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The George Benson Cookbook

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The George Benson Cookbook
Studio album by
Released1967
RecordedAugust 1 – October 19, 1966
GenreJazz
Length40:50
LabelColumbia
ProducerJohn Hammond
George Benson chronology
It's Uptown
(1966)
The George Benson Cookbook
(1967)
Giblet Gravy
(1968)
Singles from The George Benson Cookbook
  1. "The Borgia Stick"
    Released: 1966
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]

The George Benson Cookbook is the third studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson, and the second to be produced by John Hammond.

Background

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The Hard Bop Homepage says of the album, "This is basically the George Benson quartet, with Smith and Cuber, but trombonist Bennie Green and percussionist Pucho were added on some tracks, giving them a bop flavor that delighted dedicated jazz fans and critics. Benson's quartet was modeled after Jack McDuff's--with baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber, organist Lonnie Smith, a powerhouse player who deserved more attention than he ever received, and Jimmy Lovelace or Marion Booker on drums. The sonorous tone of Cuber's baritone gives the quartet a richer, more dense texture than that obtained by McDuff, who used a tenor, but the overall sound is the same. At twenty-five, Ronnie Cuber was an alumnus of Marshall Brown's celebrated Newport Youth Band; he had spent the previous two years with Maynard Ferguson's very loud and brassy orchestra, which may account for his aggressive style, but Cuber's approach also emphasized rhythm, and that was precisely the ingredient called for by a "soul jazz" group of this kind."[4]

Track listing

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All tracks composed by George Benson; except where indicated

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Cooker" 4:18
2."Benny's Back" 4:10
3."Bossa Rocka" 4:20
4."All of Me"Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons2:08
5."Big Fat Lady" 4:40
6."Benson's Rider" 5:30
7."Ready and Able"Jimmy Smith3:32
8."The Borgia Stick" 3:05
9."Return of the Prodigal Son"Harold Ousley2:34
10."Jumpin' with Symphony Sid"Lester Young6:33
Total length:40:50

2007 remastered CD / Blu-spec CD bonus tracks

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No.TitleLength
11."The Man from Toledo"2:08
12."Slow Scene"3:11
13."Let Them Talk"2:51
14."Goodnight"2:21
Total length:50:31

Personnel

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The George Benson Quartet

References

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  1. ^ The George Benson Cookbook at AllMusic
  2. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 23. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
  4. ^ The Hardbop Homepage: The George Benson Cookbook