This is the ultimate CD for relaxed, easy listening wherever you are whether surfing the web, doing chores or driving. Every track is pure gold but "BREEZIN'", "DOWN HERE ON THE GROUND" and "THIS MASQUERADE" showcase Benson's guitar magic to perfection. It's an instant Caribbean-vacation-in-a-disc, something you can listen to over and over again and never tire of its crisply-recorded perfection. Once you start playing it you'll never want to leave the beach and go home.

...and hasn't stopped since. There may have been other artists who broke ground first, but none of them kick-started the genre like "Breezin'" did. This landmark album not only gave birth to a new form of jazz, it made jazz a commodity. Much to the chagrin of purists. But whether they like it or not, it's here and it started here.

You can love George for his smooth, sometimes BB-King-style phrasing or you can hate him for taking the art out of jazz. But either way you cannot argue his command of the solo. No one understands the power of the solo better and it shows on this album and in all of his recordings. Quite simply put, he's my generation's version of Wes Montgomery (at least in my opinion).

Besides "This Masquerade" and the title track, "Lady" is an all-around well-crafted jazz song with pop stylings. He works well with the string orchestra--as he does in the other compositions on this album--and he never strays beyond what is needed.

But George's ride doesn't stop with this album...his next one "In Flight" continues the rise of smooth jazz (or the fall of jazz as art, some might say). And then of course "Weekend in LA" knocked the walls of jazz commercialism down to the ground.

Call it what you want, but this is nothing short of a breakthrough, pioneering effort by one of the best guitarists of the last half of the 20th century.

I have always been a blues guitar fan.
The guitar has always been my favorite instrument to listen to.
Over the years I have not listened to a lot of Jazz. I do appreciate a good jazz musician though, and Benson is one of them.
The first time I heard the CD, years ago when it first came out.
I could not believe my ears. The Sound was incredible and the guitar was exquisite. i truely wish there were more jazz guitar players with this kind of talent. If there were I would probably listen to jazz as much as I do the blues.
George Benson has come up with a very fine album.
This is one of those albums you play at night while you are in bed and listening to music. I often listen to music at night and I love the mood this artist gets you into.
This Masquerade which was written by Leon Russel and was a major hit for Benson. This to me is the classic Jazz album of all time. This is the master with his grammy winning album. Need I say more?
The album is very good from the first note to the last note.
We simply do not have enough jazz guitar players around, and an album like this proves it.................

There are a lot of things one could call George Benson, but repetitive is not one of them. Having earnt his stripes at a very young age (drawing comparisons to the great Wes Montgomery early on and playing for Miles Davis), Benson had a lot to live up to in his solo carreer.
His early recordings for Verve established him as a powerful and original leader, and his four albums for CTI are among the finest albums the label ever put out. Then, in 1976, he tried his hand at pop which, unfortunately for fans of his early work, he has stuck at ever since.

Most jazz purists dismiss this album as comparable only to the contrived, over-produced jazz/pop crossover music that followed it and made Benson a star to people outide jazz circles. But there is a whole lot more to this album than that.

With support from a great band - including the legendary Harvey Mason on the drums - and some beautiful orchestrations from Claus Ogerman, Benson literrally breezes (get it?) through the tracks here. He is always a pleasure to listen to; elegant, lyrical and truly entertaining as a guitarist. The songs here are easily the best he recorded for Capitol, and they are so nicely put together that they are almost impossible to resist - however "cheesey" you may consider them to be.

While this is far from his best work, this is certainly the most accessible George Benson album you can get your hands on, and I mean that as a compliment. It's simply good, enjoyable music. At a good price, this is an invaluable addition to any serious listener's collection.

After a long hard day, George Benson just soothes the stress of the day away.

1. Breezin' - 5/5
2. This Masquerade - 5/5
3. Six to Four - 5/5
4. Affirmation - 5/5
5. So This Is Love? - 5/5
6. Lady - 4/5

"The best selling jazz album of all time". This phrase appears on the back of this album. I honestly can't find anything wrong with this CD music-wise. If it weren't for the fact that I don't believe that there is such thing as the perfect album, I would say that I've found it. The only reason that I took off from the track "Lady" was because I like all the other ones more than it for no real reason. This is the best recording of "This Masquerade" that was ever mixed by George Benson (it was the first song in history to occupy the number one spot on in the jazz, blues and pop charts). It is the only non-instrumental on the CD and is amazing! The title track is also great and is one of the only songs to make it on to every "Best of George Benson" albums that I've seen (not including the instrumental one because that would be unfair to "This Masquerade"). This is a great first album from George Benson (it was for me)! If I had to pick a favorite or two I would pick "Breezin'" and "This Masquerade" which would be closely followed by "Six to Four" and "Affirmation".

