Breezin' (song)

"Breezin'"
"Breezin'"
Single by George Benson
from the album Breezin'
B-side	"Six To Four"
Released	September 1976
Recorded	January 1976
Genre	Jazz; lounge-pop;
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

"Breezin'"
"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
Music video
	"Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) on YouTube

"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]

Gábor Szabó version (1971)

Track listing

"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

Chart (1971–72)	Peak position
Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard)	43

Personnel

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)

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

7" single

"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

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

Chart (1976–77)	Peak position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[4]	16
US Billboard Hot 100	63
US Billboard Easy Listening	13
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles	55

Personnel

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

The song was also recorded twice by saxophonist and arranger Hank Crawford: first in 1980 with guitarist Calvin Newborn for their collaborative album Centerpiece^[5] and again in 1996 for his album Tight.^[6] Additionally, Masayoshi Takanaka recorded a city pop version of the song, released on his 1978 album On Guitar.^[7]

References

^ "Bobby Womack Breezin' (WITH LYRICS)". YouTube.
^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (17 July 2000). "Sax and Violins: Corporate Jazz". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
^ 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.