GEORGE BENSON — Beyond the Blue Horizon (review)

GEORGE BENSON — Beyond the Blue Horizon album cover Album · 1971 · Soul Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Once Creed Traylor decided to go independent from the A&M stable, he created the CTI label, one that would release many early 70’s JR/F masterpiece of the early 70’s, with only Clive Davis’ Columbia label being even more influential by the middle of the decade. With an ahead-of-time humorous (and sad) album title and artwork, Benson invited Carter and DeJohnette and organist Clarence Palmer, somewhat unknown to me, but his playing is heavily reminiscent of Brian Auger.

Opening on one of jazz’s best-known riff, the unforgettable So What, but fairly thoroughly rearranged, so that it won’t be immediately recognizable, unless being a musician. Indeed, Palmer’s excellent soul-ish organ-playing is leading you into an Auger-ian express to oblivion, if it wasn’t for a Montgomerian-sounding guitar. Excellent but unexpected rendition of a timeless classic. The following Gentle Rain film theme gets the same gentle fusion treatment as its companion piece, with those unstoppable ogre organ lines.

If the A-side was made of covers, the flipside is all penned by Benson himself, and the opening All Clear track is a gentle upbeat composition that features some un-credited violin - maybe Ron Carter on cello, but not sure. The following Ode To A Kudu track features more bowed string instrument, but here we’re definitely in the cello’s register. The closing Somewhere In The East is easily the album’s highlight, partly due to the high energy level of all concerned, but particularly Benson’s louder guitar sound. The first CD reissue (on Epic) features two bonus alternate-take tracks, the first of which is an interesting version of Kudu and the second an All Clear, both of which seem to be a tad more Montgomery-esque.

While BTBH is an excellent classic, it doesn’t strike as many targets as its successor White Rabbit, but the present is a sure second-place album in Benson’s CTI era. I’m not sure hardcore JR/Fheads will really appreciate all that much this kind of gentle fusion, not that far away from mainstream, and chances are that if recorded as such some 15 years later, some would qualified then it as ECM-muzak. In the meantime, this short album and its successor could find a spot on your shelves if you’re into unobtrusive fusion.
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