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"Breezin'" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Gábor Szabó and Bobby Womack | ||||
from the album High Contrast | ||||
B-side | "Azure Blue" | |||
Released | April 1971 (United States) 1972 (Netherlands) | |||
Recorded | December 1970 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:11 (Album full length) 3:03 (Edit single version) | |||
Label | Blue Thumb Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bobby Womack | |||
Producer(s) | Tommy LiPuma | |||
Gábor Szabó singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bobby Womack singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó(1971) on YouTube |
"Breezin'" is an instrumental song composed by American singer and musician Bobby Womack. It was first recorded in December 1970 by the influential Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó,in partnership with Womack himself. This version,produced by Tommy LiPuma,was included on Szabó's album High Contrast (1971) and was released as a single in April 1971 in the United States and in 1972 in the Netherlands,reaching No. 43 on the R&B chart. Womack wrote some lyrics for the song that weren't used in Szabo's instrumental version but he does perform the song with lyrics on his DVD Raw,released in 2010. [1]
"Breezin'"s full length on Szabó's album High Contrast is 3:11,while the single version is edited to 3:03.
Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 3:03 (Edit single) | Gábor Szabó, Bobby Womack | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | High Contrast |
1971 | B-side | "Azure Blue" | 4:12 | Gábor Szabó, Bobby Womack | Gábor Szabó | Tommy LiPuma | High Contrast |
Chart (1971–72) | Peak position |
---|---|
Best Selling Soul Singles ( Billboard ) | 43 |
"Breezin'" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by George Benson | ||||
from the album Breezin' | ||||
B-side | "Six to Four" | |||
Released | September 1976 | |||
Recorded | January 1976 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:40 (Album full length) 5:20 (Edit single version) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bobby Womack | |||
Producer(s) | Tommy LiPuma | |||
George Benson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Breezin'" by George Benson (1976) on YouTube |
Five years after Gábor Szabó's original recording,the song became even better known for a successful rerecording by singer and guitarist George Benson,whose 1976 cover was the title track of his album Breezin' . Benson's version was recorded in January 1976 and released as a single in September of the same year,entering the American charts in October. Like Szabó's original,Benson's cover was produced by Tommy LiPuma. The album and single were released by Warner Bros. Records.
The full length of "Breezin'" on Benson's album Breezin' is 5:40 while the single edit is 5:20.
Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 5:20 (Edit single) | George Benson | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
1976 | B-side | "Six to Four" | 5:06 | George Benson | Phil Upchurch | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 5:40 (Full length) | George Benson | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
1976 | B-side | "This Masquerade" | 8:03 | George Benson | Leon Russell | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
Chart (1976–77) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [4] | 16 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 63 |
US Billboard Easy Listening | 13 |
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 55 |
The song was also recorded twice by saxophonist and arranger Hank Crawford:first in 1980 with guitarist Calvin Newborn for their collaborative album Centerpiece [5] and again in 1996 for his album Tight. [6] Additionally,Masayoshi Takanaka recorded a city pop version of the song,released on his 1978 album On Guitar. [7]
George Washington Benson is an American jazz fusion guitarist,singer,and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
Robert Dwayne Womack was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist,Womack's career spanned more than 60 years and multiple styles,including R&B,blues,doo-wop,gospel,funk,and soul.
The Poet II is the fourteenth studio album by American musician Bobby Womack. The album was released in 1984,by Beverly Glen Music. The album features three duets with fellow soul legend Patti LaBelle,including the top three R&B charted ballad,"Love Has Finally Come At Last",and the more modest follow-up,"It Takes a Lot of Strength to Say Goodbye". It also includes the top 75 UK dance hit,"Tell Me Why". The UK music magazine NME named it the best album of 1984.
Tommy LiPuma was an American music producer. His productions received 33 Grammy nominations and sold over 75 million albums. His six individual nominations resulted in five Grammy wins. LiPuma worked with many musicians,including Barbra Streisand,Miles Davis,Bill Evans,George Benson,Phil Upchurch,Al Jarreau,Anita Baker,Natalie Cole,Gábor Szabó,Claudine Longet,Dave Mason,the Yellowjackets,the Sandpipers,Michael Franks,Diana Krall,Paul McCartney,Ben Sidran,The Crusaders,Joe Sample,Randy Crawford and Dr. John. In 2020,his biography,The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma,written by Ben Sidran and published by Nardis Books,was named "the music biography of the year" by The New York City Jazz Record.
Phillip Upchurch is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist.
