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…
NBA’s All-Star game and festivities centered in New Orleans this year. The weekend activities took advantage of the wealth of musical talent in the Big Easy.
Harry Connick Jr. joined saxophonist Branford Marsalis to headline the bevy of New Orleans-themed musical performances featuring Jonathan Batiste, Marc Broussard and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Davell Crawford, Jonathan Dubose, Dr. John, Stephanie Jordan, Ellis Marsalis, Art Neville, Ivan Neville, Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Amanda Shaw, Trombone Shorty and Allen Toussaint at NBA All-Star 2008 in New Orleans.
On Feb. 17, Connick and Marsalis hit the court at the New Orleans Arena. The Louisiana-born musicians collaborated on the evening’s performance lineup creating a musical set that gave a sampling of New Orleans jazz, funk and blues, but also celebrated the rebirth of the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Connick served as musical director for the halftime show featuring four original compositions.
Marsalis served as musical director for the player introductions featuring a set of high energy big band melodies composed by Marsalis and performed by the Rebirth Brass Band.
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…
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…
“I’m also at a point in my life where I don’t feel like I have anything to prove, like at all,” Akinmusire says about his art.
Mar 26, 2024 12:45 PM
At the risk of oversimplifying and romanticizing the story, Ambrose Akinmusire came bursting on the jazz scene at the…
