Avantgarde Jazz Festival: George Benson, concert
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As part of the Avant-garde Jazz Festival, ex-Rovinj Tobacco Factory featured a concert by George Benson, one of the best jazz guitar players and an icon of pop and R&B music. Benson opened the concert evening with the composition “Lady”
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The concert by the great star also attracted a huge number of visitors. Unofficial data speak of a thousand and five hundred people. This is George Benson’s first performance in Croatia which is part of his European tour. The concert was sponsored, among other entities, by the hotel and catering company “Maistra”, the Rovinj Tourist Board and Zagrebačka banka.
It should be pointed out George Benson is a winner of several Grammy awards. He recorded his first single, “She Makes Me Mad”, as a twenty year old. Abandoning his schooling, he fully dedicated himself to music, being inspired by famous guitar players such as Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, but also the music of the saxophone player Charlie Parker. He appeared on the scene aged 21, playing the jazz guitar, while later he turned famous as a pop, R&B and scat singer as well. He became better known playing with the organist Jack McDuff, who played on Benson’s first album too, “The New Boss Guitar” from 1964. Within the following five years, he recorded a list of brilliant albums which confirmed the status of this new jazz guitar star. By the end of the 60s, he signed a contract with the CTI label belonging to the producer Creed Taylor, which brought enormous commercial success. During the 70s, he started recording for Warner Bros. His record “Breezin’” from 1976 was especially important and earned him a Grammy. It became a cult recording of popular music – the first in jazz that turned platinum. This album went high on Billboard magazine charts in the categories of jazz, pop and R&B, as well as the rendition of the composition “This Masquerade” becoming a smash hit. A new career high was reached with his cooperation with Quincey Jones who produced Benson’s album “Give Me the Night”, another of his great achievements.
Benson’s concert was preceded by a performance by the Corona quartet, comprised of young and educated Croatian musicians. Their musical expression is known and recognisable by a combination of ethno and jazz, and the creation of a new and above all attractive musical style. They began their performance by a rendition of “Two Guys from Brač (Dva Bracanina)”, while throughout the evening they also played covers of “La musica di note” and “Yellow Pumpkins (Dunje žute)”.
