VIA PRESS RELEASE | When it comes to jazz guitarists and songwriters, George Benson is one of the apex members of the genre. Deftly blending various modes of jazz sound, from smooth to swing to soulful, along with blues and pop sensibilities, his work made him a bonafide hitmaker, achieving commercial and critical success.
A frequent guest of the celebrated Montreux Jazz Festival, he performed a particularly special set in the summer of 1986. Benson himself selected this concert as the first of his Montreux performances to be released as a live set. On July 14, Mercury Studios will proudly present George Benson Live At Montreux 1986 on DVD+2CD. While the DVD was released in 2005, this marks the first time the 2CD portion has been available in the marketplace.
Live At Montreux 1986 beautifully captures George Benson onstage and in his element. The tracklist boasts classics from across his career up until that point, including “On Broadway,” “Lady Love Me (One More Time),” “In Your Eyes,” “Love X Love,” and “20/20″ to name a few. He also sprinkles in a few covers, like Roberta Flack’s 1974 #1 hit “Feel Like Making Love” and L.T.D.’s 1976 hit “Love Ballad,” which Benson would bring to #3 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1979.
With a style that would influence generations to come, the music of George Benson continues to maintain a quality of timelessness. This is expertly captured on Live at Montreux 1986.
About Mercury Studios | Mercury Studios is a multi-faceted content studio established to develop, produce, globally distribute and invest in innovative, music-rooted storytelling across a range of media including film, television, podcasting, publishing and live-streamed performance. Taking its name from the iconic Mercury Records label, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and creates an open space for experimentation to unleash and amplify both emerging and established artists. With offices in London and Los Angeles, Mercury Studios harnesses its established relationships with best-in-class talent from music and film, seamlessly bridging the two worlds to create a completely distinctive community of trailblazers driven by original IP, innovation and collaboration.