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It's out:
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03-15-2024 12:09 PM
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Despite the humility, in many respects, he really is the GOAT.
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What can I say? Loved every minute of the interview. Thank you again, Rick Beato
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Was really looking forward to this one and it was worth the wait. Couldn’t help noticing that whenever Rick specifically asked about how George acquired this or that skill, he got a non-specific (but highly entertaining) answer.
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Yes, he is a bit cagey about his conscious process. I remember watching an instruction video by George Benson many years ago, even there he gave away nothing specific, lol. It was very entertaining however. I'd happily watch it again.
Originally Posted by Oscar67
No doubt part of the reason is that George Benson is an extremely natural musician who reached a high level from a very early age. But it's clear even in this interview that jazz wasn't all a visceral process for him. He wasn't just going around imitating the sounds he heard. He said he struggled with the more advanced harmony during his transition to jazz standards. He asked Wes Montgomery to teach him what he was doing etc. Also the whole concept of Peter Ferrell's books are apparently George Benson's organization of jazz guitar that he learned from his private lessons with George Benson.
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He’s a very natural player for sure. Like Tommy Emmanuel, he was shoved on stage at a tender age and never left. He must have really good ears, picking things up fast.
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That was time well spent!
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strange times we live in… Originally Posted by raymoan
the guy just does a story telling in all its integrity and any kid just immediately makes a video ( of course with himself on the full screen opposite to the great) making an ‘analysis’
Benson did not try to convey, he has conveyed what he wanted to.
he is old but quite sane and capable to speak clearly his mind.
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Click bait everywhere. At some point funny faces became mandatory: I’m soooo surprised, this blew my mind, look at how much this affects me, you don’t want to miss out on this. Oh, really?
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Terrific interview - thanks for the heads up!
I must admit I don't like the idea of these lesser known YouTubers handing off the coat-tails of the more successful ones, but I'm prepared to cut Chase Maddox some slack, since his stuff is usually good and he's a huge Benson fan.
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Benson is just such an entertaining and appealing person that his interviews are always worthwhile.
I think his "caginess" about method isn’t really that. He has an innate ability to process and organize musical information (and likely other info as well because he’s a very smart man) at an extremely high level, but it’s very immediate and he doesn’t have the formal background to break it down into little chunks using common music jargon.
So he explains by demonstrating and by talking about the personal/biographical aspects of his learning. If you ask him how he learned something, the story telling and scatting is a true representation of that.
Anyway, cool interview. Nothing really new, but Beato does a good job of bringing out Benson’s take on the jazz vs pop dichotomy in his oeuvre, and the overall tone just makes me like both of them even more. I think the best stuff online, though is the oral history interviews Benson did, which go into great depth about his early life.
https://amhistory.si.edu/jazz/Benson...Transcript.pdf
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Yeah, if you got fast fingers and a fast ear, with a prodigious memory, you could spend a solid 10 years trying to be the next Peter Farrell. But why? If it was worth it, Peter Farrell would be a respected gigging musician (no prize for being "son of George"...).
So who cares if GB doesn't divulge any of his secrets (even if he IS withholding). Wes wouldn't divulge anything to GB either, it's the way it should be. They'd rather you find your own path. And when the greats did appear to impart some of their secrets (Martino, Pass, Howard Roberts, etc), very few people would have bothered to totally adopt them, and if they did, you'd think they sold themselves short. There's no satisfaction there. I hope most of us agree that there is a reward for decades of Jazz study if we come out of it sounding like our own unique selves.
Even if everyone is indifferent to your playing!
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George is carefully about what he says and at times I find him a bit hard to listen to at least talking. He sort of talks in circles and as a trained teacher myself, he lacks some teaching skills. The biggest bunch of garbage I have ever really found was the "Benson Picking" technique. All sorts of players trying to figure it all and dissect his picking techniques. George is a gift musician with a phenomenal ear, and he has worked hard. What works for him may or may not work for others. Get over it and simply play the guitar the you play it. You and I are never going to be a George Benson or have his talent so be yourself. I love to listen to George but after some long burning, I am ready to listen to other things it gets a bit much. He plays Take Five like no guitarist ever has.
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I imagine that if I'd been playing a stringed instrument since I was 7 years old (the ukulele in George's case), I'd find it rather hard to explain my musical development - even to myself.
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been playing Basies Bag every day since i got the file...minus the chord stuff..... great song..
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Jeopardy answer: Who are two people you don't give a crap about?
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If it's more exact teaching you want, Beato is an excellent teacher of jazz guitar; although it seems to not be his main focus. He has a few videos where he breaks down Wes's chord system and some Joe pass stuff. It's really well done. I found his video on Wes's chords very helpful and simple enough for my level.
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What was the question?? Originally Posted by sgcim
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The Smithsonian interview conducted in 2011 (see John A's post #11) is the definitive interview when it comes to GB's jazz roots. It is a must read if you are a fan of GB. Even if you are not a fan it is still an interesting window into that period.
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Love George. I had a great view of the backyard of his Englewood Cliffs home when I was staying at a friend’s house back in the 90’s. Never saw George though—I imagine he was on the road. Or at one of his other half-dozen houses.
This is a great solo by George. I didn’t realize he was on this album. No Jaco, but Miles Davis AND Dizzy on trumpet. James Moody on sax. Nathan East on bass. Sarah Vaughn on vocals. Zawinul’s synths are sampled, though interestingly he does play “live” on 2 other songs on the album.
George brings the special sauce for this one.
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