This album is simply great Music. I do not know why some people have to label everything. Whatever you call it, this material works, its is smooth, it is great to listen to. The very fact that this music is timeless, and it continues to sell is testimony to its quality. From the regular listener, to the top guitarist, they all can feel the quality in this album. Worth its weight in multi-platinum.

This is one of my all-time favorites. George Benson's guitar playing is magnificent. So clear, fluent, and really does swing, in these pop tunes.

The beautiful string and wind instrument arrangements, in Breezin', to Benson's bright, melodic guitar playing make the song a tremendous listen!

Perhaps Benson was the first R&B singer. This Masquerade clearly shows influences of modern R&B. Benson's scatting along with his guitar solos sound beautiful.

The up-beat Six To Four is a cleaver piece. Benson takes command of the board here, showing the rest who's boss, and just playing the most marvelous guitar solos you ever heard.

My favorite, on this album is Affirmation. This could of been just as big a hit as Breezin' and Masquerade was. Again, the string arrangements are beautiful. The rest is good.

There are about five players that really influenced my playing. George Benson is one of those, and because of this album! Hear contemporary jazz when it was young, and had bright new preformers like Benson playing it. After about 35 years, this album still cooks!

This is a wonderful pop/soul album with a light jazz influence. I put it this way because it's not a true jazz album. George Benson proves he is a master at vocal interpretation. The title cut "Breezin'" is the album's strongest track. "This Masquerade" is also a classic. Although I do prefer the Carpenters' recording of "This Masquerade" far more (you just can't beat Karen's deep rich voice).

They say this is the best selling jazz album of all time. I dont know about that. Maybee the best selling contemporary jazz album. This and Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good. I first got the idea to buy this after continually hearing Breezin on the radio. I wasn't dissapointed. Even a guy who hates singing, (me) loves This Masquerade. Six To Four is the other masterpiece. The musicians here are top notch to. At least for 1976. They say this album got Benson noticed. In my opinion, Benson doesn't display any amazing techniques, but sure delivers a nice album! If you like vintage contemporary jazz, you'll love this cd. This is one of the good albums made by George Benson, and there weren't that many.

Maybe it's the sound on CD.

But it's a great recording...especially all of side two, which I wore out on LP, twice, in 4 years of college.

Also dig his solo on the "Miles In The Sky" CD by Miles Davis...first tune.

"Six to Four" still hurts to hear, but the rest is a delight. Buy it.

George Benson's crowning achievement. Superb musicianship throughout by all the players. This record is eminently listenable, even danceable in spots, and the improvisation is tasteful and imaginative throughout.

There is no point in having a discussion about this record with snobby jazz purists. The don't get it, and never will. George Benson's reputation as a jazz AND pop guitarist of the highest calibre is set in stone and noone is going to change that.

This is a seminal album; one of the greatest jazz-pop records ever made, very influential, and aging very, very well.

This is the album that made George Benson a pop superstar. "This Masquerade" was a light jazz easy listening hit and "Breezin" was a hit too. "This Masquerade" had the unique distinction of hitting number one on the jazz, R&B, and pop charts; I wonder if any other tune has performed that trifecta. Jazz players will be very familiar with this tune and having the original version for library was the main reason I picked up a bargain version of the album. I did not realize, however, that the new remastered version has extra versions of some of the tracks as well as a version of "Down Here On the Ground" a very Donny Hathawayesque tune that I dig off of the "Weekend In LA" album.

"Breezin" sounds like easy listening light jazz but it's a pleasing chart that I enjoy with its flute hook but it's got a nice groove to it as well and . This stuff drips with 70s production values and has a Bob James kind of sound. If you like that kind of light jazz than "Breezin" is an excellent album. I find it to be pleasing light jazz that doesn't wear as well as his "Weekend In LA" album, where the live performance brings out more fire for George Benson. This album was one of the blueprints for smooth jazz and folks that dig smooth jazz would be wise to look at Benson, with his soulful jazz chops and breathtaking Hathaway like voice before they dig into the latest thing playing on light jazz radio.

3.5 stars

It's incomprehensible to me that anyone can listen to this sugar-coated, easy-listening garbage. This is not jazz. Jazz involves innovative improvisation, generally some dissonance. Miles Davis is jazz. Ornette Coleman is jazz. Charlie Parker is jazz. George Benson is muzak for the tone deaf, the same moronic fools who listen to Kenny G.

This music came out when I was in my 20's, dating an absolutely knock-out girl from Haiti. The music made all the difference. Buy it.

