BENSON,GEORGE
GIBLET GRAVY (VERVE VAULT SERIES) - LP

UPC: 199957337458
Label: VERVE
Format: LP
Release Date: August 14, 2026
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Giblet Gravy, released in 1968 on Verve Records, documents guitarist George Benson during his early period with the label. Produced by Esmond Edwards and featuring arrangements by Tom McIntosh, the album places Benson within a studio framework that alternates between small-group interplay and expanded ensemble writing.

The sessions draw on a range of jazz and studio musicians, including pianist Herbie Hancock, bassists Ron Carter and Bob Cranshaw, drummer Billy Cobham, percussionist Johnny Pacheco, and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, alongside a brass and rhythm section assembled for selected tracks.

Across these varied settings, Benson's fluid articulation, blues-inflected phrasing, and rhythmic dexterity remain the music's central focus. The repertoire blends contemporary popular material, standards, and original compositions — the title track and "Low Down and Dirty" — illustrating the stylistic breadth that would inform Benson's later crossover success while remaining grounded in the late-1960s jazz ensemble format.

The Verve Vault Series presents all-analog 180-gram vinyl reissues of essential albums from the Verve, Impulse!, Mercury, and associated catalogs. Mastered by Ryan K. Smith from the original analog tapes and pressed at Optimal, each release combines exceptional audio fidelity with meticulous attention to detail — from mastering to jacket reproduction. Modeled after the acclaimed Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, Verve Vault highlights both iconic titles and overlooked gems from the 1950s through the 1970s.

TRACK LIST:

Side One:

1. Along Comes Mary
2. Sunny
3. What's New?
4. Giblet Gravy
5. Walk On By

Side Two:

1. Thunder Walk
2. Sack Of Woe
3. Groovin'
4. Low Down And Dirty