Photo credit: Carl Hyde
(November 24, 2022) George Benson is one of the most accomplished Jazz/R&B artists of our time, so it's no wonder that any performer, even a celebrated one from another genre, would want to collaborate with him. That was the case with Latin Music Hall of Famer, Juan Gabriel, who’s considered one of the best Mexican singers of all time.
When Gabriel planned out his third duets album entitled Los Dúo 3, he made a list of guest artists to feature on it; George Benson was on that list. According to Gabriel’s son Iván, his father ‘knew who he wanted to do the duets with, knew the genres and wanted to try new things.’ In preparation for the duets album to be completed, Gabriel recorded all his vocals in advance. So, by the time he suddenly passed in 2016, his contributions were already done. All that remained were the vocals from his duet partners and final production by his team.
(November 24, 2022) George Benson is one of the most accomplished Jazz/R&B artists of our time, so it's no wonder that any performer, even a celebrated one from another genre, would want to collaborate with him. That was the case with Latin Music Hall of Famer, Juan Gabriel, who’s considered one of the best Mexican singers of all time.
When Gabriel planned out his third duets album entitled Los Dúo 3, he made a list of guest artists to feature on it; George Benson was on that list. According to Gabriel’s son Iván, his father ‘knew who he wanted to do the duets with, knew the genres and wanted to try new things.’ In preparation for the duets album to be completed, Gabriel recorded all his vocals in advance. So, by the time he suddenly passed in 2016, his contributions were already done. All that remained were the vocals from his duet partners and final production by his team.
The Gabriel/Benson duet is called "Luna Tras Luna", which means "Moon after Moon." Right from the opening note, the song is smooth jazz at its finest, with the familiar sounds of George Benson’s signature guitar throughout the track. In the verses, the two legends alternate vocals, with Gabriel singing in Spanish and Benson singing in English, both anxiously awaiting the return of their special someone day after day, better yet moon after moon. In this way, “Luna” proves to be a vehicle for singers from two different worlds to come together on the common avenue of music to convey a message of love and longing.
Juan Gabriel’s album Los Dúo 3, which is a 14-track project,became available on November 10th. Check out “Luna Tras Luna” below.
By Darnea N. Samuels