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"This Masquerade" is a song written by American singer and musician Leon Russell. It was originally recorded in 1972 by Russell for his album Carney and as a B-side for the album's hit single "Tight Rope". The song was then covered on Helen Reddy's 1972 album,I Am Woman. It was then recorded by American vocal duo,the Carpenters,for their 1973 album Now &Then and as the B-side of the Carpenters's single "Please Mr. Postman". Three years later,"This Masquerade" was recorded by American singer and guitarist George Benson,who released it on his 1976 album,Breezin'. Benson's version,featuring Jorge Dalto on piano,was released as a single and became the first big hit of his career.
"Across 110th Street" is a single by Bobby Womack,from the soundtrack and film of the same name that starred Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto.
Breezin' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a Billboard Jazz Albums chart-topper but also went to number 1 on the Pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum,making it one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Weekend in L.A. is a 1978 live album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. The album was recorded live at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood,California. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
"Give Me the Night" is a song recorded by American jazz and R&B musician George Benson,which he released from his 1980 studio album of the same title. It was written by Heatwave's keyboard player Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. Patti Austin provides the backing and scat vocals that are heard throughout,and one of Benson's fellow jazz guitarists,Lee Ritenour,also performs on the track.
When Love Comes Calling is an EP by the American jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. It was released on 12" vinyl and CD in 1996 through GRP Records in Europe. 12" vinyl edition contains three songs from the album "That's Right" and the radio edit of "When Love Comes Calling". CD edition contains two songs from the album "That's Right" and an edited version of "When Love Comes Calling".
In Flight is a 1977 studio album by George Benson,released on the Warner Bros. Records label. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
High Contrast is an album by Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó,produced by Tommy LiPuma and recorded by Bruce Botnick at Capitol Studios,Hollywood in December 1970 &at The Record Plant,Hollywood in February 1971. The album features a major contribution from songwriter and guitarist Bobby Womack,including the original version of Womack's "Breezin'",that George Benson would have a major hit with in 1976. The composition "If You Don't Want My Love" was also used by Womack in his soundtrack to the film Across 110th Street.
Femme Fatale is the final album by Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabófeaturing performances recorded in 1979 and released on the Hungarian Pepita label in 1981.
Twice the Love is a 1988 studio album by American guitarist and singer George Benson that was recorded with six production teams. The two main singles off the record were the title track "Twice the Love" and the Curtis Mayfield song "Let's Do It Again" which was a No. 1 hit for The Staple Singers in 1975.
While the City Sleeps... is a 1986 studio album by American guitarist and singer George Benson,released on Warner Bros. Records. It features musicians like Paulinho da Costa,Preston Glass,Paul Jackson,Jr.,Marcus Miller and Narada Michael Walden,alongside young talents of the time like Kenny G,Randy Jackson and Kashif. Although it does not have any instrumental tracks,Benson's guitar playing is somewhat in the headlight in songs like "Love Is Here Tonight","Teaser" and "Too Many Times". The most successful single of the album,"Kisses in the Moonlight",is still frequently played by Benson at live performances and is present on many of his compilation albums On the B-side of the "Kisses in the Moonlight" single –alongside "Breezin'" on the 12" version –is the instrumental song "Open Your Eyes" which is not available elsewhere.
Benny Gordon was an American soul and R&B singer who recorded from the early 1960s up to the 1970s. Some of his early efforts were as a member of Christian Harmonizers. Their recordings were credited to The Christian Harmonizers. Later recordings were as Bennie Gordon and the Soul Brothers. In 1968,they had a single out on the RCA label,"What Is Soul" which was backed with "I Can't Turn You Loose".
The Greatest Hits of All is a compilation album by American singer and guitarist George Benson,released on July 8,2003,by Warner Bros. Records and Rhino Entertainment. The compilation received this title for containing the greatest hits of Benson's career and also in reference to the song "The Greatest Love of All",originally recorded by Benson in 1977 especially to be the main theme of the film The Greatest, a biopic of the boxer Muhammad Ali. The song is featured on this album alongside Benson's other big hits. The songs are in chronological order,between 1976 and 1998,since "This Masquerade" and "Breezin'",including his most famous hits like "On Broadway","Give Me the Night","Turn Your Love Around","Lady Love Me ","Kisses in the Moonlight" and others. The compilation entered the Billboard and reached number 3 on the Jazz Albums. At the end of the year,the album ranked number 15 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums. The album also ranked number 74 on R&B Albums and number 138 on Billboard 200.
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