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George Benson - Inspiration, A Tribute To Nat King Cole
Artist: George Benson
Title Of Album: Inspiration, A Tribute To Nat King Cole
Label: Concord Records
Format: CD, Album
Audio CD (4 giugno 2013)
Release Date June 4, 2013
Genre Jazz
Styles Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Jazz-Pop Orchestral, Jazz Smooth, Jazz Guitar
Extractor: Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3
Used drive : HL-DT-STDVDRAM GSA-E10L
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Codec: Flac 1.2.1; Level 8
Single File.flac, Eac.log,
File.cue Multiple wav file with Gaps (Noncompliant)
Accurately ripped (confidence 6) (AR v2)
Size Torrent: 307 Mb
Cover included
Tracklist
1. Mona Lisa (as Lil' Georgie Benson) 0:57
2. Just One of Those Things Cole Porter 2:42
3. Unforgettable Irving Gordon 5:05
4. Walkin' My Baby Roy Turk, Fred E. Ahlert 2:43
5. When I Fall in Love Victor Young, Edward Heyman 4:04
6. Route 66 Bobby Troup 3:50
7. Nature Boy Eden Ahbez 2:40
8. Ballerina Carl Sigman, Bob Russell 2:46
9. Smile Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons 3:22
10.Straighten Up and Fly Right Nat King Cole, Irving Mills 3:06
11.Too Young" Sidney Lippman, Sylvia Dee 3:28
12.I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter Joe Young, Fred E. Ahlert 3:05
13 Mona Lisa Jay Livingston, Ray Evans 3:02
personnel
George Benson - vocals, guitar
Lil' Georgie Benson (age 8) - vocals, ukulele (on track 1)
Randy Waldman - piano
Tim May - guitar
Michael O'Neill - baritone guitar, banjo on "Ramblin' Rose"
Chuck Berghofer - bass
Gregg Field - drums
Michael Fisher - percussion
Sheila E. - percussion on "Unforgettable"
Janey Clewer, Alvin Chea, Don Chelton - background vocals on "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Smile", "That Sunday, That Summer" and "Ramblin' Rose"
Chris Papastephanou, Randy Waldman - background vocals on "Straighten Up and Fly Right"
Special guests
Wynton Marsalis - trumpet on "Unforgettable"
Idina Menzel - vocals on "When I Fall in Love"
Till Brönner - trumpet on "Smile"
Judith Hill - vocals on "Too Young"
Listen to Sample
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00C1CO0XS/ref=pd_krex_dp_a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqiAwNPkCx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC1ScVoYm2M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MwI-WGy7uI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHunYCFUwJs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ9vwMrBESU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N58wqqxGxyg
review
Million-selling, hugely popular and readily recognisable jazz artists are a bit thin on the ground these days. So when one such giant records a tribute to another it's something of an event. George Benson's Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole certainly falls into that category: an album of songs from one of the biggest stars of the twentieth century, performed with due respect by one of the biggest names in the contemporary jazz scene.
The album's opener, "Mona Lisa," is credited to "Little Georgie Benson" and features the 8-year-old future star on vocals and ukulele—an indication of how early in his life Benson came to Cole's work. It has charm, but thankfully Big Georgie Benson is a far more consummate performer. The rest of Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole is as stylish and sophisticated as a tribute to Cole should be.
The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, under the direction of arranger Randy Waldman, perfectly captures the atmosphere of Cole's own recordings—powerful and driving on "Just One Of Those Things," relaxed and swinging on "Route 66," coolly romantic on "Unforgettable." The guest performers are well-chosen and enhance each tune on which they appear. Wynton Marsalis' trumpet on "Unforgettable" is positive and uplifting, Till Bronner's brief appearance on "Smile" is warm yet melancholy.
Idina Menzel duets with Benson on "When I Fall In Love" and makes her impact from the first note. Her voice is crystal clear—a hint of Barbra Streisand comes through in the final few lines—her commitment to the performance is total. Judith Hill's voice is more soulful than Menzel's and her performance is equally impressive. On "Too Young" she erases any thoughts that Benson, around 40 years older than Hill, isn't really too young at all.
Benson sounds like he's having a great time—and such enthusiasm is infectious. He makes sparing use of his trademark guitar scatting, so when it does appear, on "Just One Of Those Things" for example, it sounds fresh and fun. His guitar solos are fluid, nuanced and understated. Vocally, he's a delight. He's a fine exponent of Cole's relaxed, seemingly effortless, vocal style but never makes the mistake of attempting an impression of Cole's voice.
There are times when Benson's sound does come very close to Cole's—"Walkin' My Baby" comes very close indeed. There are also times where he's recognisably Benson, while some of his phrasing on "Unforgettable" is reminiscent of Johnny Mathis. More importantly, whoever he may sound like, he's consistently excellent. Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole is actually a superb tribute to Cole and Benson.
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