Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole is a studio album by George Benson. The album was released by Concord Jazz on June 4, 2013.[1] It peaked at #89 on the Billboard album chart.
Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole has received very positive reception from music critics. Steve Leggett of Allmusic affirmed that "it all adds up to a sweet and very impressive album, full of warmth and heart, and it swings where it should."[2] At USA Today, Steve Jones praised it for "his smooth vocals [that] make this homage unforgettable."[3]
Trumpets – Ryan Chapman, Chris Burbank, Gilbert Paz, Jared Hall
Trombones – Chris Gagne, Kendall Moore, Stephen Szabadi, Major Bailey
Alto Saxophones – Neil Carson, Kevin McKeown
Tenor Saxophones – Mark Small, Alex Weitz
Baritone Saxophone – Derek Smith
Flute – Cassandra Eisenreich
French Horn – Jon Anderson
Violin – Steffen Zeichner (Concertmaster and Soloist), Abby Young, Adam Diderrich, Karin O'Keefe, Zack Piper, Michelle Godbee, Patricia Jancova, Tomas Cotik, Victor Colmenares, James Reynolds, Jonah Osawa, Rob Patrignani, Arianne Urban, Michelle Mlacker, Katrina Schaeffer
Viola – Robyn Savitzky, Kathryn Severing, Marcela Fernandez, Lauren Miller
Cello – Joy Adams, Cecilia Huerta, Andrew Kromholz, Chia-Li Yu, Sarah Gongaware
Bass – Rachel Hershey, Jeff Kipperman, Yen-Ling Lin
Harp – Christina Hardister
Dean – Shelton Berg
Artistic Director – Terence Blanchard
Artistic Coordinator – Scott Flavin
Managing Director – Stephen Guerra
Production
Producers – John Burk and Randy Waldman
Recording and Mix Engineers – Seth Presant and Al Schmitt
Assistant Engineers – Chad Jolly, Chris Owens and Shinnosuke Miyazawa.