Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Danilo Pérez released his first new recording as a leader in three years and the fourth for Verve Records, …Till Then, on Aug. 12.
Along with his touring trio, bassist Ben Street and drummer/percussionist Adam Cruz, Pérez also brought in vocalist Lizz Wright, soprano saxophonist Donny McCaslin and half of the Grammy-nominated Wayne Shorter Quartet, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blades, to help out. Tommy LiPuma produced the album.
…Till Then includes three new compositions by the native Panamanian, as well as interpretations of a wide range of Americas composers including Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Milton Nascimento, Ruben Blades, Chico Buarque, Violeta Parra and Silvio Rodríguez.
“Most tracks are first takes,” Pérez said. “We wanted to capture the essence of the spontaneity in our playing together. This record represents a culmination of the evolution of my playing over the last few years.”
For more information, visit www.ververecords.com or www.daniloperez.com
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
“He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.
Feb 27, 2024 1:40 PM
“I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…
Albert “Tootie” Heath (1935–2024) followed in the tradition of drummer Kenny Clarke, his idol.
Apr 5, 2024 10:28 AM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
“Both of us are quite grounded in the craft, the tradition and the harmonic sense,” Rosenwinkel said of his experience playing with Allen. “Yet I felt we shared something mystical as well.”
Mar 12, 2024 11:42 AM
“There are a few musicians you hear where, as somebody once said, the molecules in the room change. Geri was one of…
Henry Threadgill performs with Zooid at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Apr 9, 2024 11:30 AM
Big Ears, the annual four-day music celebration that first took place in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, could well be…
