George Benson

Weekly Workout: How to Pick Like Jazz-Great George Benson https://t.co/AxTySq3TIs #GeorgeBenson pic.twitter.com/ATthohMOpM

— Jazz Music News (@mhq_jazz) June 20, 2016

George Benson

George Benson will be immortalized on the Kansas City 18th & Vine Jazz Walk of Fame on June 4. https://t.co/lnGrgmT0KD

— John Hilderbrand (@tomorrowjazz) May 27, 2016

Andreas Varady and George Benson: One jazz stage for two of a kind

Photo: Kharen Hill
By Roger Catlin August 29 at 10:44 AM
Of the two effortlessly breezy jazz guitarists playing Sunday’s George Benson concert at Wolf Trap, one will be 71 years old, the other 17.

Andreas Varady, who will open the show, has been a fan of Benson since he was 4, when he started playing guitar — “more like a ukulele with six strings,” he says over the phone from his home in Dublin.

But the guitarist, who picked up the instrument from his musician father, picked it up very fast. By the time the family moved from Slovakia to Ireland, he got attention busking on corners, doing runs on old standards at age 10.

“People really enjoyed it,” he says of the street-corner playing. “There were people circling us and it was really, really fun.”

Just as important was the circle gathering on the Internet, where several of his YouTube videos showing an impossibly young boy with complete command of the fretboard drew more than 100,000 views each. Eventually he got the ear of producers, managers, festival runners and other musicians.

When Quincy Jones got a load of what he was doing, Varady was enlisted to join his Global Gumbo Group project with Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and vocalist Nikki Yanofsky.

Jones, who has produced work from Lionel Hampton and Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, is co-producer (along with another Grammy winner, David Foster), of Varady’s self-titled U.S. debut, out this month on Verve Records.


The teen musician gives his jazzy take on songs from Django Reinhardt to Steely Dan, with one of his own compositions thrown in.
read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/andreas-varady-and-george-benson-one-jazz-stage-for-two-of-a-kind/2014/08/28/c082171c-2a47-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html?wprss=rss_style

Jazz Guitarist George Benson to Present Scholarship to Music Student at Scottsdale Community College Jazz Showcase December 7

Scottsdale Community College is pleased to announce the very first recipient of the George Benson Honorary Scholarship -- Chelsey Minkler.

Scottsdale Community College is pleased to announce the very first recipient of the George Benson Honorary Scholarship, Chelsey Minkler. Minkler will be presented with the 2012 Inaugural George Benson Honorary Scholarship by the famed jazz musician himself, Mr. George Benson, at the SCC Jazz Showcase, Wednesday, December 7 at 7:30pm, at the SCC Performing Arts Center, 9000 E. Chaparral Rd., Scottsdale.

SCC’s Jazz Band and Jazz Orchestra are schedule to perform during the Jazz Showcase, and Mr. Benson is schedule to present the inaugural scholarship to Ms. Minkler. Mr. Benson is not scheduled to perform at the Jazz Showcase.

Tickets for the Jazz Showcase are $7 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens, staff, students and children, and will be sold at the door the night of the event.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the SCC Music Department Scholarship Fund.

After successful fundraising efforts last year by SCC’s Music Advisory Committee, the group decided to award a scholarship every year to an outstanding SCC music student. Mr. George Benson was selected as the namesake of the new scholarship because of his remarkable contributions to music. Music instructor Rob Wegner and Music Department Chair, Dr. Christina Novak, reached out to Mr. Benson, who agreed to be the namesake of this important award.

Info: For more information call (480) 423-6328

Canned goods are also being collected during the concert to benefit Vista del Camino Community Center. Guests are invited to bring a canned food item to the concert to help feed the hungry in our community.

About Chelsey Minkler:
Chelsey Minkler was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Minkler is currently in her second year at Scottsdale Community College and plans to major in both Music Education and Vocal Performance. Minkler has been involved in numerous Music performances, including SCC’s Musical Theatre productions, Concert Choir and Jazz Choir. She also works as a music tutor for the college. After SCC, she plans to go to an in-state university.

About George Benson:
George Benson’s career spans five decades. He has released more than 30 recordings and garnered ten Grammy Awards. Mr. Benson has used his jazz roots as the foundation for an engaging mix of pop, R&B and other shades that add up to a style that appeals to a broad mainstream audience. Along the way, he has also established himself as a formidable jazz singer – one whose biggest career hits have showcased his memorable vocals as well as his guitar expertise.

Known for such hits as “The Masquerade” and “Give Me the Night,” both from the 1976 blockbuster album, Breezin’ -- the first jazz record to achieve platinum sales. Benson has continued to create a legacy in the jazz world with his musical talents through the years. His newest album, Guitar Man, was just released this October.

About Scottsdale Community College 
Scottsdale Community College is one of the ten regionally accredited Maricopa Community Colleges. SCC's mission is to improve the quality of life in the surrounding communities by providing challenging, supportive, and distinctive learning experiences. As the only community college in the nation to reside on Native American land through a partnership with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, SCC offers students a pristine, natural setting with expansive mountain views and native plant and wildlife.

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