Multi-Grammy Winning Superstars George Benson And Al Jarreau Unite For First Stellar Collaboration On “Givin’ It Up”; Paul McCartney, Jill Scott, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Chris Botti, Among Others, Guest Star

A Joint Venture between the Monster Music and Concord Music Group Creates Expanded Distribution Network

August 14, 2006

On October 24th, the music world will be dazzled by a harmonic convergence of superstars when singer/guitarist/songwriter George Benson teams with vocalist extraordinaire /songwriter Al Jarreau for “Givin’ It Up.” Friends and label-mates for over three decades, this outing marks the first time that the two artists, both multiple GRAMMYÆ winners with Gold and Platinum selling albums, have recorded together as equal partners. “Givin’ It Up” will be released as a joint venture between the Concord Music Group, one of the largest independent record companies in the world, and Monster Music, the newly created record division of Monster Cable Products, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance cable and power of home theatre, car, and Apple iPod. The collaboration will leverage the strengths of companies, creating a sales and marketing alliance reminiscent of Concord’s ground-breaking and highly successful partnership with Starbucks Coffee Company for the release of the multi-platinum Ray Charles swansong “Genius Loves Company.” Monster will leverage its distribution channel of over 20,000 electronics retail outlets worldwide, including home theatre departments of Best BuyÆ, Circuit CityÆ, and RadioShackÆ. Monster will also utilize its marketing program of training over 125,000 sales associates in electronic retail stores to promote the release of this album. The CD will also be available in all traditional retail outlets. This much-anticipated 13-track recording features each of the stars on a new arrangement of one of the other’s biggest hits – Jarreau adding lyrics to and singing Benson’s signature instrumental smash “Breezin’,” while the legendary jazz guitarist delivers a lovely instrumental version of the singer’s eternally charming hit “Mornin’.” “Givin’ It Up” also includes delicious covers of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” and Hall & Oates’ (and Paul Young smash) “Every Time You Go Away,” as well as stunning new jazz vocal versions of the Miles Davis classics “Four” and “‘Long Come Tutu.” “Givin’ It Up” was recorded between April and June, 2006. Serendipitously, pop legend, Paul McCartney, happened to be in the studio next door during one session and dropped in to join Benson and Jarreau on an impromptu romp through Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me.” Neo soul diva, Jill Scott, performs Billie Holiday’s timeless “God Bless the Child.” Rounding out the album is an instrumental take on John Legend’s GRAMMY award-winning soul smash, “Ordinary People” and four new compositions, including a new Jarreau and Barry Eastmond composition, “Let it Rain,” which features Patti Austin and Chris Botti. Benson and Jarreau first met in the mid-1970s at the Coconut Grove Ballroom in the landmark Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Benson recalls, “Al sang lyrics to ‘Take Five’, which I’d never heard before. I’d recorded an instrumental version of the track on my album ‘Bad Benson,’ so I was really checking this cat out. His style of improvising was quite interesting.” Of Benson, Jarreau adds, “George and I share something of the same age, but George can describe things he was doing as a professional at the age of 8! He was an idol within the jazz community, one that I aspired to, but I didn’t arrive on the scene with my first record until seventeen years later in 1975. George was a hero to me.” “He’s a prolific cat,” finishes the guitarist. “I’ve always loved Al, but I have a different respect for him now.” An A-list of musicians appear on “Givin’ It Up”: keyboardists Patrice Rushen, Rex Rideout, and Herbie Hancock; bassists Marcus Miller, Abraham Laboriel, and Stanley Clarke; guitarists Dean Parks, Ray Fuller and Michael Thompson; saxophonist Marion Meadows; and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Michael White. Monster Music will make “Givin’ It Up” available in High-Definition Surround (HDS). Monster SuperDiscs will include 2 discs – one featuring a Stereo mix that plays on any CD player, the other which plays in any DVD player features High-Definition Surround Sound in Dolby Digital and DTS 96/24 as well as High-Definition Stereo, which sounds exactly the same as the studio master file. In addition, Monster SuperDiscs feature multiple mixes that allow listeners with a home theatre system to select their own “Surround Experience,” choosing, for example, to be “in the band” of a live concert or “in the room” sitting next to the band. For consumers who listen to music through their computer and portable music players, Monster SuperDiscs include High-Definition Digital Music files encoded directly from the master recordings. These files are ready to drag and drop into any music program, including iTunes and