{"id":51087,"date":"2022-12-26T11:01:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T01:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billmitchell.org\/blog\/?p=51087"},"modified":"2022-12-26T11:01:23","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T01:01:23","slug":"my-blog-is-on-holiday-today-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billmitchell.org\/blog\/?p=51087","title":{"rendered":"My blog is on holiday today"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My blog is on holiday until Wednesday, December 28, 2022. For today, some light music. All the best.
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Music – George Benson before he thought he could sing<\/h2>\n

This is what I have been listening to while working this morning.<\/p>\n

This is Boxing Day music when one has a publishing deadline to meet (tomorrow) and wants calm inspiration.<\/p>\n

I was cleaning out a cupboard the other day where I have tons of records stored and record collections are like a memory storage centre.<\/p>\n

I recalled lots of things that were happening at various times as I panned the covers of the albums – some taking me back to the 1960s when I first started buying records.<\/p>\n

This song is from a particular favourite album of mine – White Rabbit<\/a> – from – George Benson<\/a> – which was released in early 1972 and scooped up by me at the local import shop in Melbourne sometime later that year.<\/p>\n

It was released by CTI records which had exquisite taste in the musicians it promoted.<\/p>\n

It was a period that George Benson still played a lot and sang little – which was the better choice in my view.<\/p>\n

This song – El Mar<\/em> – was written by George Benson.<\/p>\n

It featured – Earl Klugh<\/a> – as a 17-year old on his debut. He, of course became a great player in his own right.<\/p>\n

The commentators considered this a transition album bridging the period between George Benson’s mainstream days and his move into pop in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

This was a period of jazz fusion and the players on the album reflect that.<\/p>\n

The vocals came from non other than Brazilian percussionist – Airto Moreira<\/a> – who became a pivotal part of the jazz fusion era when he teamed up with – Return to Forever<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The players are a who’s who:<\/p>\n

1. George Benson<\/a> – guitar.<\/p>\n

2. Billy Cobham<\/a> – drums.<\/p>\n

3. Ron Carter<\/a> – double bass.<\/p>\n

4. Herbie Hancock<\/a> – piano (rhodes).<\/p>\n

5. Jay Berliner<\/a> – spanish guitar.<\/p>\n

6. Earl Klugh<\/a> – nylon string guitar.<\/p>\n

7. Phil Kraus<\/a> – vibes.<\/p>\n

8. Airto Moreira<<\/a> – percussion, vocals.<\/p>\n

9. Gloria Agostini<\/a> – harp.<\/p>\n

plus a host of woodwind and brass players.<\/p>\n

Not a bad little ensemble!<\/p>\n

Good working music.<\/p>\n