Thursday, April 1, 2010

Gold CD of the Month - "George Benson: White Rabbit"

Gold CD of the Month
George Benson: "White Rabbit" (CTI)


24-karat Gold Disc reissue with original artwork in a CD-sized booklet and 4-color picture label.
20-bit digital transfers using Sony's SBM (Super Bit Mapping) process
Reissue Producer: Didier Deutsch
Executive Producer for MasterSound series: Tony Martell
Project Director; Gary Pacheco
Digitally Remixed by Mark Wilder @ Sony Music Studios, NY
Digitally Remastered by Thomas Ruff @ Sony Music Studios, NY

Original Album Produced by Creed Taylor
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studios on November 23, 24 & 30, 1971
Cover Photo: Pete Turner
Arranged & Conducted by Don Sebesky
Featuring: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, Jay Berliner, Earl Klugh, John Frosk, Hubert Laws, Wayne Andre, Phil Kraus, Jane Taylor, George Marge, Romeo Penque, Phil Bodner, Alan Rubin, James Buffington, Gloria Agostini.

Highlight: the frenetic adaptation of Villa-Lobos' "Little Train" (O Trenzinho do Caipira), with a superb Hancock solo on the Rhodes, and Airto singing the melody in unison with Benson's guitar. But it's a 5-star album, also including great arrangements of Jefferson Airplane's hit "White Rabbit" (written by Grace Slick), Mamas & Papas' "California Dreaming" (previously covered by Wes Montgomery after Creed Taylor's suggestion), Michel Legrand's "Summer of '42" and Benson's own "El Mar," which marked Earl Klugh's recording debut at 17.

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