This was an original review by the 70s, how George recorded "Affirmation" on this great album:

Though Side One of Breezin' had the hits, Side Two was a creamy, seamless masterpiece unto itself. It unfolded with "Affirmation," a song composed by Jose Feliciano, the international superstar singer/guitarist/composer who had recorded it on his album, Just Wanna Rock 'N' Roll (RCA), from the fall of '75. "Affirmation" was the sole instrumental on that Feliciano LP, providing the blind Puerto Rican wunderkind a golden opportunity to showcase his skills on acoustic Spanish guitar, electric rhythm guitar (with a wah-wah effect), electric bass, congas and as a string arranger! LiPuma was enchanted with the melody of Feliciano's relatively brief (3:33) recording. When material was being prepared for Breezin', he presented it to Benson, who liked it immediately. The band worked up an arrangement that loosened and elongated the vibe of the original. Like Feliciano's version, George begins "Affirmation" alone, caressing an introduction of choice notes and a smooth rendering of its signature run down the frets. But when the rhythm section eases in, led by MacDonald's congas, the groove is more relaxed and funky in a way that is quite different from Feliciano's more insistent arrangement, which throbbed with forthright Latin pride. Where Feliciano had his rhythm section drop out for the soaring bridge, Benson's band rides it like the wind, drummer Mason liberating the rhythm by opening up on his cymbals. Benson tickles the strings with a tasty solo that leads into the killer breakdown section, with Upchurch dipping into his effects bag. And then, in what has to be one of the all-time classiest hand-offs in music, Benson makes way for Dalto's wistful electric piano (complete with soulful little comps) before Benson takes it home, getting in a few final signature licks. Benson's "Affirmation" is seven minutes of masterful musical heaven. Jose Feliciano also, re-recorded it in 1997 follow the Benson jazz arrangements

Wow, I love this CD! I listened to the album many, many times until I noticeably scratched it up and had to stop playing it. There are songs from other George Benson albums/CDs that I also love but this one has such a nice feel and wonderful sound that it is easily his best. I won't discourage you from hearing some other nice sounds (OTHER SIDE OF ABBEY ROAD is probably my second favorite album, and there are sevearl great individual songs like his version of "White Rabbit"- fantastic), but this one flows together consistently well.

George Benson is definitely an amazing guitar player and also a gifted singer. The album Breezin', brought Benson's name into the mainstream for the first time, but he avoided really going pop. His playing and singing are very good here, some of his best work. I first heard George Benson on the Miles Davis track "Paraphernalia" from his album Miles In The Sky, and have enjoyed his guitar playing since. The songs all have a clear sound and a nice emotional feel, whether it is a slower song or a laid-back groove. The title really sums this up. It holds down a nice neutral ground between jazz and easy listening music (which is mostly horrible but Benson sounds good with it) and also includes some soul. There are also some interesting instruments show-cased here, like mini-moog synthesizers.

The album opens up with the title track, "Breezin'", which is an instant classic. There is a great groove on this song, the guitar playing by Benson is remarkably laid-back and great. The song also was a pretty successful hit. The first single from this album is the amazing "This Masquerade", which has Benson singing and playing guitar in one of his greatest songs ever. This track was a huge hit and opened many eyes. It's a ballad, and chances are you might've heard it before. "Six To Four" is a nice up-tempo song, with a mini-moog solo, but George holds his own on this song, and keeps up nicely. "Affirmation" is a classic song, with an exotic solo at the beginning by Benson. Definitely one of the best themes I've heard in a long time. A great tune. "So This Is Love" is a nice track with a great theme even though it does sound a little mainstream. The slick production is very nice and Benson plays some of his best licks here. The final song is the string-laced "Lady", which is another slower track. George plays beautiful guitar solos over this song and it sounds magnificent. A good way to end this classic album.

If you're into jazz guitar, George Benson, soul music, or anything similiar to that, get this album. A definite classic. One of Benson's better albums although this is certainly not his only classic work. I've heard he did a wonderful song with Miles Davis called "Ducks On The Pond" and I will have to check that out without a doubt. Get this album!

This reissued edition of George Benson's 1976 classic album "Breezin" has been augmented, not just by wonderful remastered sound, but the inclusion of worthy bonus material. George was able to crossover into the mainstream through this album and yet keep his jazz identity in tact. But, who knew he could sing as well?

The original album is pure aural joy from the "breezy" opening of the title track through the wistful ending of "Lady." "This Masquerade" became a classic and presented him to a whole new audience. "Six to Four" can still pull me out of a funky downer and have me tapping my feet, pen, pencil.... Affirmation is great during a Sunday morning "breakfast in bed."

