Jazz Legend George Benson Will Make His SFJAZZ Debut

SFJAZZ announced that 10-time GRAMMY Award–winning jazz icon George Benson will make his SFJAZZ debut at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall for one-night-only on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 8 p.m. Widely hailed as one of the greatest voices and guitarists in jazz, Benson will deliver an electrifying evening not to be missed. 

The most celebrated living jazz guitarist, a 10-time GRAMMY winner, and a 2009 NEA Jazz Master, the Pittsburgh native made his recorded debut for RCA Victor at the tender age of 11 and learned the jazz vocabulary during his formative years with soul-jazz organist Brother Jack McDuff, who brought the guitarist to worldwide attention.  

Benson's 1964 Prestige debut The New Boss Guitar of George Benson established him as a virtuoso instrumentalist and vital new voice in jazz, setting the stage for a remarkable series of releases that effortlessly bridge jazz, soul, and pop.  

On the heels of his era-defining procession of masterful recordings for producer Creed Taylor's CTI imprint, Benson's 1976 Warner Brothers album Breezin' was a worldwide smash, hitting #1 on Billboard's jazz, pop, and R&B charts on the strength of Bobby Womack's timeless title track and a cover of Leon Russell's “This Masquerade,” which earned a GRAMMY for Record of the Year. Breezin' was the first jazz album to attain platinum status with sales of over one million copies. 

As a pop crossover giant, Benson followed up Breezin' with a succession of hits including his wildly popular cover of “On Broadway” and the Quincy Jones-produced “Give Me the Night.” 

His power and musicality undiminished at age 82, Benson makes his bow at SFJAZZ with a wide-ranging night of music from his incomparable career.