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{{about|the album by George Benson|the album by Sonny Red|Breezing (album)}}
{{about|the album by George Benson|the album by Sonny Red|Breezing (album)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Infobox album
| Name = Breezin'
| Type = Album
| name = Breezin'
| type = Album
| Artist = [[George Benson]]
| artist = [[George Benson]]
| Cover = Breezin_GB.jpg
| cover = Breezin_GB.jpg
| Released = May 1976
| alt =
| Recorded = January 6-8, 1976
| released = March 19, 1976<ref>{{cite web |title=Album Picks |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/RR-1976-04-03.pdf |website=WorldRadioHistory.com |publisher=Record World |access-date=2 September 2021 |date=April 3, 1976 |pages=16}}</ref>
| Studio = [[Capitol Records|Capitol Records Studios]], [[Hollywood]], [[California]]
| recorded = January 6–8, 1976
| Genre = [[Smooth jazz]]
| Length = 38:42
| venue =
| studio = [[Capitol Studios|Capitol]] (Hollywood)
| Label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| Producer = [[Tommy LiPuma]]
| genre = [[Smooth jazz]]
| length = 38:42
| Last album =''[[Benson & Farrell]]'' <br> (1976)
| label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| This album = '''''Breezin'''''' <br> (1976)
| producer = [[Tommy LiPuma]]
| Next album = ''[[In Flight (George Benson album)|In Flight]]'' <br>(1977)
| prev_title = [[Benson & Farrell]]
| prev_year = 1976
| next_title = [[In Flight (George Benson album)|In Flight]]
| next_year = 1977
}}
}}


'''''Breezin'''''' is a studio [[album]] by [[jazz]]/[[soul music|soul]] [[guitarist]] [[George Benson]]. It is his debut on [[Warner Bros. Records]].
'''''Breezin'''''' is the fifteenth studio [[album]] by [[jazz]]/[[soul music|soul]] [[guitarist]] and vocalist [[George Benson]]. It is his debut on [[Warner Bros. Records]]. It not only was a chart-topper in the Jazz category but also went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum, making it one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.


== Commercial performance ==
== Commercial performance ==
''Breezin''' marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially, topping the [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] [[Billboard 200|Pop]], Jazz and R&B album charts.<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards|id=r30393 |label=Breezin' Billboard Albums}}</ref> It spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a [[fusion jazz]] standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten [[Billboard Hot 100|pop]] and [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks|R&B]] hit.<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards/billboard-single |id=r30393 |label=Breezin' Billboard Singles}}</ref> The album has since been certified as 3X multi-Platinum by the [[RIAA]].<ref>{{cite certification|region=United States|artist=Benson, George|title=Breezin_|type=album}}</ref>
{{listen
|pos=left
|filename=This Masquerade sample.ogg
|title="This Masquerade"
|description=[[George Benson]]'s "[[This Masquerade]]" from ''Breezin'''
|filetype=[[Ogg]]}}
The album marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially. ''Breezin''' topped the [[Billboard 200|Pop]], Jazz and R&B album charts in [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]<ref>{{Allmusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards|id=r30393 |label=Breezin' Billboard Albums}}</ref> and spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a [[smooth jazz]] standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten [[Billboard Hot 100|pop]] and [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks|R&B]] hit.<ref>{{Allmusic |class=album |tab=charts-awards/billboard-single |id=r30393 |label=Breezin' Billboard Singles}}</ref> The album itself was certified triple Platinum by the [[RIAA]].<ref>{{cite certification|region=United States|artist=Benson, George|title=Breezin_|type=album}}</ref>


The album won multiple prizes at the [[1977 Grammy Awards]]. The album won the awards [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance#Recipients|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]] for Benson and [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical#1970s|Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical]] for [[Al Schmitt]] and was nominated as [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year#Recipients|Album of the Year]] for [[Tommy LiPuma]] and Benson. "This Masquerade" received the award [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year#Recipients|Record of the Year]] for LiPuma and Benson, while it was nominated as [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year#Recipients|Song of the Year]] for [[Leon Russell]] and as [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance#1970s|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male]] for Benson.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&title=&year=1976&genre=All |title=Past Winners Search &#124; GRAMMY.com – 1976 |work=grammy.com |accessdate=28 August 2011}}</ref>
The album garnered multiple nominations and awards at the [[19th Annual Grammy Awards]]. The album won the awards [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance#Recipients|Best Pop Instrumental Performance]] for Benson and [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical#1970s|Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical]] for [[Al Schmitt]] and was nominated as [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year#Recipients|Album of the Year]] for [[Tommy LiPuma]] and Benson. "This Masquerade" received the award [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year#Recipients|Record of the Year]] for LiPuma and Benson, while it was nominated as [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year#Recipients|Song of the Year]] for [[Leon Russell]] and as [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance#1970s|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male]] for Benson.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&title=&year=1976&genre=All |title=Past Winners Search {{pipe}} GRAMMY.com – 1976 |work=grammy.com |access-date=28 August 2011}}</ref>


