I’m moving slowly this morning because of the downside of the Saharan dust that’s floating our way. It keeps the Tropics tranquil, but gives me a headache. The trade off isn’t a bad one, but it’s hard to feel creative when your head is pounding. That’s why I’m posting an album cover as I wait for the aspirin to kick in. As I write this, my head feels as if it has been kicked by a lumberjack in steel-toed boots. Ouch.

I stumbled into this 1968 album while researching a Friday Cocktail Hour post. The picture is nothing special. It shows a very young George Benson dining in a diner with a young lady who liked to eat. Was it a Greek owned diner? Beats the hell outta me.

The combination of artist and label makes the album title extra weird. Verve was the high-toned jazz label and George Benson was its hot young artist. Why Giblet Gravy? It’s the title of a Benson penned instrumental. Otherwise, I don’t have a good answer. Quite frankly, the title is offal…

I should apologize for that awful offal pun, but I’ll blame it on my headache instead.

I give you what Verve Records thought was a good idea for an album title and cover. It clearly wasn’t a career killer: George Benson went on to a long run as a jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist. He’s still with us at age 80.

We have two tunes for your listening pleasure: the title track and a nifty cover of a hit song by The Association.