Even if you own the previous CD issue of "Breezin," this new edition boasts wonderful remastered sound, new liner notes and two previously unreleased tracks. "Down Here on the Ground" is a real find giving George another chance to vocally enchant with a Stevie Wonder-like charm that many of today's male R&B singers and groups attempt, yet fail miserably to achieve. Also included are "Shark Bite", a funky instrumental that could be used in a 1970's "Lock, Stock" type movie or your Sunday morning "smooth jazz" music mix; and the edited 45rpm single version of "This Masqerade." The original album just ended too quickly. This new expanded edition seems just right!

Simple problem here:

Music = 5 stars plus (masterpiece) Reproduction = 2 stars minus This needs fixing!!

This is George Benson's crowning achievement of his Jazz Career. It received the 1976 Grammy which it richly deserved. His Guitar playing on this is flawless and the only song that he sing's on this album is "This Masquerade" is outstanding. You can hear the emotion of not only his singing but the way he plays the guitar on this album. From "This Masquerade" to "Six to Four", "So this is Love" "Lady" and the other songs on here are a delight to listen to whether you are with the one you love, or traveling down the highway, this is the one album that all Jazz or Easy Listening fans should have. It is simply outstanding and stood the test of time in the best of ways..A pure delight to listen to!

This is George Benosn's crowning achievement of his Jazz Career. It received the 1976 Grammy which it richly deserved. His Guitar playing on this is flawless and the only song that he sing's on this album is "This Masquerade" is outstanding. You can hear the emotion of not only his singing but the way he plays the guitar on this album. From "This Masquerade" to "Six to Four", "So this is Love" "Lady" and the other songs on here are a delight to listen to whether you are with the one you love, or traveling down the highway, this is the one album that all Jazz or Easy Listening fans should have. It is simply outstanding and stood the test of time in the best of ways..A pure delight to listen to!

George Benson displys so much talent in these few songs. From the day I heard it on my parents vynil i fell in love with it. From the vocals, to the recording quality. This Disc Displays one for the greatest sessions and songs ever recorded. Benson took a leap from a sit in guitarest to a main stream vocalist who could give Stevie Wonder a challenge. How could you not own this? WIth the 70s twang and the guitar styles of all periods, it's a must.

I was two years old when this album was released, but I remember loving it even then. My mom played (and replayed) it on her 8 track tape player. This album is why I love jazz today. Breezin is probably the most popular track and it's good, but I really like Affirmation and I love Lady (the way the guitar slowly starts). Plus, nothing compares to the emotional This Masquerade. George Benson sings as well as he plays. This is a must have album. Your only regret will be that you didn't experience it sooner.

This is one of the few albums that I have owned on LP, Cassette and CD. I am bying a second CD to keep at work. If Breezin is not in your collection, don't call yourself a George Benson fan.

George's smooth sound is absolutely the best. I have repurchased this in a CD because I played the cassette so much until it broke. When this album first hit the charts, my son was about 15 years old and it still sound as good as it did when it dropped. My son loved "Masquerade" even at the young age of 15, he turned to me and said "Mom I like that song!" and to this date when I hear this song it brings back great memories of my son & I (although being generations apart) enjoying a song together.

Thank you George.

this is one of George Benson's Greatest Albums.his Playing&vocals are Incredible.Breezin'&this Masquerade still shine.a must have.

This cd is non stop pure soul/jazz. The project that put George over the top. George was no newcomer to music, but to the average non-jazz person, this project opened their eyes to the talent of George Benson.

This cd is non stop pure soul/jazz. The project that put George over the top. George was no newcomer to music, but to the average non-jazz person, this project opened their eyes to the talent of George Benson.

I've been listening to this album ever since I picked up the original LP. I could hear these songs over and over again, and they'd still be as fresh and clean as the first time I heard them! A definate must have for any CD collection!

This album truly captures the spirit of what George Benson's gift was always about....pure heart and SOUL delivered with technical finesse. Benson's rhythm section churns and cooks like a pot of grandma's gumbo, while Benson holds everything together with the steady hand of a truly gifted and seasoned veteran . One can envision relaxing on a white sandy beach in the mid-afternoon, as Benson's smooth, articulate, yet laid back guitar runs roll and flow as fluidly and soothing as the tide..... Experience a master.... experience George Benson!

Those that have enjoyed this work know of what I speak...these 6 tracks ebb and flow the basic human spirit, taking it up to breathtaking heights and gently easing it down to the ground. It is said...if one could take only one album if stranded on a desert island...well, I need not tell you what I would take.