Lakecia Benjamin

A rising star with inimitable jazz talent, alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin impressed audiences all over the world with her radiant performances and convincing craftsmanship. She plays jazz that is sprinkled with the rich flavors of funk and soul and is fully in step with the rhythms of the young generation.

Lakecia Benjamin is a 3x GRAMMY nominated New York-based saxophonist, arranger, composer, and educator. Her music offers a unique meld of R&B, several strains of jazz, and funk. Her warm, resonant tone — that has been compared to Johnny Griffin’s — lends itself to any form of music she chooses to play. Retox, her 2012 leader debut, offered a beat-conscious set of soul and funk covers and originals. In 2020, she released Pursuance: The Coltranes. The widely acclaimed set contained 13 tunes equally divided between compositions by Alice and John Coltrane and offered sometimes radical reinterpretations.

In addition to Benjamin’s alto were the selectively featured horns of Gary Bartz, Steve Wilson, Greg Osby, and Bruce Williams, harpist Brandee Younger, violinist Regina Carter, bassists Workman and Me’Shell Ndegéocello,and vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. In 2023 she returned with the star-studded Phoenix. Seen as a future jazz classic it wed jazz, funky soul, R&B, and hip-hop with an all-star cast including Dianne Reeves, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Sonia Sanchez and Angela Davis. The album brought upon three GRAMMY nominations and universal praise. There is no question that Phoenix marks yet another stratospheric rise for an artist who resolutely knows what she wants to say and how to say it, all the while honoring her mentors and the traditions that have come before her. Lakecia will no doubt play key tracks from that impressive album during her undoubtedly overwhelming set at So What’s Next.

Line up:
Lakecia Benjamin : Alto Sax
Oscar Perez : Piano
EJ Strickland : Drums
Elias Bailey : Bass