George Benson‘s Sax Odyssey: The other Benson Recalls a Life Spent with Jazz Giants

Dec. 25, 2002

Legendary jazzman George Benson will make his way north December 28 to perform with the Jazz Haas Trio at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall. This isn’t that George Benson; rather this is the original George Benson. The other Benson plays a pretty mean jazz guitar; this George Benson plays a mean sax.
“Yeah, people confuse me with the other Benson, they send me e-mails all the time from all over the world asking when I am going to come back and play their city, and since it is a city I have never played at I know this e-mail is for the other guy,” said Benson. “We met once back in the sixties when he was just getting started. He came to Detroit to perform with Jack McDuff and they came over to the Twenty Grand Club to check me out after finishing their show. We had a friendly conversation, tried to figure out if we were related, and it didn’t seem likely, and haven’t seen each other since.”
George Benson, the sax man, has been a professional musician for over 50 years and got his start playing the in the Detroit Public Schools music program and then during high school at various area jazz clubs.
“I started playing sax in school at the age of 10 in 1940, so I guess I dated myself,” said Benson. “Then in high school I bumped up my age so I could play in clubs to make money.”
Word of Benson’s sax abilities began to spread and he formed his own band that consisted of soon-to-be-jazz-legends, Tommy Flannagan, Barry Harris and Paul Chambers. They played the Detroit and Ohio club circuit, working six nights a week.
A natural leader, Benson found himself at the front of many bands; one of his favorites was with Flannagan and a blues guitarist Calvin Fraiser.
“We would play jazz the first part of the evening,” said Benson. “Then as the crowd would get larger later in the evening, we would switch to blues to keep everyone around. Calvin had a long cord and could go anywhere in the club and play his guitar at the tables. People loved it.”

EVERY NIGHT
Despite the fun, playing gigs in those days was hard work and performing almost every night was required to squeak out a living.
“As a musician you were only allowed to play six nights a week. It was a tough living in those days,” said Benson. “On Sunday nights we would have a musician jam session, so I was gone every night. We were busy in those days because television wasn’t so prevalent and clubs were one of the primary forms of entertainment.”
While other jazz musicians migrated to New York (including Flannagan, Harris and Chambers) for additional playing opportunities and a chance at bigger dollars, Benson, who met his wife of 51 years while playing at a club in Toledo, decided to stay in Detroit to start a family.
“I had to make a decision and I believe I made the right one in pursuing security for my family,” said Benson. “I eventually took a job with the U.S. postal system and this enabled me to put my kids through college and provide for a good home life. A lot of guys didn’t take my path and have no financial security; it seems there is always a benefit going on for a musician. I am glad I had the foresight to take a job and I still had the opportunity to play my music.”
Despite working a full-time job during the day Benson worked weekends as a musician, and his boss would even allow for Benson to get time off to work at a recording studio and do some touring.
Word of Benson’s sax work spread like wildfire, and such greats as Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett sought out Benson for their albums as well as tours. His decision to stay in Detroit paid off when the city found itself at the center of r&b and soul music in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.

THE SPOTLIGHT
Aretha Franklin called on Benson as did several Motown greats such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Surpremes, The Four Tops, and The Temptations. All used Benson’s sax work on their hit recordings, and when time permitted brought him on the road with them.
“It was exciting to be a part of that magical Detroit music scene of the sixties,” said Benson. “I wasn’t a member of the legendary Funk Brothers, those guys were the rhythm section for the recordings. I did most of the Motown sessions with those guys and worked with the Funk Brothers and Earle Van Dyke in the late sixties with our own band.”
Prior to coming to Northern Michigan, Benson will perform at the Detroit Opera House as part of the “Too Hot To Handel,” a tribute to Handel’s Messiah. Benson has always had an eclectic appreciation for music.
“I started out playing classical music in school, then I played with blues guitarists, jazz guys and then the Motown thing, so you could say I have played it all and really enjoy it all,” said Benson. “If I were to pick you could say I am a be-bopper, I was raised in the be-bop era. However, I will play any music as long as it is good music.”
Benson, who learned to play the sax through an elementary school music program, is disappointed in the lack of funding for school music programs today.
“When the budget is tight the music program is the first to go,” said Benson. “It is really too bad because there is evidence to suggest students who play an instrument do better academically.”
Benson, at the age of 73, continues to do his part to pass on his musical knowledge.
“I still give saxophone lessons and I am proud to see some of my students enjoying success as musicians. Rick Margitza, a tenor player known all over the world, he played with Miles and is considered to be one of America’s leading saxophone players. There is also Chris Collins, another top player known all over, and there are several others.”

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Benson certainly has had a rewarding career and enjoys the respect of many in the industry.
“I am proud of my accomplishments, my ability to raise a family, stay married for 51 years and the fact that I am still able to play music, I feel very fortunate,” said Benson.
So retirement must mean fishing and vacations?
“No, I have written a book since I have retired on the permutations of the chord changes on the giant step,” said Benson. “These chord changes are so difficult that I developed a system through numbers to simplify this. I had 576 permutations but the publisher reduced it down to 130 so the book wouldn’t be too thick.”
His show in Northern Michigan will be a rare one as he has cut back his public appearances.
“I never really toured much to begin with and seldom go out unless it is a short trip with one of the Motown bands. Jeff Haas is an excellent player as are the guys in his trio, so that is the only reason I would come up to Traverse City in the middle of winter and that is a to have a chance to perform with them.“
Haas echoes the unique opportunity.
“It is rare that George (Benson) is in Traverse City,” said Haas. “He is a deeply talented and soulful musician who brings incredible history to the bandstand. We thought it would be a great way for jazz fans to relax during the holidays and enjoy an informal evening of classic jazz.”
The Jeff Haas Trio featuring bassist Chuck Hall and drummer Alex Trajano will be joined by Benson to perform tunes by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk and selections from Miles Davis’ historic recording “Kind of Blue.” The 8 p.m. show will also feature a few original compositions by Haas, and will take place at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall near the base of the Old Mission Peninsula. Advance tickets are available at New Moon Records, Oryana Food Coop and Borders Books & Music. For additional details, phone 941-8667.