''Givin' It Up'' is a collaborative album by American musicians

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion 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 ...

and

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and ...

, released on October 24, 2006, by

Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists ha ...

. It contains songs previously recorded by both artists (Benson's "Breezin" and Jarreau's "Mornin" and original music. Other vocalists and musicians featured are Jill Scott,

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fus ...

Abe Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the fathe ...

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album Impressions ...

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sa ...

, and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

. This project also includes standards by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

(" God Bless the Child") and

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

Bring It On Home to Me "Bring It On Home to Me" is a song by the American soul singer Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962, by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B-side to " Having a Party". The song peaked ...

"), pop songs by

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

(" Summer Breeze") and

Daryl Hall Daryl Franklin Hohl (born October 11, 1946), known professionally as Daryl Hall, is an American rock, R&B, and soul singer. He is best known as the co-founder and principal lead vocalist of Hall & Oates, with guitarist and songwriter John Oa ...

Everytime You Go Away "Everytime You Go Away" is a song written by American musician Daryl Hall. It was first recorded in 1980 by his duo Hall & Oates but was not released as a single. A cover version of the song by Paul Young became an international hit in 1985, reac ...

") along with the jazz-swing "Four" by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

, and "

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American Tragedy, tragedy film directed by Robert Redford in his List of directorial debuts, feature directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the Ordinary People (Guest novel), 1976 novel by ...

" by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Benson was awarded his ninth (or tenth) and Jarreau was awarded his sixth

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance on "God Bless the Child" with Scott. Benson also won his tenth (or ninth) Grammy for

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

on "Mornin'", while "Breezin'" received a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Track listing

Personnel

– guitar, lead vocals (1, 3–6, 9–13), arrangements (4), backing vocals (7) *

– lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 8–13), vocal percussion (1, 2, 4, 10), backing vocals (2, 7), arrangements (8) *

Larry Williams Lawrence Eugene Williams (May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist from New Orleans. He is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to ...

– keyboards (1, 5), arrangements (1, 5, 10), acoustic piano (5, 10) * Michael Broening – keyboards (2, 7, 13), programming (2, 7), arrangements (2, 7),

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

(13) *

– acoustic piano (3) *

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist, R&B singer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, her 1982 single, "Forget Me Nots", received a no ...

– keyboards (3, 10, 12),

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

(4, 6, 8, 13), arrangements (4), acoustic piano (11) * Rex Rideout – acoustic piano (6), arrangements (6) * Barry Eastmond – keyboards (8), arrangements (8) *

Freddie Ravel Freddie Ravel is an American keyboardist, keynote speaker, author, composer and recording artist. He served as the musical director of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. Ravel's also worked with the likes of Sergio Mendes, Carlos Santana, Madonna and ...

– Fender Rhodes (9),

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

(9), organ (9), synthesizers (9),

Moog bass The Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music. It was originally conceived as a part of the Constellation series of synthesizers. The initial Taurus I was manufactured from 1975 to 1981; a less pop ...

(9), drums (9), percussion programming (9), arrangements (9), BGV arrangements (9) * Joe Turano –

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

(12),

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

(12), arrangements (12) *

Randy Waldman Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. He has frequently collaborated with Barbra Streisand, serving as her pianist and conductor since 1984. Waldman has ...

– acoustic piano (13), arrangements (13) * Ray Fuller – guitar (1, 5) *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los A ...

– guitar (1, 5, 10, 13), rhythm guitar (8) * Freddie Fox – guitar (2, 7) * Michael O'Neill – rhythm guitar (9) * Michael Thompson – guitar (10) *

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the fathe ...

– electric bass (1, 6, 13) * Mel Brown – bass guitar (2, 7) *

– bass guitar (3, 4, 5, 8, 10), arrangements (3) *

– bass guitar (11, 12) *

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...

– drums (1, 4, 5, 8, 10–13) * Michael White – drums (2, 3, 7) *

Gregg Field Gregg Field (born February 21, 1956) is an American record producer and musician, who has worked with many well-known artists. He is a recipient of multiple Grammy and Emmy awards. Early life Field was born in Castro Valley, California, United ...

– drums (6) *

Ricky Lawson William Riser III (November 8, 1954 – December 23, 2013), better known as Ricky Lawson or Ricky Remo, was an American drummer and composer. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he worked extensively as a session musician, collaborating with Stev ...

– drums (6) *

Paulinho da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

– percussion (1, 5, 8, 10, 13) *

Bashiri Johnson Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is an American percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, video games, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded percussio ...

– percussion (8) *

Marion Meadows Marion Meadows (born July 24, 1962) is an Americans, American soprano saxophonist and composer, mainly in smooth jazz. He was born in Beckley, West Virginia, and grew up mainly in Connecticut. His first album as a leader was ''For Lovers Only'' ...

– saxophone (2, 7) *

– trumpet (8) * John Burk – arrangements (4) * Jill Scott – lead vocals (4) *

– lead and backing vocals (8), BGV arrangements (8) * Maxi Anderson – backing vocals (8) * Valerie Pinkston – backing vocals (8) * Sharon Perry – backing vocals (8) * Darlene Perry – backing vocals (8) * Lorraine Perry – backing vocals (8) * Sandra Simmons Williams – backing vocals (8) * De'Ante Duckett – backing vocals (9, 13) * Alethea Mills – backing vocals (9, 13) * Chavonne Morris – backing vocals (9, 13) * Fred Martin – BGV arrangements (9, 13) *

– lead vocals (13)

Production

* Producers – John Burk (All tracks); Michael Broening (Tracks 2 & 7); Patti Austin (Track 8); Freddie Ravel (Track 9). * Co-Producers – Marcus Miller (Track 3); Larry Williams (Track 10); Chris Dunn (Track 11). * Additional Production on Track 8 – Barry Eastmond and

* Executive Producers – Glen Barros, Kevin Lee and Noel Lee. * Recording Engineers – Michael Broening, Myron Chandler, Jeff Harris, Don Murray, Charlie Paakkari, Seth Presant and Bill Smith. * Additional Engineering – Kevin Becka, Barry Eastmond, Eric Ferguson, Carlos Martinez, Dennis Moody and John Wroble. * Assistant Engineers – Phillip Broussard, Keith Gretlein, Casey Lewis and Paul Smith. * Recorded at

Henson Recording Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served as Ch ...

, NRG Studios and

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios is a recording studio located at the landmark Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, California, United States. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capi ...

(Hollywood, CA); G Studio Digital (Studio City, CA); LAFX Studios, The Pass, Willyworld and Ravelation Studios (Los Angeles, CA); White Lightning Studios (Sylmar, CA); Porcupine Studios (Chandler, AZ); The "B" Hive (Phoenix, AZ); East Bay Studios (Tarrytown, NY). *

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

and Editing – Seth Presant, Bill Smith and German Villacorta. * Additional Pro Tools Engineer – Alex Pavlides * Mixed by

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 (band), Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jone ...

at Capitol Studios, assisted by Steve Genewick. * Mastered by

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

and Sangwook Nam at The Mastering Lab (Ojai, CA). * A&R – Chris Dunn * A&R Administration – Mary Hogan * Production Consultant – Gerald McCauley * Art Direction – Abbey Anna and Andrew Pham * Design – Andrew Pham * Photography – Randee St. Nicholas

Charts

Awards

2006 - 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards

References

{{Authority control 2006 collaborative albums George Benson albums Al Jarreau albums Albums produced by Marcus Miller Concord Records albums