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. 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." At USA Today, Steve Jones praised it for "his smooth vocals [that] make this homage unforgettable."
Vinyl LPRegular CDBest Buy Edition CD (incl. 2 Bonus Tracks)Japanese Edition CD (incl. Bonus Track)QVC Edition (Regular CD + 6-track Bonus Disc)HD Tracks (High Definition Music Downloads)iTunes (incl. Bonus Track)George Benson - vocals, guitarLil' Georgie Benson (age 8) - vocals, ukulele (on track 1)Randy Waldman - pianoTim May - guitarMichael O'Neill - baritone guitar, banjo on "Ramblin' Rose"Chuck Berghofer - bassGregg Field - drumsMichael Fisher - percussionSheila E. - percussion on "Unforgettable"Janey Clewer, Alvin Chea, Don Chelton - background vocals on "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Smile", "That Sunday, That Summer" and "Ramblin' Rose"Chris Papastephanou, Randy Waldman - background vocals on "Straighten Up and Fly Right"Wynton Marsalis - trumpet on "Unforgettable"Idina Menzel - vocals on "When I Fall in Love"Till Brönner - trumpet on "Smile"Judith Hill - vocals on "Too Young"Trumpets - Ryan Chapman, Chris Burbank, Gilbert Paz, Jared HallTrombones - Chris Gagne, Kendall Moore, Stephen Szabadi, Major BaileyAlto Saxophones - Neil Carson, Kevin McKeownTenor Saxophones - Mark Small, Alex WeitzBaritone Saxophone - Derek SmithFlute - Cassandra EisenreichFrench Horn - Jon AndersonViolin - Steffen Zeichner (Concertmaster & 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 SchaefferViola - Robyn Savitzky, Kathryn Severing, Marcela Fernandez, Lauren MillerCello - Joy Adams, Cecilia Huerta, Andrew Kromholz, Chia-Li Yu, Sarah GongawareBass - Rachel Hershey, Jeff Kipperman, Yen-Ling LinHarp - Christina HardisterDean - Shelton BergArtistic Director - Terence BlanchardArtistic Coordinator - Scott FlavinManaging Director - Stephen Guerra
