George Benson - Breezin' (SACD)

George Benson's 1976 classic album Breezin' redefined what jazz guitar could sound like. Effortless, melodic, and irresistibly smooth, Breezin' became the soundtrack to an era and the album that launched Benson into crossover superstardom.With timeless hits such as 'This Masquerade' and the sunlit title track, Breezin', Benson's 15th album, bridges the worlds of jazz, pop, and R&B with rare grace. It not only was a Billboard Jazz Albums chart-topper but also went to No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum-selling, making it one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.The record took home Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Record of the Year for 'This Masquerade,' while earning multiple nominations, including for Album and Song of the Year - an unprecedented feat for a jazz guitarist.Now, this classic shines brighter than ever. Mastered at 45 RPM by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and pressed on flat, ultra-quiet vinyl by Quality Record Pressings, this edition reveals new layers of warmth, depth, and presence in Benson's silky tone and fellow rhythm and bass guitarist Phil Upchurch's signature groove.Breezin' isn't just a smooth jazz cornerstone - it's one of the most impeccably crafted and influential albums of it's time. For collectors, audiophiles, and anyone who loves music that feels like pure sunlight, this definitive 45 RPM reissue is essential listening.Part of the Acoustic Sounds 40 SeriesReleasing 40 titles to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Acoustic Sounds!Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original master tape180-gram 45 RPM double LP pressed at Quality Record PressingsHoused in a Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacketTracklist:LP 1 Side A1. Breezin'LP 1 Side B1. This Masquerade2. Six To FourLP 2 Side A1. AffirmationLP 2 Side B1. So This Is Love?2. Lady

Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. Classic Grammy winning album that contains 2 sought after classics: 'This Masquerad'e and 'Breezin'. Classic Grammy winning album that contains 2 sought after classics: This Masquerade and Breezin'. On blue/badge vinyl. George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician, and that frustrates to no end critics who would paint him into a narrow bop box. He can play in just about any style - from swing to bop to R&B to pop - with supreme taste, a beautiful rounded tone, terrific speed, a marvelous sense of logic in building solos, and, always, an unquenchable urge to swing. His inspirations may have been Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery - and he can do dead-on impressions of both - but his style is completely his own. Not only can he play lead brilliantly, he is also one of the best rhythm guitarists around, supportive to soloists and a dangerous swinger, particularly in a soul-jazz format. Yet Benson can also sing in a lush, soulful tenor with mannerisms similar to those of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and it is his voice that has proved to be more marketable to the public than his guitar. Benson is the guitar-playing equivalent of Nat King Cole - a fantastic pianist whose smooth way with a pop vocal eventually eclipsed his instrumental prowess in the marketplace - but unlike Cole, Benson has been granted enough time after his fling with the pop charts to reaffirm his jazz guitar credentials, which he still does at his concerts.