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 Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO) with Wynton Marsalis has started its 10th anniversary of touring with a major national and international tour schedule that began Sept. 23 in Stony Brook, N.Y. The tour will end in April 2003. The resident orchestra of Jazz at Lincoln Center (J@LC) played its first tour date on Sept. 12, 1992, in Denville, N.J. Since then, the band has traveled to more than 250 cities in 30 countries on five continents, reaching millions of people with performances and educational events.
On this tours, the LCJO will draw from an extensive repertoire, playing music by Marsalis and other members of the orchestra, as well as the music of Ellington, Mingus, Coltrane, and others. Marsalis, who recently composed 14 new tunes, dedicated to of his fellow LCJO members, for this summer’s performance at the Marciac Jazz Festival in France, stated: “Everywhere the LCJO travels, regardless of nation, language spoken or even type of food eaten, people love the music and they react positively to what we’re doing on the bandstand. Our goal is to unite people around the world in the spirit of swing.”
The first leg of the tour will hit cities throughout the northeastern United States, including Ithaca, N.Y.; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Portland, Maine. Following these dates, the LCJO begins an extensive international tour of Asia with visits to 13 cities in Japan, including Tokyo and Morioka as well as Seoul, South Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and other cities. The band makes a stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 5 before returning to the U.S. mainland.
The LCJO will perform Marsalis’ “All Rise” with the San Francisco Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, from November 20-23. Last fall, the LCJO kicked off its hugely successful United in Swing Tour on September 13, 2001, in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl with a performance of “All Rise” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Morgan State University Choir and the Northridge Singers of California State University. A CD of All Rise featuring those same ensembles was recorded on September 14 and 15, 2001, in Los Angeles and is slated to be released by Sony Classical on October 1.
“All Rise” will be performed again when the LCJO begins its Winter/Spring tour in Paris, France, on Jan. 6-9, 2003. The Orchestre National de France will collaborate with the LCJO in this performance. The tour will continue on to Toulouse, France; Amsterdam, Holland; Basel, Switzerland; and Vienna, Austria. The LCJO will travel through out the United Kingdom for tour dates for the remainder of January 2003, performing in Edinburgh, Scotland and several cities in England, including Bristol, London, and Cambridge.
After returning to the United States, the orchestra will continue its touring schedule with a special performance in Washington, D.C., at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 3, 2003. The orchestra will take a break and make time for a few performances in New York City in February and March at Alice Tully Hall.
Members of the LCJO will also lead a variety of educational events during the tour, including master classes, lectures, clinics and Jazz for Young People concerts. Education remains a priority of the LCJO over the last decade and that commitment to educational excellence has led these educational events to become a standard part of its touring activities.
For more information, go to www.jazzatlincolncenter.org.
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.
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