'' Absolute Benson '' is an enhanced studio album by American jazz musician

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

. It was released by GRP and

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

on May 23, 2000 in the United States. Taking a tip from 1999's pop-man-of-the-year Carlos Santana, Benson goes Latin on this release.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

editor William Ruhlmann that ''Absolute Benson'' "is another in a series of consistently excellent CDs that characterize it ..If it is difficult to crossover from jazz to pop, crossing back can be just as treacherous. Benson's oldest fans, who later became his detractors, still may not be satisfied with his current approach, but it has deservedly won him a secure place in contemporary jazz."

Track listing

Personnel and credits

Musicians *

– guitar (1-9), vocals (1, 2, 8) *

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, the band which shortened its name to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained ...

– Hammond B3 organ (1, 2),

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is concept ...

(1, 2), synthesizers (1, 2), acoustic piano (3-9), synthesizer arrangements * Ricky Peterson – Hammond B3 organ (8), synthesizers (8), synthesizer arrangements * Carlos Henríquez – bass (1, 2) *

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

– bass (3-9) * Vidal Davis – drums (1, 2) *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the '' Modern ...

– drums (3, 4, 5, 7, 8) * Cindy Blackman – drums (6, 9) * Luisito Quintero – percussion (1, 2) *

Luis Conte Luis Conte (born 16 November 1954) is a Cuban percussionist best-known for his performances in the bands of artists including James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart and Shakira. He began ...

– congas, percussion and

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

– string arrangements (7) * Claudia Acuña – backing vocals (1, 2) *

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Po ...

– backing vocals (1) * Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (1, 2) *

La India Linda Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), better known as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy ...

– backing vocals (1, 2) * Richard Shade – backing vocals (1) Production * Producers – Tommy LiPuma (Tracks 1, 3-9); "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (Track 2). * Recording Engineers – Steven Barkan and

Jon Fausty Jon Fausty (born February 20, 1949 ) is a multiple Grammy Award-winning sound and recording engineer best known for his work on some of the most successful Latin albums ever recorded. Fausty's career has spanned over six decades. He has desig ...

(Tracks 1 & 2);

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

(Tracks 3-9). * Assistant Engineers – Koji Egawa; Kayo Teramoto (Tracks 1 & 2); Mark Fraunfelder, Alan Moon and Aya Takemura (Tracks 3-9). * Overdubs on Tracks 3-9 recorded by

Bill Schnee William S. Schnee (born July 4, 1947) is an American musician, music producer, and audio engineer. Schnee has been nominated 11 times for the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Grammy Award and worked on a multitude of other Grammy nominated an ...

and Tommy Tucker, assisted by

Elliot Scheiner Elliot Ray Scheiner (born 18 March 1947) is a music producer, mixer and engineer. Scheiner has received 27 Grammy Award nominations, eight of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, two Emmy Awards for his work with the Eagl ...

and Al Schmitt. * Strings on Track 7 recorded by James Farber * Mixing – Steven Barkan (Tracks 1 & 2); Bill Schnee (Tracks 3-9). * Mastered by

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charl ...

at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA). * Art Direction – Hollis King * Photography – Jeffrey Scales and Kwaku Alston * Graphic Design – Isabelle Wong

Charts

References

{{Authority control George Benson albums 2000 albums Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma GRP Records albums Verve Records albums