Alcatraz" by Nazareth, "This Masquerade" by George Benson, "Love's Supposed To Be That Way" by California, "The Loser" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys, "Lonesome & A Long Way From Home" by Earl Scruggs, "Rainbow In Your Eyes" by Al Jarreau, "Land Of Oz" by Le Cirque, "Me & Baby Jane" by Jose Feliciano, "Delta Lady" by Joe Cocker, "Groupie" by Delaney & Bonnie, "Time For Love" by Randy Crawford, "Raspberry Rug" by Bobby Whitlock, "You Look Like The Devil" by Willie Nelson, and the duet on "If It Wasn't For Bad" between Elton John and Leon Russell. 21 tracks in all – and detailed notes on each track! CD

Two early gems from guitarist Larry Carlton – back to back on a single CD! First up is the Uni album With A Little Help From My Friends – pre-fusion, and done at a time when a whole generation of guitarists were trying to find a way forward – and experimenting in a number of different formats! The vibe here is maybe like some of the Wes Montgomery or George Benson Verve or CTI records of the late 60s – really chromatic guitar lines that carve out a beautiful lead over some arrangements that are fuller than a combo, but never overdone – arranged by Foster Wakefield, who we don't know at all – but with the tasteful spaciousness of a Claus Ogerman or a Don Sebesky! Larry sounds great on the record – really working out some lines that are quite different than a jazz guitarist might have sounded a few years before – and strongly pointing the way to his future. Titles include "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Don't You Care", "Mac Arthur Park", "Odd Couple", "Eleanor Rigby", and "Monday Monday". Next is Singing/Playing, and the title's no lie – as Larry Carlton steps out in a warmly-produced session that's got a really sweet LA studio vibe – one that mixes together early fusion backings and compressed vocalizations – in a way that maybe makes the whole thing feel like an overlooked A&M Records gem from the Nick DeCaro years! Larry's got this easygoing vocal style that's very down to earth, and set up in these sweet arrangements directed by Stewart Levine – soulful, jazzy, and with occasional currents of funk – and with some great keyboard touches from MIchael Omartin next to Larry's guitar and vocals. Titles include the great "American Family", plus "Wavin & Smilin", "Easy Evil", "Free Way", "Captain Captain", and "With Respect To Coltrane". CD

Man, it's like a talent bomb exploded! This set's stuffed with work by some of the greatest jazz funk players of the early 70s – Johnny Hammond, Bob James, Deodato, George Benson, Joe Farrell, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr, Hubert Laws, and others – all playing together at a massive live concert recorded in Hollywood in 1972! And although you might worry that the collection of so many great talents on one stage might just create confusion – don't! The quality of the work is excellent – almost better than the best of the CTI studio sides, with a lean, clean sound that's really really tight – never overblown, just sweet electric funk with loads of great space for solo work. This first volume of the 3 LP set includes takes of "First Light", "California Dreaming" and a medley of "Inner City Blues" and "What's Going On". LP, Vinyl record album

Man, it's like a talent bomb exploded! This set's stuffed with work by some of the greatest jazz funk players of the early 70s – Johnny Hammond, Bob James, Deodato, George Benson, Joe Farrell, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr, Hubert Laws, and others – all playing together at a massive live concert recorded in Hollywood in 1972! And although you might worry that the collection of so many great talents on one stage might just create confusion – don't! The quality of the work is excellent – almost better than the best of the CTI studio sides, with a lean, clean sound that's really really tight – never overblown, just sweet electric funk with loads of great space for solo work. This 2CD set brings together all 3 volumes of the original album – for a total of 13 long long tracks that include "Blues Force", "Rock Steady", "Grits Bowl", "California Dreaming", "Inner City Blues/What's Going On", "People Make The World Go Round", "Cherry Red", and "Funkfathers". CD