Weekend in L.A. (CD - 1977)

Personnel: George Benson (vocals, guitar); Jorge Dalto (piano, keyboards); Ronnie Foster (keyboards); Phil Upchurch (guitar), Stanley Banks (bass); Harvey Mason (drums); Ralph MacDonald (percussion).

Recorded live at the Roxy, Hollywood, California on September 30 and October 1-2, 1977.

Recording live at Los Angeles' Roxy club -- then a showcase for many of the hottest acts in pop -- was just the tonic that George Benson and his Breezin' band needed on this often jumping album. With unusually lively crowds (for a record-industry watering hole) shouting encouragement, the band gets deep into the four-on-the-floor funk and Benson digs in hard, his rhythmic instincts on guitar sharp as ever. The balance between vocals and instrumentals is about even -- George's voice sounds more throaty and soul-oriented than before -- and amid the new material, there is a revisit to a favored CTI-era instrumental, the lovely "Ode to a Kudu." This album also introduced "On Broadway," an extended stomping version of the Drifters' hit that would become Benson's climactic showstopper for years. The only superfluous element is the after-the-fact addition of Nick DeCaro's string synthesizer backdrop; the real Claus Ogerman-arranged thing would have been preferable if strings are a must. ~ Richard S. Ginell

In the late '60s and early '70s, George Benson bounced back and forth between recording as a featured soloist in an orchestrated ensemble, and as a bandleader who seemed to really enjoy both interacting with his sidemen, and hearing them cut loose. By 1978 he was a star, on the strength of the hit album BREEZIN', release two years before.

WEEKEND IN L.A. is definitely one of Benson's pop albums--he pretty much sticks to vocals on "Down Here on the Ground," for example, not touching his guitar until the final 30 seconds of the tune. Where he does play, he plays well, reprising "Ode to a Kudu" from BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON, for example, and tossing in a quote from the Gershwins' "I Got Rhythm" during the title cut. The liner notes imply that the live tapes, recorded over two nights at the Roxy, were later enhanced in the studio. minimize