* 10-time Grammy winner George Benson pays homage to one of the greatest jazz and pop crooners of all time, Nat King Cole, with musical guests such as vocalists Idina Menzel and Judith Hill, as well as trumpet stars Wynton Marsalis and Till Brönner on his new album “Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole”.
* In July, Benson will come to Germany for two exclusive concerts: on July 15, he will perform in Munich at the Tollwood Festival and the next day at the Admiralspalast in Berlin.
Since his death in 1965, several greats of the music world have paid respectful tribute to the unforgettable Nat King Cole. Leading the way was of course his “daughter” Natalie Cole, who released her album “Unforgettable... With Love” in 1991, earning seven platinum awards and a Grammy for it. Even in the year of his death, Nat King Cole was honored with entire albums by Marvin Gaye, Sammy Davis Jr., and Oscar Peterson. In the following decades, his memory was kept alive. In 1983, Carmen McRae dedicated “You’re Lookin’ At Me (A Collection Of Nat King Cole Songs)” to him, and in 1996, the then-up-and-coming Diana Krall released the album “All For You”, which is still considered one of her very best.
Now another megastar dares to pay homage: guitarist and singer George Benson, who, like Nat King Cole, is a wanderer in the border area between jazz and pop. Both began their careers as jazz instrumentalists and only later succeeded as singers. Over the past four years, the ten-time Grammy winner Benson has spent almost non-stop “on the road” while also refining the concept for his elaborate project “An Unforgettable Tribute To Nat King Cole”, for which he received support from his fans through the PledgeMusic platform. Out of gratitude, he will donate a portion of the album's sales to the organization Music Cares, which will help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
For “Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole”, Benson recorded truly inspired and moving interpretations of some of Nat King Cole's greatest hits with a 42-piece orchestra and carefully selected guests. Among other things, he used a wonderful original arrangement of “Just One Of Those Things” that Maestro Nelson Riddle once wrote for Nat King Cole.
Nat King Cole was a successful musical heartthrob in his time. This is also reflected in the album's repertoire, which includes a number of yearning ballads that became hits through Cole: “Mona Lisa”, “Unforgettable”, “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home”, “When I Fall In Love”, “Nature Boy”, “Smile”, and “Too Young”. But Nat King Cole was not just a sensitive crooner. His exuberant, lively, and humorous side is represented by Benson through numbers like “Just One Of Those Things” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter” (in which the guitarist showcases his scat talent), “Straighten Up And Fly Right”, “Ballerina”, or the wonderfully cool swinging “Route 66”. The recording with which Benson begins this tribute is absolutely nostalgic: it was made 62 years ago when the then eight-year-old “Little Georgie Benson” won a singing competition in his hometown of Pittsburgh with his interpretation of the Nat King Cole hit “Mona Lisa” and was allowed to record the piece in a studio as a reward.
Undoubtedly, the highlights of the album are Benson's duets with the two singers Idina Menzel (“When I Fall In Love”) and Judith Hill (“Too Young”), as well as the guest appearances of trumpeters Wynton Marsalis (“Unforgettable”) and Till Brönner (“Smile”). Broadway singer Idina Menzel won a Tony Award in 2004 for her role in the hit musical “Wicked” and gained further fame recently through the musical comedy television series “Glee”. Before Judith Hill started her solo career as a singer/songwriter, she earned her stripes as a background singer for stars like Anastacia, Robbie Williams, and Elton John. She had also been booked for Michael Jackson's planned comeback tour “This Is It”. With her interpretation of “Heal The World”, she captured the hearts of a global audience at the official memorial service for the “King of Pop” in 2009. Now, alongside Benson, she impressively steps back into the spotlight. The same goes for German trumpeter Till Brönner, who has his appearance in the Charlie Chaplin composition “Smile”. Brönner, a long-established star of the jazz scene in Germany, has also gained an increasingly better reputation abroad in recent years. The proof lies in his collaborations with international stars like Bootsy Collins, Sérgio Mendes, Madeleine Peyroux, Michael Franks, Mark Murphy, and now George Benson. Natalie Cole has also accompanied Brönner.
“You can’t make a record like this unless you’re completely committed to it,” says George Benson about “An Unforgettable Tribute To Nat King Cole”. “I learned that from Nat King Cole. Whatever he did, he did it with all his heart.”
George Benson Tour Dates:
15.07.2013, Munich - Tollwood Festival
16.07.2012, Berlin - Admiralspalast
20.07.2013, Straubing - Blutone Festival
http://georgebenson.com
http://facebook.com/GeorgeBenson
Tracklisting:
01. Mona Lisa (Little Georgie Benson)
02. Just One Of Those Things
03. Unforgettable (feat. Wynton Marsalis)
04. Walkin’ My Baby
05. When I Fall In Love (feat. Idina Menzel)
06. Route 66
07. Nature Boy
08. Ballerina
09. Smile (feat. Till Brönner)
10. Straighten Up And Fly Right
11. Too Young (feat. Judith Hill)
12. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
13. Mona Lisa
George Benson - Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole
http://youtu.be/f57nO8Sjswg
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This article was automatically translated by AI.
