All is not gold that glitters: How great Benson performed in Baku? - PHOTOS

For a local jazz amateur, to see Benson live at the Heydar Aliyev Palace is  like to watch the Maradona’s game at the local Tofiq Bahramov stadium. Unfortunately, we could not watch game of a legendary Argentinean in Baku, but could watch performance of a no less than legendary American, albeit at a time when his career is nearing an end.

Not only ordinary music lovers, but entire political and cultural establishment of the city gathered at the palace including ministers, theater directors, heads of various firms and companies, actors and directors and many others. All came not only to see Benson, but with a hope to see a miracle performed by 10-times winner of the prestigious musical award Grammy.

The Heydar Aliyev Palace full of spectators saw highest professionalism, superb performance, and even the know-how by Benson, but the miracle did not happen.  

66-year-old musician showed a master-class of contemporary jazz. Of course, Benson, being one of the greatest guitarists in the history of jazz, playing in a range from swing and bop to jazz-rock and smooth-jazz, sometimes switching to rhythm and blues and pop, who is no less famous as a pop and jazz vocalist, just played a concert at his level, so to speak, performed what the concern program required him. His performance was not bad at all, but it was not brilliant either. He either failed to do so or too much was expected from him.

However, no miracle happened. There was a half-hour preparations during which some spectators who had come simply to gaze "at the uncle with a s superb guitar" (as one of the young spectators said) left the concert early.

The "Benson and Co." showed professional "tricks" by leaving the scene for the subsequent call for an encore. There were filigree jazz improvisation. Benson had handshakes with each of the stretched arm, which is quite rare for the palace.

This, of course, raises the performer in the eyes of spectators. That is why at the end of the concert audience stood up and clapped the living legend of world jazz for a long time.

That is why I simply can not write anything negative about the legend. After all, becoming a legend in his lifetime, Benson deserved to be honored at least and to be indulged his little whims as a ban on photos and video and rejection of any interview. In the end, we could have no opportunity to see him at all like Maradona, could we?

Vugar Vugarli
Day.Az 

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