PERFORMANCE NOTES

“ON BROADWAY”

George Benson

RECORDED AT THE West Hollywood Roxy Theater in 1977, this 10-minute version of George Benson’s celebrated live cover of “On Broadway” features the brilliant jazz guitarist stretching out his legendary improvisation and alternate picking chops in two extended, inspired solos, the first of which (see section G, bars 75-123) was edited out of the shorter single version of the recording that most listeners are familiar with. To reference the shorter track, we’ve included throughout the transcription, in brackets, the “CD” time count numbers that match that alternate version.

Compositionally, the song is rather chord straightforward vamp that , built starts around out going a repeating from A b to two-G b then modulates up a half step at Mixolydian A b ), which George modal uses extensively. He also adds a lot of chromatic passing tones and color tones, such as the b 3, D b , and b 5, E, which are the “blue notes,” and does so with imaginative phrasing and melodic contours that roll smoothly and also “pop” rhythmically in certain spots, again tying in with his amazing rhythmic musicality. Par-various ticularly arpeggios noteworthy over is the the vamp way Benson , such as plays B b (B b D, F), A b (A b , C, E b ) and A b maj7 (A b , C, E b , G) and tastefully mixes them with chromatic passing tones, especially during his more well-known second solo, beginning at section K (bar 151).