CD review: George Benson – Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon – 2024: Video, CD cover

A lost treasure from the George Benson, Warner Bros. collection, Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon, gets its long overdue time.

When the best intentions are to put a record release on hold for whatever the cause, occasionally those masters are overlooked and/or lost for an indefinite period of time. Multi Grammy winning and Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient, guitarist/vocalist George Benson, spent over a decade with Warner Bros. Records including his crossover (Pop, R&B and Jazz) classic in 1976, Breezin’, and Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon, a 1989 project saluting the song standards in various genres through the years. However, the masters on Dreams Do Come True slipped thru the cracks for 35 years before the original recording was finally found.

Now the time is getting closer for an extraordinary collaboration bridging Benson’s jazzy scat and guitar and a richly soulful vocal delivery with Farnon’s orchestral arrangements. The Canadian born Farnon, who passed at age 87 in 2005, arranged for many vocal legends including Tony Bennett and Lena Horne. This updated version of Dreams Do Come True (Rhino/Warner Music) is retouched up with love by Benson’s friend co-producer Randy Waldman.

Meanwhile, fans can experience a sneak peak of Benson and Farnon from these long, lost sessions, teaming up on the R&B disco flavored, big band edged “Love is Blue,” the first French single release that hit #1 on the U.S. charts in 1968.

Benson’s first album since rejoining Warner Music Group earlier this year, it was originally recorded in 1989 but was never released. It features the celebrated composer-arranger Robert Farnon and his orchestra and Farnon’s lush arrangements beautifully complement Benson’s soulful vocals and fluid guitar work on American standards like ‘Autumn Leaves,’ ‘At Last,’ and ‘My Romance’, as well as reimagined pop classics such as the Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ and Leon Russell’s ‘A Song For You.’ The album was delayed and subsequently lost until recently rediscovered in Benson’s archive and with the help of pianist, composer and arranger Randy Waldman, Benson has revived and remastered the recordings, adding new overdubs and choral arrangements. This release adds a new chapter to Benson’s illustrious career, following his tenure with Warner Records from 1976 to 1993, during which he released 12 studio albums, including the triple-platinum Breezin’. Recognised as a jazz master by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in 2009, Benson continues to be a giant in both jazz and contemporary music.

Wow, a George Benson excavation! However, it’s not an album of him as a guitarist, but rather an album of him as a vocalist.

It’s a vocal album recorded in 1989 with a full orchestra led by Robert Farnon, the great composer/arranger/conductor/trumpeter who is revered by Quincy Jones and Andre Previn.

In terms of the period, it was around the time of the album “Tenderly,” in which Benson sang and played a lot of jazz standards under the production of Tommy LiPuma. That album was based on a piano trio of McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, and Louis Hayes, with the orchestral arrangements by Marty Paich providing just the right amount of support. The backing of this album, which could be considered a sister album, is strongly orchestra-oriented.

The song selection is the same as “Tenderly”, with a focus on jazz standards, but also some Beatles numbers and popular hits. The Beatles song is straight up “Yesterday”. He even sings Paul Mauriat’s “Love is Blue” with a light orchestral arrangement. Wow, he’s doing his best in the way that he does, it’s great (laughs).

Benson, who gained stardom with his cover of Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade” which became a big hit on the pop charts, also has Russell’s “A Song for You” on here, which is also interesting. The recording was done by the master Al Schmitt.

However, although it was recorded, it was shelved for some reason at the time. While he was thinking of releasing it a little later, he changed labels and other things happened, and he seems to have forgotten about the existence of this album. The recording was discovered in the archives for the first time in 35 years. It was co-produced by his friend, pianist/arranger/composer Randy Waldman, and new overdubs and choruses were added to bring it back to modern times. That’s what it seems like.

I previously wrote about the impact I felt at his 1977 Japan tour when the deluxe edition of his 2013 album “Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole” was released digitally. To quote just a part of it:

At that Japan tour, he also performed several songs, including “Masquerade,” which was already a big hit. As you know, when Benson sings, he stops playing the guitar and sings with both hands still in his hands, spreading them wide like Haruo Minami, and singing with a comfortable voice. Of course, when he’s doing guitar solos and scatting in unison or harmonizing, he sings while playing the guitar, but when he’s singing seriously, it’s basically the Minami Haruo style. It was impressive how entertaining it was. This man doesn’t see jazz as something complicated, but rather as a form of popular culture and entertainment, and it was refreshing to hear that in his performances.

This unearthed recording really brings out his “Minami Haruo” side in a great way. Of course, there’s also plenty of great guitar playing to be had.

1. At Last (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:13]
2. A Song for You (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [03:37]
3. Pretend (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:00]
4. A Long Time Ago (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:33]
5. Love Is Blue (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:17]
6. My Romance (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:08]
7. Autumn Leaves (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:20]
8. Can’t We Be Friends (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [03:02]
9. My Prayer (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:36]
10. Yesterday (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [04:19]
11. One Goodbye (feat. The Robert Farnon Orchestra) [03:02]