Benny Benack Quintet

By age 33, Emmy-nominated Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack III has already become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation, headlining clubs and festivals around the world on the heels of his latest critically acclaimed album “Third Time’s the Charm” which ascended to #2 on the JazzWeek International Radio Charts in 2023. He is the rare talent who is just as formidable as a fiery trumpeter ranging from Freddie Hubbard to Louis Armstrong and everyone in between, while as a singer he delivers sly, mature, naturally expressive post-Sinatra vocal stylings. <br><br>His sophomore album “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (2020) featured the likes of bass luminary Christian McBride, achieving viral online fame w/his vocalese rendition of "Social Call" ft. Veronica Swift that's been transcribed and covered by singers around the world. He has crooned his way to millions of more listeners alongside groups such as the Grammy-winning “8-Bit Big Band” and YouTube sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”. <br><br>His double-threat credentials were first apparent when he was a finalist in the 2014 Thelonius Monk Competition on trumpet, and then won Third Place in the 2021 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. His resume for both was recently bolstered in Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll for 2023, where he appeared in two categories: The #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist and #15 Rising Star Trumpet. <br><br>His global recognition has been bolstered by the recent advent of live-streaming concerts, both through his ongoing residency at Smalls Jazz Club, as well as frequent appearances at fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” online series. He has emerged from the pandemic as one of the most in-demand touring artists in the Jazz world, with a never-ending intercontinental schedule that reflects his indefatigable love for the music, with his smile and panache on full-display wherever it takes him next. <br /><br />Elijah Jamal Balbed (a.k.a. EJB) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, curator, and bandleader from Washington, DC. A graduate of Howard University's legendary Jazz program, Elijah has since established himself as an in-demand player in DC, Baltimore, Philly, and New York. Elijah has participated in residencies at Strathmore, Bohemian Caverns, Keystone Korner, The Kennedy Center (Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead), and Jazz at Lincoln Center in Doha, Qatar. As a sideman, Elijah has performed, recorded, and/or toured with Chuck Brown (RIP), George Duke (RIP), Patti Austin, Lalah Hathaway, Jazzmeia Horn, The Revive Big Band, Winard Harper, John Swana, Cyrus Chestnut, Butch Warren, The Blackbyrds, and others. After spending a year in Chuck Brown's band, Elijah was inspired to start his own band fusing DC's Go-Go music with elements of bebop and straight ahead jazz called The JoGo Project. The band celebrates 10 years this year and has become a mainstay in the DC area. As a solo artist, Elijah has released 3 albums: Checking In (2012), Lessons From the Streets (2015), and The Karma Suite (2019). In 2021, Elijah created an outdoor pop-up series during the pandemic called "JazzMob DC", which was featured in The Washington Post. In 2022, Elijah was appointed the Curator of Jazz at The Kreeger Museum in DC. In 2023, he performed with Ms. Lauryn Hill at Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. In 2024, Elijah performed on the Soul Train Cruise with The Temptations. Currently, Elijah performs with the Chuck Brown Band, The JoGo Project, Bryan Eng Sextet, Tim Brey Sextet, and Fran Vielma Jazz Orchestra. <br>For more info go to www.ejbjazz.com or follow @ejbjazz on all social platforms. <br /><br />This artist does not have a bio yet. <br /><br />This artist does not have a bio yet. <br /><br />Since moving to New York in 2009, drummer Jimmy Macbride has establishedhimself as one of the most exciting and creative young voices on his instrument.Named as one of “25 For the Future” by Downbeat Magazine, Macbride is anextremely in-demand and highly regarded sideman, valued for his musicality,versatility, and adept touch on his instrument. Coming from an artistic family (hisfather was a composer and mother is a visual artist), Jimmy began playing drums atage 3 and gravitated toward jazz music at an equally young age. He is a graduate ofthe Juilliard School, where he studied with Carl Allen, Billy Drummond, andKenny Washington. Since finishing his studies, Macbride has worked some of themost important voices in jazz, including Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel,Jimmy Greene, Kevin Hays, and Steve Nelson. He regularly performs throughoutNew York City, at venues such as Dizzy’s Club, Smalls, The Jazz Gallery, and TheBlue Note. In addition, Jimmy’s musical skills have also taken him worldwide,affording him the opportunity to perform at clubs and festivals on five continents,including the Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Festival, and Monterey JazzFestival. A testament to his artistic range and willingness to be part of any musicalsituation, Jimmy can be seen performing and touring regularly with a wide varietyof artists and groups, encompassing a vast array of styles. Some of these includeManuel Valera, Samuel Torres, Troy Roberts, Michael Rodriguez, Marshall Gilkes,Mike Moreno, Dave Kikoski, Nir Felder, Eldar Djangirov, and his wife andfrequent collaborator Miki Yamanaka, among many others. He is also noted for hispowerful and supportive drumming in a big band setting, appearing with theMingus Big Band, Ryan Keberle’s All Ears Orchestra, and the Terraza 7 Big Bandregularly. An active recording artist, Macbride has appeared on over 70 albums as asideman to date.