George Benson

As an ace jazz guitarist with a husky, syncopated voice, George Benson straddled the line between Quiet Storm R&B and adult contemporary during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. His singles from that era sound both of the time and utterly ageless: "Turn Your Love Around" predated the Police's "Roxanne," with...

By Christian Schaeffer

March 19, 2009

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As an ace jazz guitarist with a husky, syncopated voice, George Benson straddled the line between Quiet Storm R&B and adult contemporary during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. His singles from that era sound both of the time and utterly ageless: "Turn Your Love Around" predated the Police's "Roxanne," with its profession of love for a working girl; "Give Me the Night" shimmers with the electric pulse of anticipation; and his live recording of "On Broadway" has become the definitive version of the classic.Benson has worked his way back into the jazz world over the past few decades. His most recent studio album, Givin' It Up, was released in 2006 and saw him paired up with fellow pop-soul crossover Al Jarreau. The album revisited Benson's hit "Breezin'" alongside covers of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze" and Darryl Hall's "Every Time You Go Away," adding some soulful crooning and smooth-jazz instrumentation to these soft-rock classics. This evening at the Seminole Hard Rock is billed as a tribute to Nat King Cole, so expect plenty of reworkings of the late jazz great's classics.

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