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…
Eli Degibri’s tribute to Hank Mobley, Soul Station, is due out Oct. 5.
(Photo: Yossi Zwecker)Tel Aviv’s Eli Degibri aims to recapture the spirit of Hank Mobely’s album Soul Station with a tribute disc of the same name.
The seven-track album, set to be issued Oct. 5 on the saxophonist’s Degibri Records, recasts the original program and adds “Dear Hank,” a personal homage from the bandleader to one of his heroes.
“‘Dear Hank’—this was a significant change and experiment for me,” said Degibri, who’s played with Herbie Hancock, Al Foster and others during his career. “I tried to get into Hank’s head and to imagine how he would be composing if he was alive today.”
A video for the original composition is premiered below.
The six other cuts on Degibri’s tribute display the saxophonist’s command of his instrument, as well as his skills as an arranger. This imaginative recording provides a convincing case for the enduring power of swing and soul. 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…
