Queen Street News Toronto

MUSIC: Toronto Jazz Fest: George Benson
As the sun sets over Nathan Philip
square there is a palpable feeling
of excitement as people await the
Legendary George Benson.
On The Right
Tressa Levassuer -
pic by Paul Murton
The night begins with the opening
act Tressa Levassuer who,
accompanied by her seven piece
band, opened with their song
“Where Did I go”. A mixture of jazzinfused
pop with a bit of soul, they
got the crowd toe-tapping and set
the beat for the evening. One of my
personal favourites is a song she
wrote for her 17-year- old daughter,
which included a dialogue about
“whatever happened to decency”,
a banter between mother and
daughter, which I’m sure many
mothers could relate with.
When they finished their set, there
was a buzz in the air. Amongst the
swirl of purple and white lighting
there was an excited energy as the
crowd awaited the main act,
legendary jazz performer and 10
time grammy award winning
George Benson. Known for such
hits as “Affirmation”, Mr. Benson
and his band took the stage and the
crowd began to cheer. Still going
incredibly strong after over 30
years in the music industry, he
opened with their hit song
“breezin” and the air became thick
with the infectious sound of jazz
fusion. Alternating between guitar
and vocals and just guitar, the set
did not disappoint, and even
included some classic scat style.
The communication between the
band and audience was felt and Mr.
Benson said “All over the world this
song resonated” before going into
“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love
For You” in which the crowd
enthusiastically applauded. A
favourite included the 1950’s
classic hit “Tequila”. A crowd
pleaser which was turned in to a
classic George Benson style of
jazz, it included a guitar solo which
was mesmerizing. As one of his last
song’s of the night started, a solid
disco beat began and the crowd
was on its feet as the beat turned
in to one of their biggest hits “Give
Me The Night”.
This writer wasn’t brave enough to
dance, but I was definitely dancing
in my seat. It was obvious that
George Benson and his 5 piece
band were in to all the songs and
that resonated with the audience.
With the encouragement of the
bassist Ron Carter even more
people got to their feet and dancing
ensued.
After “Give Me The Night” Mr.
Benson left the stage but the rest
of the band remained. A three set
encore commenced with the
classic “Since I Fell For You” and
George - pic by Jen Allard
ended with an excellent cover of
“On Broadway” with an amazing
drum solo. Although my own
personal favourite “This
Masquerade” was not played it was
of little consequence. It was a very
memorable evening and George
Benson has proved he is still
relevant in an age of auto tune and
simple pop melodies.
musicpage.ca
is printed in five local papers. by Jen Allard
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