This is World Class Entertainment from the Best of the Best as Downbeat Magazine’s 2024 #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist Benny Benack III is back with his father, Pittsburgh legend, Benny Benack II, and his phenomenal NYC band on Saturday, June 14 at 7:30 PM.
It will be ‘A Hot Time in the Old Town’ as one of the most virtuosic and versatile voices of his generation, BBIII, performs sizzling jazz and blues with which he’s blazed across the country and around the world on tour – and that has been described in a Birdland performance as a “rock concert… with all the screaming and hootin’ and hollerin’ from the audience. It was pandemonium. A music show audibly and visually thrilling! Broadway World
Having sold out Lincoln Hall in his 2022 performance with his NYC rhythm section, this will be a night to remember! Reserve early and don’t miss this artist destined for legendary greatness with his NYC band AND his father on the eve of Father’s Day!
Acclaimed as one of the most versatile and virtuosic voices of his generation, according to Downbeat Magazine in which BBIII was voted as the 2024 #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist,
“His smooth, polished voice… brings to mind a number of old-school singers, including Mel Tormé, an uncommon reference point among today’s cohort of young jazz musicians. Almost everything about Benny Benack III, the 30-year-old trumpeter and vocalist, suggests that he arrived from a different era.” [Downbeat]
And well that should be – BBIII is making his mark on the American jazz scene in New York City as the third generation progeny of Pittsburgh jazz legends, his grandfather trumpeter Benny Benack and his father saxophonist and clarinetist Benny Benack Jr – BBII. This will be a night to remember!
A review of his performance at Birdland in Broadway World described BBIII’s charismatic performance:
“When is the last time you were in a jazz club but thought you were at a rock concert? Sunday night at The Birdland Theater you would’ve thought it was a rock and roll show, with all the screaming and hootin’ and hollerin’ from the audience. It was pandemonium! But, then, of course, the act on the stage was the Benny Benack III Quartet, and there is actually every chance that, on a parallel plane, they could be a rock band. They are all young, handsome, edgy, and oh-so-cool, and they play their instruments like rock and roll musicians – they just happen to be playing jazz.
Listening to… watching… Benack play his horn is joyful – you can’t do it without smiling. The lightning speed of his fingers. The extremity of the backbend. The emotional content of his face. The visible journey he is on. These are all ingredients in a music show audibly and visually thrilling…”
When Benny Benack III performed with his father Benny Benack, JR in 2019 as Burgh’s All Star favorites came together for an unforgettable night of music and dancing in Lincoln Hall, here is how the “two Bennys” made their entrance – New Orleans style!
WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE THE EVE OF FATHER’S DAY – as the international jazz/rock star, born and musically bred in Pittsburgh – BBIII – will bring the house down returning to Lincoln Hall with HIS FATHER – Pittsburgh jazz legend father, saxophonist Benny Benack, Jr.
ARCA is grateful to Dr. John and Anna Karian for their generous gift sponsoring the return of Benny Benack II and III to Lincoln Hall.
Be sure to reserve early as this concert will sell out!
Adults $30, Members $25 and Students $5. Buy online here – Call to Reserve 724 659-3153 – or cash or check at the door.
ARIVE EARLY & EXPLORE FOXBURG!
Plan to Make a Day of it in beautiful Foxburg!
Before the Saturday, June 14 concert of BB3 and BB2, stop by the Red Brick Gallery and Gift Shop to shop for that special gift from the first floor offerings of talented Cooperative Artists from the region and view the special exhibit in the upstairs gallery featuring artist Nancy Connelly – Plein Air Pastels, open weekends May 30 – July 6.
My pursuit of Art comes with an internal desire to capture what I see using the colors in nature that I have an appreciation for. My approach may be called intuitive or even magical since I don’t plan to paint a particular scene. I do know this, I must feel something whether it’s a special time of day, or a sense of space or the defined edges of the landscape and trees. I’m not one to copy an image so much as to translate and pass on my reverence for time and space I’m allowing myself to sit in.
Before the concert enjoy a walk along the Allegheny River trail, rent bicycles or have a pontoon boat tour with Foxburg Tours.
Make a reservation for supper to dine early before the concert at the Allegheny Grille with seating overlooking the Allegheny River.
For more casual fare, at Foxburg Pizza with salads, sandwiches and pizza.
