"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 Raw DVD released in 2010.[1]
| "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 | ||||
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| Bobby Womack singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Breezin'" by Gábor Szabó (1971) on YouTube | ||||
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 (1971–72) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard) | 43 |
| "Breezin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by George Benson | ||||
| from the album Breezin' | ||||
| B-side | "Six To Four" | |||
| Released | September 1976 | |||
| Recorded | January 1976 | |||
| Genre | Smooth jazz, Soul jazz | |||
| 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 | ||||
Five years after Gábor Szabó's original recording, the song became even better known for a successful re-recording 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.
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' |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[2] | 16 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 63 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 55 |
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]
