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…
This year’s Syracuse Jazz Festival, which will be held from June 23 to 25 at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., will salute three American cities.
On Friday, June 23, the festival will start with a “Salute To Detroit,” with headliners David “Fathead” Newman’s Tribute To Ray Charles (featuring Howard Johnson and Detroit’s Marcus Belgrave) and The Funk Brothers of Motown Records fame. Saturday’s concerts will pay tribute to New Orleans with C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Marcia Ball and Dr. John. Cornell Dupree and Les McCann will close out the festival on Sunday with an homage to Memphis.
“By creating dedicated theme nights at the 2006 festival that celebrate and salute three of America’s most renowned musical hubs, we were able to put together a diverse musical lineup that doubles as a history lesson in American popular culture,” said Syracuse Jazz Fest founder and artistic director Frank Malfitano.
For more information go to
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…
In other news... DownBeat's Most Read Stories
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Drummer Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath Dies at 88
David Sanborn, Star Alto Saxophonist, Dies at 78
Jazz Emerges as Essential Component of Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival
Ambrose Akinmusire: On Expressing Beauty
