Breezin' (song)

"Breezin'" is an instrumental song composed by American singer and musician Bobby Womack. It was originally recorded in December 1970 by the influential Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, in partnership with Womack himself. The song was originally released in 1971 on Szabó's album High Contrast. The song was released as a single in April 1971 in the United States and in 1972 in the Netherlands. The single reached No. 43 on the R&B chart the same year. "Breezin'" was produced by Tommy LiPuma. Bobby Womack did write some lyrics for the song, but these were never officially released. However, Womack performs the song himself with the lyrics he could remember 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"
ReleasedApril 1971 (United States)
1972 (Netherlands)
RecordedDecember 1970
GenreCrossover jazz, Soul jazz
Length3:11 (Album full length)
3:03 (Edit single version)
LabelBlue Thumb Records
Songwriter(s)Bobby Womack
Producer(s)Tommy LiPuma
Gábor Szabó singles chronology
""Watch What Happens""
(1971)		 ""Breezin'""
(1971)		 ""It's Going to Take Some Time""
(1973)
Bobby Womack singles chronology
""Everybody's Talkin'""
(1970)		 ""Breezin'""
(1971)		 ""The Preacher – Part 2""
(1971)
Music video
"Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) on YouTube

Gábor Szabó version (1971)

Track listing

The "Breezin'"s full length on the Szabó's album High Contrast is 3:11. The length of only 3:03 is an edited version of the single.

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

George Benson version (1976)
"Breezin'"
Single by George Benson
from the album Breezin'
B-side"Six To Four"
ReleasedSeptember 1976
RecordedJanuary 1976
GenreSmooth jazz, Soul jazz
Length5:40 (Album full length)
5:20 (Edit single version)
LabelWarner Bros. Records
Songwriter(s)Bobby Womack
Producer(s)Tommy LiPuma
George Benson singles chronology
"This Masquerade"
(1976)		 "Breezin'"
(1976)		 "The World Is a Ghetto"
(1977)
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.

7" single

The "Breezin'"s full length on the Benson's album Breezin' is 5:40. The length of only 5:20 is an edited version of the 7" single.

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[2] 16
US Billboard Hot 100 63
US Billboard Easy Listening 13
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles 55

Personnel

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[3] and again in 1996 for his album Tight.[4] Additionally, Masayoshi Takanaka recorded a city pop version of the song, released on his 1978 album On Guitar.[5]

References
  1. "Bobby Womack Breezin' (WITH LYRICS)". YouTube.
  2. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 27 November 1976. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  3. "Centerpiece". Discogs. 1980. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. "Tight Track Listing". jazzlists.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  5. "On Guitar". Discogs. 1978. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.