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…
Jon Faddis and The Chicago Jazz Ensemble will present its 10th American Heritage Jazz series, featuring the performance “Paquito D’Rivera and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble: Commemorating Goodman, Celebrating Swing and Latin Jazz,” on Dec. 12 at the Harris Theater, Chicago. Faddis, artistic director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, will also present a pre-concert conversation about the performance with Neil Tesser before the show.
“Paquito and I first met on the bandstand when we both were sitting in with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1980s,” Faddis said. “We continued to work together with Diz and, of course, with Diz’s United Nation Orchestra, for which we each served as music director over the years. I’m excited to once again share the stage with Paquito, who is a master of classical, jazz and Caribbean-infused music. He is tremendous fun and a great friend. With the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, these renditions of Benny Goodman’s music will definitely shine.”
The Chicago Jazz Ensemble’s 10th anniversary series will also include “The Great American Songbook,” featuring Bobbi Wilsyn, on Feb. 20, and “The Artist of the Composer: Music by William Russo and Frank Foster” on March 20.
More info: chicagojazzensemble.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…
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…
Sanborn’s highly stylized playing and searing signature sound — frequently ornamented with thrill-inducing split-tones and bluesy bent notes — influenced generations of jazz and blues saxophonists.
May 14, 2024 3:13 PM
David Sanborn, the star alto saxophonist who masterfully straddled the realms of straightahead jazz, R&B, rock and…
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…
