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…
The collective Snarky Puppy will perform music from their upcoming album during this year’s GroundUP Music Festival.
(Photo: Julia Cavalieri/GroundUP Music Foundation)The fifth annual GroundUP Music Festival, set to take place May 6–8 at the North Beach Bandshell in Miami Beach, Florida, has announced its lineup of musicians and bands.
Headliners will include festival founders Snarky Puppy (premiering new music from their upcoming album all three nights), Space Jam with Kimbra and Friends (Improvised Set), Emily King, Moonchild and Cory Henry.
Other artists and acts scheduled to appear at this year’s GroundUP festival include Louis Cole featuring Nate Wood, Chris Fishman and Genevieve Artadi; Genevieve Artadi featuring Pedro Martins, Louis Cole and Chris Fishman; Georgia Anne Muldrow; Gisela João; Antonio Sanchez & Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, bigyuki and Lex Sadler; Harp vs. Harp featuring Edmar Castañeda and Gregoire Maret; The Nth Power; Munir Hossn and Elas; Roosevelt Collier; Sirintip; House of Waters; Michelle Willis; Bill Laurance and Michael League; and Artist-At-Large Eric Harland, who will perform multiple times throughout the weekend, including a special set with an all-star-trio of surprise guests.
“The lineup for our fifth annual GroundUP is one of our most exciting yet,” said GroundUP Music Foundation CEO Paul Lehr, a Miami Beach native. “Long-time GroundUP fans will reconnect with some of their favorite artists, while also leaving with a sense of discovery and love of music they’ve never heard before.”
GroundUP offers a different kind of festival experience. Known for its relaxed, intimate atmosphere, with wildly eclectic, dynamic lineups of hard-to-define artists, GroundUP defies genre. Drawing an international crowd of music lovers and musicians from 48 states and 54 countries, the festival creates a laid-back oasis steps from the sands of Miami Beach.
The North Beach Bandshell, a cultural epicenter in Miami Beach since the 1960s, sets the scene for sets under a canopy of swaying palms and sea breezes. Set among the adjacent Palm Grove Park and beachfront complex, the GroundUP grounds take just minutes to traverse, and guests can easily swing in hammocks or catch beach time between sets, all in a family-friendly atmosphere. For the first time this year, festival goers can opt to take in the weekend’s performances from their own private, covered and elevated cabana with couch and table seating for up to 10 guests, exclusive food and beverage table service, phone charging stations and other amenities.
Two stages alternate performances, so attendees never have to choose between sets or miss a single note. Another essential element of GroundUP’s ethos is that the barriers are broken down between artists and audience. Unlike other festivals, musicians from the lineup stay the full weekend and can be seen mingling with attendees, enjoying sets from other artists and often joining in unexpectedly. GroundUP programming is geared toward musicians, offering fans the opportunity to interact with and learn from their favorite artists with a full calendar of oceanside master classes, including songwriting seminars and improvisational workshops.
Click HERE for general admission tickets and VIP packages. Listen to the official 2022 GroundUP Music Festival Spotify playlist HERE. DB
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…
