George Benson received the Tommy LiPuma Award for Recording Excellence at the Jazz Foundation of America’s Los Angeles benefit on November 1. Wyclef Jean performed “On Broadway”, Aloe Blacc sang two of Benson’s best-known hits, and Mike Stoller recalled his connection with the guitarist. The evening brought together musical tributes and an auction to raise money for musicians facing hardship.
“On Broadway” was performed in front of George Benson once again, this time by Wyclef Jean. It was one of the defining moments of the Jazz Foundation of America benefit at Vibrato Grill Jazz in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 1. The ten-time Grammy winner received the Tommy LiPuma Award for Recording Excellence, surrounded by musicians and friends whose memories reached back across different stages of his career.
The honour had been announced in October, but the evening gave it a live musical setting. Artists from different generations performed songs associated with George Benson, while guests took part in an auction benefiting musicians who need practical and financial assistance. The programme brought the celebration of a recording career together with the work of a foundation that supports people facing housing, healthcare and other urgent difficulties.
Mike Stoller presented the award. Alongside Jerry Leiber, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, he co-wrote “On Broadway”, giving him a direct connection to one of the songs at the centre of the tribute. Stoller recalled first encountering George Benson through his jazz guitar playing, before discovering how comfortably he could move into other musical territory. Benson’s recording of “On Broadway” had surprised and impressed the people who wrote it.
Wyclef Jean then brought that history into the room with his own performance of the song. His participation was part of the evening’s tribute, with no new recording collaboration announced. Aloe Blacc followed another route through the catalogue, singing “Turn Your Love Around” and “Give Me the Night”. Both are closely associated with the period when Benson’s mixture of jazz guitar, soul, R&B and pop reached a much wider audience.
Steve Jordan served as the evening’s artistic director. The Grammy-winning drummer and Rolling Stones member oversaw a programme that also included “Breezin’” and “This Masquerade”, with guitarist Isaiah Sharkey taking part. The selections placed familiar songs alongside the guitar playing that has remained central to George Benson’s work, giving the audience several ways into a career that has crossed musical categories without leaving that instrumental identity behind.
“Breezin’” carries particular significance for an award bearing Tommy LiPuma’s name. LiPuma produced the 1976 album of the same title, a recording that helped bring Benson to a broader audience. Their working relationship gave the presentation a personal connection to the producer being remembered. In his remarks, Benson spoke about people who had helped him move forward, including LiPuma and musician and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert.
George Benson shared a specific memory of Alpert’s support: he had helped him buy his first home. The detail brought the speech away from awards and chart achievements towards the assistance people offer one another during a career. Benson also explained why the benefit mattered to him. He was among people who shared his love of music, while the money raised would help fellow musicians who had given so much over the years.
The programme honoured other distinguished artists, too. Patrice Rushen, whose recordings include “Forget Me Nots”, was recognised alongside saxophonist Azar Lawrence, bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin and drummer Roy McCurdy as Titans of Jazz. Singer and composer Carmen Lundy opened the musical programme. Their presence connected the event with several generations of American jazz and with careers that have included work alongside artists such as Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and Ella Fitzgerald.
Eden Alpert, managing partner of Vibrato Grill Jazz, received a separate honour for her support of the music community. Martina Jones, Quincy Jones’s daughter, presented her with the Quincy Jones Love & Peace Humanitarian Award. Jones, who died in 2024, was an honorary founder of the Jazz Foundation of America. The award recognised Alpert’s sustained involvement in giving musicians a place to perform and supporting the foundation’s benefit events.
The organisation’s executive director, Joe Petrucelli, highlighted Alpert’s contribution over more than a decade of hosting fundraisers at Vibrato. That work has created opportunities for established and emerging musicians in Los Angeles. During the evening’s auction, a signed Ibanez George Benson Signature Line guitar with its case sold for $6,500. A score of “On Broadway” signed by Mike Stoller raised a further $2,000. No overall fundraising total was announced.
Proceeds support the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund. The programme assists musicians with housing, healthcare and financial survival, as well as disaster relief and employment needs. That purpose gave practical meaning to Benson’s remarks about giving back. As his songs were performed and the signed guitar and score found buyers, the tribute also generated support for people whose years of work in music have left them in need of help themselves.
IMAGE_CREDIT: Hugo Chinchay