Apple iPod. Special for Apple iPod users are the Dolby Headphone-encoded music files, which will give your iPod a surround sound music experience through any pair of headphones. Monster Music SuperDiscs are also the first music releases to be certified by THXÆ for high-quality sound and picture, multiple surround experiences, and digital music file quality. The pairing of George Benson and Al Jarreau is also a coup for Monster and Concord. Kevin Lee, Director of Product Development and Marketing (aka “Little Monster”) states, “It’s extremely exciting for us to be associated with artists of their caliber. And we have recorded them better than they have ever been captured before.” John Burk, Executive Vice President and Head of A&R, Concord Music Group, concludes, “Both artists have had unprecedented success across jazz, pop, and soul. Such musical depth and versatility made for a truly dynamic collaboration and pure magic in the studio. We’re extremely proud to present them together for the very first time.” Fans of Benson and Jarreau will have the chance to see them perform together live this summer when the pair co-headline a nationwide tour, beginning July: August 5 The Mann Center, Philadelphia PA August 6 Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA August 8 Hard Rock Live Arena, Hollywood, FL August 9 Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL August 11 North Fork Theatre, Westbury, NY August 12 JVC Jazz Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI August 16 Freedom Hill Amphitheater, Detroit, MI August 17 Charter One Pavilion, Chicago, IL August 20 City Lights Pavilion, Denver, CO August 22 Sandia Casino Amphitheater, Albuquerque, NM August 24 Concerts in the Park, Alpine, CA August 25 Palomar Starlight Theater, Pala, CA August 26 Cannery Casino, North Las Vegas, NV August 30 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA About Monster: Monster Cable Products, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Noel Lee, then a laser-fusion design engineer at Lawrence-Livermore Laboratory, as well as an audiophile and professional drummer. Lee discovered that, when hooked up to loudspeakers, wires of different constructions produced varying degrees of audio performance. From this discovery, he developed a high-performance speaker cable—naming it Monster Cable—and literally created an industry. The invention of Monster Cable created a new product category that revolutionized the audio market. Prior to Monster Cable, most stereo systems were wired with ordinary "zip-cord," the same cable used for electrical household and lamp wire. Lee chose the name "Monster" because it sounded strong and powerful. It became an immediate hit with consumers. In fact, the name Monster Cable is so synonymous with high quality and high performance; customers often assume that any cable they purchase in reputable stores will be Monster, even though there are other cable brands. Monster is now the world's leading manufacturer of high-performance cables that connect audio/video components for home, car, and professional use as well as computers and computer games. Monster Cable is an indispensable component for music lovers, audiophiles, recording studios, sound professionals, musicians, custom-installers and home theatre enthusiasts. Monster's audio cables increase the clarity, dynamics, and power of the audio signals that travel through them. Monster video cables deliver the sharpest, clearest picture possible with naturally vivid color from traditional and digital television, projectors, home theatre and satellite systems. Monster Game products let enthusiasts enjoy the ultimate gaming experience by maximizing sound and video quality of a gaming system. Monster Power, a division of Monster Cable, delivers cleaner AC power to A/V components and computer products and high joule surge protection for maximum performance. Monster offers over 4,000 products and is sold in over 80 countries worldwide. About Concord Music Group: Concord Records merged with Fantasy, Inc. in 2004 to create the Concord Music Group, strengthening its preeminent position as one of the largest independent record companies in the world and keeper of an extraordinarily rich and, in many cases, historically significant catalog of recordings. They include titles from some of the most admired and enduring names in music, including Rosemary Clooney, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Thelonious Monk, Tito Puente, Dave Brubeck, George Shearing, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson and Mel Torme. The group's current roster of world-class artists includes: Karrin Allyson, Regina Belle, Michael Feinstein, Nnenna Freelon, John Fogerty, LaToya London, Sergio Mendes, Ozomatli, Eddie Palmieri, The Rippingtons, Sonny Rollins and Poncho Sanchez. Late last year, Concord acquired Telarc International and Heads Up International, renowned for their roster of artists including Tierney Sutton, John Pizarrelli, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Spyro Gyra.

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