🎷 AotW: CTI George Benson: Beyond the Blue Horizon (CTI Records CTI 6009 / CTI 8007)

All the CTI releases
1673467680660.pngGeorge Benson: Beyond the Blue Horizon

CTI Records CTI 6009
Released 1971
(pictured top right)

Reissued as CTI 8007 in 1979
(pictured middle right)

  • A1: So What? /9:05
  • A2: The Gentle Rain /9:05
  • B1: All Clear /5:15
  • B2: Ode To A Kudu /3:45
  • B3: Somewhere In The East /6:05
Bass – Ron Carter
Design [Album] – Bob Ciano
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – George Benson
Organ – Clarence Palmer
Percussion – Albert Nicholson, Michael Cameron (10)
Photography By [Cover] – Pete Turner (4)
Photography By [Liner] – Chuck Stewart
Producer – Creed Taylor

1673467929711.pngRecorded at Van Gelder Studios, February, 1971


Amazon product ASIN B00Y3ZT1LW




 
This is an interesting but occasionally odd album. The opener, "So What?", is the track of Miles Davis fame, and is arguably the best track on the album. Accompanied only by the organ of Clarence Palmer, and supported by Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, it is a sparse arrangement that moves along briskly. "Gentle Rain" is a surprise to see on this album, but what is otherwise a nice track is slightly spoiled by a stray violin interjecting in parts of the song, in rather nonsensical fashion. Taylor should have let the band groove on its own here.

The real oddball track that I feel completely doesn't work here is "Somewhere in the East." It's an awkward piece at best, without any real melody than a repeated riff supposedly based on "Eastern" chords. It's so "out there" that it is rather unwelcoming to close out the album. I've listened to it a couple dozen times over the past few months and it hasn't grown on me at all.

The album cover is a double-take, seeing that the "white border" style went out of fashion once CTI left A&M...
 
Although I've only listened to this release a few times, I actually like the LP: it takes us away from the previous A&M / Verve bag and George gets to stretch out and explore more.
 
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