StLJN Saturday at the Movies: George Benson plays "All Blues" plus Ramsey Lewis' "Living For The City"

This week, let's take a look at music videos from the two main headliners for the 2007 St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, which this year, regrettably, has been cut back to a one-day event to be held on Saturday, June 2 in Shaw Park in Clayton.

The first video shows guitarist and singer George Benson offering a tribute to Miles Davis with a cover version of "All Blues". While Benson has certainly recorded his share of subpar pop-oriented material over the years, he can still play quite well when given the opportunity to stretch out on a blues or jazz tune that provides a suitable platform for improvisation. When Benson played the festival in 2005, the event drew its biggest two-day growd ever; one can assume the fest organizers are hoping similar box-office lightning will strike again this year.

The second clip features pianist Ramsey Lewis, who's had his share of crossover successes, too, but is known more for his adeptness with grooves and hooks than for his virtuosity. As is the case with Benson, many of Lewis' best-known recordings are cover versions or interpretations of music written by others, and here he offers his take on Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City," in a performance recorded in 1990 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.