== Critical reception ==
== Critical reception ==
{{Album ratings
In a contemporaneous review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album a "C" and dismissed most of its music as "mush".<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=June 14, 1976|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-76.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=May 27, 2013}}</ref> In a retrospective review, [[Allmusic]]'s Richard S. Ginell gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and said that, although Benson's guitar is "as assured and fluid as ever", ''Breezin{{'}}'' is "really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity."<ref>{{Allmusic |class=album |tab=review |id=r30393 |first=Richard S. |last=Ginell |label=George Benson: ''Breezin&rsquo;'' > Review |accessdate=7 Mar 2010}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings]]''

|rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Penguin">{{cite book|last = Cook|first = Richard|author-link = Richard Cook (journalist)|author2 = Brian Morton|author2-link = Brian Morton (Scottish writer)|title = The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings|edition = 9th|series = [[The Penguin Guide to Jazz]]|year = 2008|publisher = Penguin|location = London|isbn = 978-0-14-103401-0 | page = 113}}</ref>
== Original version ==
|rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
[[Gábor Szabó]], a Hungarian jazz guitarist, recorded the original version of title track "[[High Contrast (Gábor Szabó album)|Breezin']]", and has expressed disdain for Benson's success with his arrangement.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Coincidentally, LiPuma produced both versions.<ref>[[High Contrast (Gábor Szabó album)]]</ref>
|rev2Score = C<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: B|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70|access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref>

}}
In 2004, [[Donny Osmond]] redid the song as "[[Breeze On By]]", using the original arrangement and guitar licks and adding a vocal track.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
In a contemporaneous review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album a "C" and dismissed most of its music as "mush".<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=14 June 1976|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-76.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=27 May 2013}}</ref> In a retrospective review, [[Allmusic]]'s Richard S. Ginell gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and said that, although Benson's guitar is "as assured and fluid as ever", ''Breezin{{'}}'' is "really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity".<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=review |id=r30393 |first=Richard S. |last=Ginell |label=George Benson: ''Breezin''' > Review |accessdate=7 March 2010}}</ref>


== Track listing ==
== Track listing ==
{{track listing
{{track listing
|headline= Side one
|headline= Side one
|title1=[[Breezin' (song)|Breezin']]|writer1=[[Bobby Womack]]|length1=5:40
|writing_credits=yes
|title1=Breezin'|writer1=[[Bobby Womack]]|length1=5:40
|title2=[[This Masquerade]]|writer2=[[Leon Russell]]|length2=8:03
|title2=[[This Masquerade]]|writer2=[[Leon Russell]]|length2=8:03
|title3=Six to Four|writer3=[[Phil Upchurch]]|length3=5:06
|title3=Six to Four|writer3=[[Phil Upchurch]]|length3=5:06
Line 49: Line 47:
{{track listing
{{track listing
|headline= Side two
|headline= Side two
|writing_credits=yes
|title1=[[Affirmation (George Benson song)|Affirmation]]|writer1=[[José Feliciano]]|length1=7:01
|title1=[[Affirmation (George Benson song)|Affirmation]]|writer1=[[José Feliciano]]|length1=7:01
|title2=So This is Love?|writer2=Benson|length2=7:03
|title2=So This is Love?|writer2=Benson|length2=7:03
Line 58: Line 55:
* George Benson – guitar, vocals
* George Benson – guitar, vocals
* [[Jorge Dalto]] – acoustic piano, [[clavinet]], acoustic piano solo (2)
* [[Jorge Dalto]] – acoustic piano, [[clavinet]], acoustic piano solo (2)
* [[Ronnie Foster]] – electric piano, [[Minimoog]] [[synthesizer]], Minimoog solo (3), electric piano solo (5)
* [[Ronnie Foster]] – electric piano, [[Minimoog]] [[synthesizer]], mini-Moog solo (3), electric piano solo (5)
* [[Phil Upchurch]] – rhythm guitar, bass (1, 3)
* [[Phil Upchurch]] – rhythm guitar, bass (1, 3)
* Stanley Banks – bass (2, 4{{endash}}6)
* [[Ralph MacDonald]] – percussion
* [[Stanley Banks]] – bass (2, 4, 5, 6)
* [[Claus Ogerman]] – arranger, conductor
* [[Harvey Mason]] – drums
* [[Harvey Mason]] – drums
* [[Ralph MacDonald]] – percussion
* [[Claus Ogerman]] – arrangements and conductor


==Production==
==Production==
Line 70: Line 67:
* [[Al Schmitt]] – recording, mixing
* [[Al Schmitt]] – recording, mixing
* Don Henderson – assistant engineer
* Don Henderson – assistant engineer
* [[Doug Sax]] – mastering engineer
* [[Doug Sax]] – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).
* Ed Thrasher – art direction
* Ed Thrasher – art direction
* Robert Lockhart – art direction
* Robert Lockhart – art direction
* Peter Palombi – design
* Peter Palombi – design
* Mario Casilli – photography
* Mario Casilli – photography

