Breezin' (song)
"Breezin'" is an instrumental song composed by American singer and musician Bobby Womack. It was first recorded in December 1970 by the influential Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, in partnership with Womack himself. This version was included on Szabó's album High Contrast and was released as a single in April 1971 in the United States and in 1972 in the Netherlands, reaching No. 43 on the R&B chart. "Breezin'" was produced by Tommy LiPuma. Bobby Womack wrote some lyrics for the song that weren't used in Szabo's instrumental version but Womack does perform the song with lyrics on his DVD Raw, released in 2010.[1]
| "Breezin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Gábor Szabó and Bobby Womack | ||||
| from the album High Contrast | ||||
| B-side | "Azure Blue" | |||
| Released | April 1971 (United States) 1972 (Netherlands) | |||
| Recorded | December 1970 | |||
| Genre | Crossover jazz, Soul jazz | |||
| Length | 3:11 (Album full length) 3:03 (Edit single version) | |||
| Label | Blue Thumb Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Womack | |||
| Producer(s) | Tommy LiPuma | |||
| Gábor Szabó singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Bobby Womack singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) on YouTube | ||||
Gábor Szabó version (1971) edit
Track listing edit
"Breezin'"s full length on Szabó's album High Contrast is 3:11, while the single version is edited to 3:03.
| Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 3:03 (Edit single) | Gábor Szabó, Bobby Womack | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | High Contrast |
| 1971 | B-side | "Azure Blue" | 4:12 | Gábor Szabó, Bobby Womack | Gábor Szabó | Tommy LiPuma | High Contrast |
Chart position edit
| Chart (1971–72) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard) | 43 |
Personnel edit
- Gábor Szabó – Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar
- Bobby Womack – Songwriter, Electric rhythm guitar
- Jim Keltner – Drums
- Felix "Flaco" Falcon – Congas
- Phil Upchurch – Bass
- Rene Hall – String arrangements
- Carmelo Garcia – Percussion
- Bruce Botnick – Audio engineer
- Tommy LiPuma – Tambourine, Gourd percussion, record producer
George Benson version (1976) edit
| "Breezin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by George Benson | ||||
| from the album Breezin' | ||||
| B-side | "Six To Four" | |||
| Released | September 1976 | |||
| Recorded | January 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:40 (Album full length) 5:20 (Edit single version) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bobby Womack | |||
| Producer(s) | Tommy LiPuma | |||
| George Benson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Breezin'" by George Benson (1976) on YouTube | ||||
Five years after Gábor Szabó's original recording, the song became even better known for a successful rerecording by singer and guitarist George Benson, whose 1976 cover was the title track of his album Breezin'. His version was recorded in January 1976 and released as a single in September of the same year, entering the American charts in October. Like Szabó's original, Benson's cover was produced by Tommy LiPuma. The album and single were released by Warner Bros. Records.
Track listing edit
7" single edit
"Breezin'"s full length on Benson's album Breezin' is 5:40 while the single edit is 5:20.
| Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 5:20 (Edit single) | George Benson | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
| 1976 | B-side | "Six To Four" | 5:06 | George Benson | Phil Upchurch | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
12" single edit
| Year | Side | Song | Length | Interpreter | Writer/Composer | Producer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | A-side | "Breezin'" | 5:40 (Full length) | George Benson | Bobby Womack | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
| 1976 | B-side | "This Masquerade" | 8:03 | George Benson | Leon Russell | Tommy LiPuma | Breezin' |
Chart history edit
| Chart (1976–77) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[3] | 16 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 63 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 55 |
Personnel edit
- Songwriter – Bobby Womack
- Lead Guitar, Vocals – George Benson
- Bass, Rhythm Guitar – Phil Upchurch
- Conductor, Arranged By – Claus Ogerman
- Drums – Harvey Mason
- Flute - Bennie Maupin
- Electric Piano, Keyboards – Ronnie Foster
- Percussion – Ralph MacDonald
- Piano, Clavinet – Jorge Dalto
- Producer – Tommy LiPuma
Other versions edit
The song was also recorded twice by saxophonist and arranger Hank Crawford: first in 1980 with guitarist Calvin Newborn for their collaborative album Centerpiece[4] and again in 1996 for his album Tight.[5] Additionally, Masayoshi Takanaka recorded a city pop version of the song, released on his 1978 album On Guitar.[6]
References edit
- ^ "Bobby Womack Breezin' (WITH LYRICS)". YouTube.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (31 July 2021). "What a Fool Believes Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 27 November 1976. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ "Centerpiece". Discogs. 1980. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "Tight Track Listing". jazzlists.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "On Guitar". Discogs. 1978. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
External links edit
- Music video of "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) on YouTube
- Music video of "Breezin'" by George Benson (1976) on YouTube
- Audio of "Breezin'" by Hank Crawford and Calvin Newborn (1980) on YouTube
- Audio of "Breezin'" by Hank Crawford (1996) on YouTube
- Page of "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó at Discogs
- Page of "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó at 45cat
- Page of "Breezin'" by George Benson at Discogs
- Page of "Breezin'" by George Benson at 45cat