“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 straightforward, built around a repeating twoAb chord vamp that starts out going from to Gb then modulates up a half step at two points during the arrangement—A to G for the second verse( see sections C and D) then, finally,
Bb Ab, at section E (bar 51), to where it stays for the remainder of the song. This is the vamp that George solos over. What he does over it is absolutely brilliant and creatively resourceful, fueled by both a strong sense of rhythm and groove (lots of 16th-note syncopations) and harmonic sophistication. Bb
The vamp dictates a Mixolydian modal Bb, Eb, Ab), approach( C, D, F, G, which George uses extensively. He also adds a lot of chromatic passing tones and color tones, such as b3, Db, b5, the and 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. Particularly noteworthy is the way Benson plays
Bb Bb, various arpeggios over the vamp, such as ( Ab Ab, Eb) Abmaj7 Ab, Eb, D, F ),( C, and( C, G) and tastefully mixes them with chromatic passing tones, especially during his more well-known second solo, beginning at section K (bar 151).
Studying these solos may be somewhat baffling for a lot of non-jazz players who aren’t accustomed to playing and thinking in the Bb.
“horn” key of A worthwhile study project would be to write out everything one fret lower, to put all the notes in the context of the more rock-guitarist friendly key of A.