On to a stage on Broadway — Hammersmith Broadway — ambled jazz legend George Benson, 76, snappily dressed in white slacks, a black jacket and a gold medallion and waving to two tiers’ worth of cheering fans, some of whom dined cabaret-style at white-clothed tables positioned down the front.
Fetching his signature bronze Ibanez guitar, the 10-time Grammy winner eased into the oh-so-smooth jazz instrumental Breezin’, the tune’s chilled vibe quietening a crowd that was clearly busting to party. Then, mic in hand, his guitar hanging free, he was out of the gate with a string of jazz-pop anthems — Love X Love, Give Me The Night, Turn Your Love Around — that had people dancing, smooching and hollering along, his voice rich and low, his delivery impeccable.
There were deviations: the sound of bagpipes replicated on guitar, the vocally tricky, aurally pleasurable Moody’s Mood, Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable and Fats Domino’s I Hear You Knocking — cherry-picked from Benson’s current 45th album, Walking to New Orleans.
To finish, Benson gifted us his famed version of the Drifters’ On Broadway, reaching to shake outstretched hands before ambling off, his star power undiminished.