Save time to enjoy wine tasting in the remodeled Foxburg Wine Cellars or enjoy a bottle of wine with appetizers on their beautiful patio – Foxburg Wine Cellars
Or spend the night in Foxburg in the newly remodeled Foxburg Inn where every room has a view of the river – and you can breathe in peace and refreshment on the hotel deck overlooking the Allegheny River.
If the Foxburg Inn is sold out for a wedding, stay up river in the historic Barnard House in Emlenton.
About the Musicians
Benny Benack, III
By age 33, Benny has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the post-bop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship.
His dual talents were recognized by Downbeat Magazine in 2022 where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist but also a top Rising Star Trumpeter in their critics’ poll. Now in 2024, Benny was voted the #1 Rising Star Male Jazz Vocalist and #8 Rising Star Trumpeter. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he is a highly capable pianist.
Benny has performed internationally as an Emcee/Host for the Youtube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy-award winning “8-Bit Big Band”. In early 2020 he released A Lot of Livin’ to Do, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut One of a Kind. This sophomore effort, richly varied in mood and brimming with bop inflection, features bassist extraordinaire and Jazz ambassador Christian McBride (whose Grammy-award winning Big Band frequently calls upon Benny in the trumpet section) and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., as well as the radiant Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes. His vocalese duet on “Social Call” from this album alongside fellow young star vocalist Veronica Swift became an instant smash hit single, being transcribed and learned by Jazz vocalists around the world. His latest album “Third Time’s the Charm” features many stars including Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen & Bria Skonberg and was released in June 2023 to critical acclaim and chart-topping success, reaching #2 on the JazzWeek National Radio Charts.
Alongside his global touring as a straight-ahead/contemporary bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at Birdland, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and other leading New York venues, and has also been a special guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his television debut in NBC’s short-lived, SNL-inspired variety show “Maya & Marty” playing in the in-studio band led by acclaimed bassist & Broadway arranger Charlie Rosen. More recent TV credits include “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” where he’s performed in the House Band started by Jon Batiste. His global recognition has been bolstered by recent live-streaming concerts at Smalls Jazz Club, where he maintains a Jam Session residency, as well as frequent appearances on fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s smash-hit online concert series “Emmet’s Place” .
Benny Benack III has proven to be a rare talent: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the postbop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Blue Mitchell, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). And he’s a highly capable pianist as well.
Benny’s been showcased in international headliner tours at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, JALC’s “NY Jazz All-Stars” (Mexico) and extensively all over Asia and Europe. He has headlined domestic tours around the U.S. including the Vail Jazz Party, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh JazzLive International, the Vancouver Jazz Festival and the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing, MI, to name a few. Benny’s been featured at Birdland, Mezzrow, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and other leading New York venues. Alongside his work as a leader, he has played in the house band for NBC’s “Maya & Marty,” and appeared as a trumpet soloist across genres with the Christian McBride Big Band, Diplo/Major Lazer, Ann Hampton Callaway, Melissa Errico, Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi and more.
Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921-86), and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny, Sr. hailed from a Pittsburgh lineage that also produced Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and so many more. He recorded the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 theme song “Beat ’Em Bucs” and toured with Tommy Dorsey and Raymond Scott, among others. Benny III returns to Pittsburgh often to perform, saluting his family forebears and the jazz heritage as a whole, nonetheless staking his bold and highly individual artistic claim.
He is an endorsing artist with Torpedo Bags cases, CarolBrass flugelhorns, as well as various menswear fashion lines including X-Suit, Alain Dupetit, Brisk Shirts, Proper Cloth & Vittone.
Benny Benack, Jr. – Clarinet, Sax & Trumpet
Benny Benack, Jr. is a legend in the Pittsburgh jazz and night club scene – a band leader well known for his virtuosic musicianship and charismatic audience appeal. The Benny Benack Band plays everything from jazz, swing, big band, Dixieland, Rhythm and Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll – with wonderful vocals from the Great American Song Book and more.
Benny is no stranger to the music world. His father, Benny Benack, was a Pittsburgh band leader and at the forefront of the Pittsburgh jazz scene in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Benny Jr. continues the family’s musical tradition playing trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone. His son, Benny Benack III, is following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps as a jazz trumpeter and vocalist, currently building a big name for himself in the jazz scene in New York City.