UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
When George Benson breezed into London in 2019, there was no social distancing, no two-metre rule and no face-mask mandates. Instead, an expectant audience of 250 were ushered into the illustrious Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club to witness the Grammy-winning master of jazz at close quarters – and there was a full bar.
It may seem like a lifetime ago but the intimate evening of soul grooves and improvised jazz leads captured on Benson’s latest live album Weekend In London are as fresh and delightfully zesty as the day they were captured. With the oozing atmosphere of the famed lounge bar providing their sumptuous backdrop, Benson’s creamy vocals and chromatic runs lingered in the air as if they were being slowly consumed by the venue itself.
According to Benson, the decadent surroundings played a key role in the evocative 14-track recording. “Well, one thing’s for sure: you can’t get away with nothing. It’s up close and personal,” he says. “Ronnie Scott’s is a unique place for musicians. It showcases them in a way that
