Hey Jazz Guitar Lifers. Some great news coming out of Rhino/Warner Music Group as the great George Benson will be heard in a rare recording that has yet to see the light of day. The press release below has been sourced from Rhino’s own page and if interested, click here for more info and enjoy 🙂
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For Immediate Release:
Grammy® Award-winning jazz guitarist-vocalist George Benson will release a long-lost orchestral album this summer, his first since returning to Warner Music Group earlier this year. Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon will be available on June 14 from Rhino on CD and LP, as well as digital and streaming platforms. Pre-order HERE.
In 1989, Benson collaborated with celebrated composer-arranger Robert Farnon and his orchestra to create Dreams Do Come True. Farnon’s lush arrangements perfectly complement Benson’s soulful vocals and fluid guitar work on American Standards like “Autumn Leaves,” “At Last,” and “My Romance.” The spellbinding collection also features reimagined pop classics like the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and Leon Russell’s “A Song For You.” In 1976, Benson’s version of Russell’s “This Masquerade” became his first major hit and won the Grammy® Award for Record of the Year.
Benson recorded Dreams Do Come True during a prolific period and chose to delay the album’s release. In the meantime, the recordings went missing and remained lost until recently, when they were rediscovered in Benson’s archive. Now, after 35 years, the album will finally receive its proper release.
George Benson stated, “After finding this long-lost treasure of music, I employed my genius friend, Randy Waldman, to help me bring it back to life. Mission accomplished.”
Listen to “Love is Blue” from Dreams Do Come True HERE (or listen below).
The original recording sessions for Dreams Do Come True were impeccably captured by Grammy® Award-winning engineer Al Schmidt, who manned the recording console for some of Benson’s most successful albums. All 11 tracks have been newly remastered for the upcoming release. Benson partnered with Grammy®-award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Randy Waldman as his co-producer, adding in overdubs and expressive choral arrangements throughout the reimagined record.
This album marks the latest chapter in Benson’s illustrious career as a giant in both jazz and contemporary music. During his tenure with Warner Records from 1976 to 1993, Benson released 12 studio albums, including Breezin’. This groundbreaking record not only topped the pop, R&B, and jazz charts but also earned Benson three of his 10 Grammy® Awards. Certified triple platinum, Breezin’ remains one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time. In 2009, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) recognized Benson as a Jazz Master, the nation’s highest honor for jazz artists.
A consummate performer, Benson remains a must-see live artist. He will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl on August 18, 2024.
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If you would like to support all the work I do on Jazz Guitar Life, please consider buying me a coffee or visiting the Jazz Guitar Life sponsors. Thank you and your patronage is greatly appreciated regardless if you buy me a coffee or not 🙂
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