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1976–78)
! scope="col" | Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|9|artist=George Benson|album=Breezin'|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|1|artist=George Benson|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=George Benson|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}}
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (2021)
! scope="col" | Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|BillboardJazz|12|artist=George Benson|rowheader=true|access-date=November 9, 2021}}
|-
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1976)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row" | US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1976/top-billboard-200-albums |title=Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 9, 2021 }}</ref>
| 19
|-
! scope="row" | US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1976/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums |title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 9, 2021 }}</ref>
| 4
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1977)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=3866 |title=Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart |publisher=[[Recorded Music New Zealand]] |access-date=November 9, 2021 }}</ref>
| 33
|-
! scope="row" | US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1977/top-billboard-200-albums |title=Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=November 9, 2021 }}</ref>
| 26
|-
! scope="col" | Chart (1978)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=3867|title=Top Selling Albums of 1978 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=[[Recorded Music New Zealand]]|access-date=January 26, 2022}}</ref>
| 35
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=George Benson|title=Breezin'|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|relyear=1976|certyear=1996|access-date=November 28, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|artist=George Benson|title=Breezin'|type=album|nocert=true|salesamount=43,090|relyear=1976|salesref=<ref name="JPCB">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=[[Roppongi]], [[Tokyo]]|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=George Benson|title=Breezin'|award=Silver|type=album|relyear=1976|certyear=1978|id=1077-3515-2|access-date=December 12, 2021}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=George Benson|title=Breezin'|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1976|certyear=1984|access-date=November 9, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}


==See also==
==See also==
Line 82: Line 139:
== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

<!-- NOTE about succession boxes: these are designed to flow from one #1 article to the next regardless of albums dropping from and/or returning to #1 - please do not create circular links or have the "preceding"/"succeeding" songs show the same album. -->
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| before = ''[[Frampton Comes Alive!]]'' by [[Peter Frampton]]
| title = [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] [[Number-one albums of 1976 (USA)|number-one album]]
| years = July 31, 1976 – August 13, 1976
| after = ''Frampton Comes Alive!'' by Peter Frampton
}}
{{s-end}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 100: Line 147:
{{George Benson}}
{{George Benson}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2011}}


[[Category:George Benson albums]]
[[Category:George Benson albums]]
[[Category:1976 albums]]
[[Category:1976 albums]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Records albums]]
[[Category:Warner Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tommy LiPuma]]
[[Category:Albums arranged by Claus Ogerman]]
[[Category:Albums arranged by Claus Ogerman]]
[[Category:Smooth jazz albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Capitol Studios]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Capitol Studios]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical]]

Latest revision as of 16:53, 24 May 2024

This article is about the album by George Benson. For the album by Sonny Red, see Breezing (album).

Breezin'
Studio album by
George Benson
ReleasedMarch 19, 1976[1]
RecordedJanuary 6–8, 1976
StudioCapitol (Hollywood)
GenreSmooth jazz
Length38:42
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTommy LiPuma
George Benson chronology
Benson & Farrell
(1976) 		Breezin'
(1976) 		In Flight
(1977)

Breezin' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a chart-topper in the Jazz category but also went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts. It was certified triple platinum, making it one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.

Commercial performance

[edit]

Breezin' marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially, topping the Billboard Pop, Jazz and R&B album charts.[2] It spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a fusion jazz standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten pop and R&B hit.[3] The album has since been certified as 3X multi-Platinum by the RIAA.[4]

The album garnered multiple nominations and awards at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards. The album won the awards Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Benson and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Al Schmitt and was nominated as Album of the Year for Tommy LiPuma and Benson. "This Masquerade" received the award Record of the Year for LiPuma and Benson, while it was nominated as Song of the Year for Leon Russell and as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for Benson.[5]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Christgau's Record GuideC[7]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[6]

In a contemporaneous review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "C" and dismissed most of its music as "mush".[8] In a retrospective review, Allmusic's Richard S. Ginell gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and said that, although Benson's guitar is "as assured and fluid as ever", Breezin' is "really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity".[9]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Breezin'"Bobby Womack5:40
2."This Masquerade"Leon Russell8:03
3."Six to Four"Phil Upchurch5:06
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Affirmation"José Feliciano7:01
2."So This is Love?"Benson7:03
3."Lady"Ronnie Foster5:49

Personnel

[edit]

Production

[edit]
  • Tommy LiPuma – producer
  • Noel Newbolt – associate producer
  • Al Schmitt – recording, mixing
  • Don Henderson – assistant engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).
  • Ed Thrasher – art direction
  • Robert Lockhart – art direction
  • Peter Palombi – design
  • Mario Casilli – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Japan — 43,090[20]
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Album Picks" (PDF). WorldRadioHistory.com. Record World. 3 April 1976. p. 16. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  2. ^ Breezin' Billboard Albums at AllMusic
  3. ^ Breezin' Billboard Singles at AllMusic
  4. ^ "American album certifications – Benson, George – Breezin_". Recording Industry Association of America.
  5. ^ "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com – 1976". grammy.com. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (14 June 1976). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  9. '^ Ginell, Richard S.. George Benson: Breezin > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – George Benson – Breezin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "George Benson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "George Benson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "George Benson Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1977 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1978 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  19. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  20. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  21. ^ "British album certifications – George Benson – Breezin'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  22. ^ "American album certifications – George Benson – Breezin'". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
[edit]
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