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Giblet Gravy

George Benson - Giblet Gravy Audio CD

A fair review of the George Benson "Giblet Gravy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all George Benson reviews here, or go back to the George Benson tabs.

Band: George Benson
Title: Giblet Gravy
Rating:

Release Date: 2000-07-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Along Comes Mary 2: Sunny 3: What's New? 4: Giblet Gravy 5: Walk on By 6: Thunder Walk 7: Sack O' Woe 8: Groovin' 9: Low Down and Dirty 10: Billie's Bounce 11: What's New? [Alternate Take] 12: What's New? [Alternate Take]

there's a great album in here somewhere
There are, however, four cuts that had they been released alone together would have constituted one of the greatest small group jazz guitar recordings of all time: "Low Down and Dirty," "Thunder Walk," "Billie's Bounce" and "What's New?" "Giblet Gravy" is smoking, too, but doesn't reach the same level of jazz artistry. Unless you're interested in George's Benson's personal musical odyssey or you just love late 60s instrumental pop, you might be better off not hearing most of the cuts on this album. George's tone on "Sunny" is fabulous, reminding me a bit of George Van Eps, but again doesn't quite make it. A lot of the players of the next generation like John Scofield and younger players like Mike Moreno mention Pat Martino as a major influence, but for me George Benson, at his best, was the greatest straight ahead jazz guitar player of the late 60s. The playing of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Billie Cobham on these recordings seem to have challenged George to be his best and I still listen to these four cuts all the time.

Very KOOL recording
The cover art was so cool I felt it was a must have. I have to admit that I had never heard of this recording until I saw it on Amazon about a month ago. Gladly,I was correct. Besides this being an early effort by George(just his fourth as leader)I knew by seeing the cast of musicians that it HAD to be good. Correct again! Among others it features Billy Cobham on drums,Pepper Adams on baritone sax and Snooky Young on trumpet. The title cut is worth the purchase price(totally FUNKY). The version of Sunny while not the best version I've ever heard is absolutely KOOL! I strongly recommend this disc as well as his first three; 1-The New Boss Guitar of(with Brother Jack McDuff)2-It's uptown With The George Benson Quartet,3-The George Benson Cookbook. These four recordings are some of the best guitar licks and finest jazz ever recorded.

This is something everyone needs to hear
It is priceless! The concept of the album was to just play along with the current Wes Montgomery fad of the time. I own just about every George Benson album, but this album is my favorite. Benson gave us something that I just cannot find in any of his other music: a violent passion of the human spirit to be happy and proud of itself! It makes you want to be more, in the exact style that Wes did it, but somehow this album accentuates all those things that made Wes great! I can't stop listening to this album, it is just so damn great! If you love Wes you'll be blown away by Giblet Gravy! Reminicient of Wes's first album "The Amazing Jazz Guitarist" and a treat to listen to. Wish he did something like this again in his career!

And not to forget George Benson's version of "Sunny" blows away Wes's and Pat Martino's which is quite an accomplishment! Enjoy!! I envy you first timers.

For early Benson, Uptown and Boss Guitar are better
But Giblet Gravy is not among my favorites. I've been a big Benson fan for years, and have enjoyed studying his playing and hearing him evolve over the years. Benson sounds terrific throughout. He's actually in fine form on this recording (but then, when isn't he?). I have 2 main gripes with this album. First; I didn't like the arrangements when I first heard them years ago, and to my ears they haven't aged well. They sound dated and corny. It's that 'boogaloo' sound of early 60's jazz arrangers and big band players trying to get on board with the new rock & roll sound, resulting in a stiff caricature. I've never cared for that sound. Plus it's a waste of a wonderful rhythm section. The small group does get to stretch out on a couple tunes, which is great. But in the small group setting, my second complaint stands out even more; the piano sounds like cr@p! It's out of tune and sounds like a cheap little upright. It's very distracting, and mars an otherwise fine performance by Herbie Hancock.

Groundbreaking Music
But it was the guitar-playing Benson and not the singing Benson who caught my attention, so as his music drifted further from jazz into pop and soul I lost interest in him. I have been a George Benson fan since I first heard his crossover Breezin' album back in the 1970s. However, going backwards from Breezin', I have discovered the roots of his musical genius. Early on, I found White Rabbit and Good King Bad to be some of the best music to be had. Sadly, many of his earlier CDs were hard to find or out of print, so I was unable to discover much more about him.
Today, with the ubiquity of CDs and the flourishing of music sites on the internet, more old albums are being remastered and re-released so that music lovers can catch up on things they missed and the musicians can continue to cash in on old efforts couched in a new format. Among those re-issued are many from the George Benson catalogue, including Giblet Gravy, which is one of his earliest solo albums.
In the context of its time, Giblet Gravy offers up some deliciously groundbreaking music. There is a mix of contemporary pop, jazz standards, and a couple of excellent Benson-penned tunes. It is Benson's emerging style along with the virtuosity of his back-up team which makes this CD so appealing. He even makes a jejune top 40 tune like Along Comes Mary sound good!
My favorites here are his cover of Bobby Hebb's Sunny, an excellent rendition of Walk On By that rivals Isaac Hayes' cover, Thunder Walk, Sack of Woe, the bonus Billie's Bounce, and all three takes of What's New? The standout is Benson's own Low Down and Dirty, a slow jazz number that just cooks.
If you are a fan of George Benson the jazz man as opposed to George Benson the crooner and you have yet to hear Giblet Gravy, then you are in for a treat. Buy it while you still can.

You can see a complete list of all George Benson discography, or go back to the George Benson tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.