‘Like the middle of the jazz universe’
There's a reason Benny Benack III plays the 8495 so often
Benny Benack III lets it rip at a 2023 gig at Uncle Cheef in Brewster, N.Y. (8495Jazz photo)
Benny Benack III has made a big name for himself with his trumpet and singing pipes in New York City jazz circles, regularly headlining at hallmark clubs like Smalls and Minton’s as well as touring the world with top billing.
But Benny, who will headline Saturday’s 9th annual Manchester (Conn.) Jazz Festival at historic Cheney Hall, also plays the 8495 regularly, and says both fellow musicians and audiences here deserve top billing in their own right.
The jazz community in this region, Benny says, is as sophisticated as any bunch of New York City cognoscenti. He’s played nearly every club, from Uncle Cheef in Brewster, N.Y. to Jimmy’s in Portsmouth, N.H., and nearly every destination venue in between, like the Side Door in Old Lyme, Conn., and Sculler’s in Boston.
“It’s almost like you’re getting that top tier ‘New York’ level of musicianship and audience, but you are not cramped in some basement in the West Village,” he told 8495Jazz. “You have more room to stretch your feet out. There’s no dropoff. You might as well be plopped in the middle of the jazz universe.”
Benny’s at an interesting point in his career; while founts of gravitas such as Downbeat critics rate him extremely highly in the “rising star” category (#1 male vocalist and #8 trumpet in the 2024 critics’ poll), Benny is also, at 34, in the top tier of “young lions,” established musicians who have earned their stripes on the road and in the studio. And they know how to put on a show, no matter who is sitting in the audience. A Connecticut crowd at a 7:30 show and a midnight gathering of hardcore jazz musicians at Smalls waiting to get up and jam themselves may not get the same set list from Benny – but they will get the same respect.
“I am always aware that you have to meet the audience in the middle,” Benny said. “I think it was Dizzy Gillespie who said you play ‘two for them and one for us.’ I’m always thinking about what will engage the audience and get them on my side.”
He has learned how to think like that his entire life. His grandfather, trumpeter Benny Benack, Sr., was a college and high school marching band director by day and a top-tier jazz cat by night in Pittsburgh. His Dad, reed man Benny, Jr., was a banker by day but a first-call musician by night, playing with guys like soul blues legend Billy Price. When Benny III (also known as BB3 to his fans) came along, he had two generations of wisdom to guide him, and he decided early on that he was going all-in on full-time jazz; he has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. And today he passes on the knowledge he gained from his family and his own experience to young musicians with equally lofty goals.
He said he is also heartened to see jazz audiences growing worldwide to include young folks who aren’t musicians.
“If you go to the Smalls equivalent in Copenhagen or Paris, it’s all these young people, and they don’t even play music,” he said. “They’re just regular young kids whose idea of going out on a Friday night is to go to a jazz club and see live music. I’m noticing that all over the world.”
His visit to Manchester Saturday won’t be his first; he was a featured guest at one of the Hartford Jazz Orchestra’s regular Monday night shows at Elicit Brewing Company in April. And he’s eager on his return to show festival patrons a good time Saturday, maybe mixing a little avant-garde with some toe-tappers.
“The band they put together for me has Boris Kozlov on bass and he’s like the modern descendant of Charles Mingus,” Benny said, “so maybe I should play some kind of zany Mingus tune – but I don’t want that to be the first song. Maybe I’ll sing some Sinatra first.”
Benny often performs with his good friend, Litchfield Jazz Camp alum Emmet Cohen. The two are among the ‘young lions’ of jazz who are now serving as mentors for the next generation of students. Benny shows off his trumpet and singing chops in this song with Gabrielle Cavassa.
Holiday Happenings
It’s that time of year again, and the 8495 is getting into the holiday spirit this week with jazz a-plenty:
Waterbury, Conn., native Nicole Zuraitis, 2024 Grammy winner for best jazz vocal album, will be at The Packing House in Willington, CT, Friday, for what organizer Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance calls a “special holiday show.” Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30. $30 in advance, $35 at the door.
The New London Big Band brings the jolly to its home club, The Social Bar & Kitchen, for two nights this week, Wednesday and Thursday. “The biggest big band event of the year!” they say, with featured vocalist Megan Weikleenget. Showtimes both nights are at 6:30. $17.85, including fees.
Also in New London, the U.S. Coast Guard Band’s Guardians Big Band will present its “a Brassy Christmas” concert Friday at 7 at the Coast Guard Academy’s Leamy Hall. It’s free, your tax dollars at work (I’m all for more tax-funded music, myself).
The New Haven Jazz Underground is paying it forward next Sunday (Dec. 8) with its second annual jazz concert and sock drive fundraiser featuring the Elm City Big Band at Cafe Nine. Doors open at 3. $10. NHVJU founder Nick Di Maria says “we encourage those attending to bring a new package of socks or make a donation to the NHVJU so we can buy some socks and donate them to a homeless charity in New Haven.”
Note the Time Change
Uncle Cheef in Brewster, NY is changing the hours of its Sunday Brazilian jazz showcases from brunch to early evening beginning tonight; “We feel these hours will be perfect for those folks looking to get home at a reasonable hour that still want an uplifting and positive experience to propel good fortune and good spirits into the week coming up,” Uncle Cheef owner Ian Hendrickson-Smith said in the club’s weekly newsletter.
This week’s show features pianist Helio Alves, who has been an in-demand side man for Joe Henderson, Yo-Yo Ma, and Paquito D'Rivera, among others. Doors open at 4:30 with sets at 5:30 and 7. $10-20, one ticket good for both sets, seating for the second set is based on availability.
Other Shows This Week
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
David Hazeltine (piano, combo), Thur., Dec. 5, 7:30 pm. $15.76 - $20.76.
URI Fine Arts Center, Kingston, RI
URI Jazz Combos III, Tue., Dec. 3, 7:30 pm. $10-15
Pump House Music Works, Wakefield, RI
URI Big Band, Thur., Dec. 5, 7 pm. $15.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
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