| "Breezin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byGábor Szabó andBobby Womack | ||||
| from the albumHigh Contrast | ||||
| B-side | "Azure Blue" | |||
| Released | April 1971(United States) 1972(Netherlands) | |||
| Recorded | December 1970 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| 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 | ||||
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| Bobby Womack singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) onYouTube | ||||
"Breezin'" is an instrumental song composed by American singer and musicianBobby Womack. It was first recorded in December 1970 by the influential Hungarianjazz guitaristGábor Szabó, in partnership with Womack himself. This version, produced byTommy LiPuma, was included on Szabó's albumHigh Contrast (1971) and was released as a single in April 1971 in the United States and in 1972 in the Netherlands, reaching No. 43 on theR&B chart. Womack wrote some lyrics for the song that weren't used in Szabo's instrumental version but he does perform the song with lyrics on his DVDRaw, released in 2010.[1]
"Breezin'"s full length on Szabó's albumHigh 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 (1971–72) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard) | 43 |
| "Breezin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byGeorge Benson | ||||
| from the albumBreezin' | ||||
| B-side | "Six to Four" | |||
| Released | September 1976 | |||
| Recorded | January 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| 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 | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Breezin'" by George Benson (1976) onYouTube | ||||
Five years afterGábor Szabó's original recording, the song became even better known for a successful rerecording by singer and guitaristGeorge Benson, whose 1976 cover was the title track of his albumBreezin'. Benson's 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 byTommy LiPuma. The album and single were released byWarner Bros. Records.
The full length of "Breezin'" on Benson's albumBreezin' 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' |
| 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 (1976–77) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaRPM Adult Contemporary[4] | 16 |
| USBillboard Hot 100 | 63 |
| USBillboardEasy Listening | 13 |
| USBillboardHot Soul Singles | 55 |
The song was also recorded twice by saxophonist and arrangerHank Crawford: first in 1980 with guitaristCalvin Newborn for their collaborative albumCenterpiece[5] and again in 1996 for his albumTight.[6] Additionally,Masayoshi Takanaka recorded acity pop version of the song, released on his 1978 albumOn Guitar.[7]
