Daniel Bennett (saxophonist)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Bennett is an American saxophonist who lives in Manhattan
. Daniel Bennett is best known for his "folk jazz
" music. Bennett contends that his music is "a mix of jazz, folk, and twentieth century minimalism." Jon Garelick of the Boston Phoenix wrote, The music has given them a broad fanbase in both jazz and folk circles. The drummerless trio has performed with musical pioneers like guitarist Bill Frisell
, Charlie Hunter
, saxophonist James Carter
, percussionist Billy Martin
(of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi
, David Fiuczynski
(of the Screaming Headless Torsos
), Denison Witmer
, and Tooth and Nail recording artist Joy Electric
. Daniel Bennett is also known as the founder of Bennett Alliance
productions. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz
and folk
festival held annually in Rochester, New York
. The Bennett Alliance Concert Series is a monthly music series held at the Cambridge
YMCA Theatre in Boston
. In 2006, Bennett Alliance expanded into a record label
, releasing albums for the Kode, the Furr Project, and Daniel Bennett Group.
. He first picked up the saxophone at the age of 10 and began playing professionally in 1998. At that time Bennett was an undergraduate music student at Roberts Wesleyan College
. Daniel Bennett worked with Rochester jazz artists like bassist Ike Sturm
, pianist Joe Santora, Sean Jefferson, and drummer Ted Poor.
In 1999, Daniel Bennett was introduced to the music of Steve Reich
and Philip Glass
. He began to write music for larger ensembles that infused jazz and minimalism. This led to collaborations with new music artists in Rochester, as well performances at major Rochester venues like Six Flags
Darien Lake, the Rochester Lilac Fest, Shewan Hall, and the George Eastman House
.
In 2002, Daniel Bennett moved to Boston
to receive his Masters in Saxophone Performance at the New England Conservatory. Daniel Bennett studied saxophone with Jerry Bergonzi
, as well as classical saxophonist Ken Radnofsky. During that time, he also met drummer Bob Moses
, who encouraged Bennett to pursue his own path towards "folk jazz
" music. In 2004, Daniel Bennett met folk guitarist Chris Hersch
. Hersch was performing fulltime in bluegrass groups around Boston.
The two began performing Bennett's original compositions in clubs and various hall around Boston. The duo released a self-title EP in March 2005. Three months later they added bassist John Servo to the group. After a year of travel, the Daniel Bennett Group released "A Nation of Bears", on the Bennett Alliance
label. The album was released in April 2007. Bennett used repititious melodic ideas over shifting, odd-metered chord structures. The compositions were in stark contrast to the atonal music often associated with avante garde jazz. Frank Deblase of Rochester City News wrote, The direction of Daniel Bennett's music has changed dramatically since his Rochester
days. Most of his compositions feature transparent saxophone
lines over minimalist guitar patterns. Daniel Bennett also performs his music on flute
at many concerts. The group has maintained the original line-up for three years and Daniel Bennett rarely adds drums to his music.
In February 2007, the Daniel Bennett Group expanded into a full quartet. The new lineup featured classical guitarist Brant Grieshaber, as well as bassist Jason Davis
. Most notable was the addition of drums to the group for the first time in three years. Percussionist Rick Landwehr joined the group in May 2007. The newly formed quartet found its audience in the Boston art scene, performing at venues like the Cambridge ArtCentral Festival, DTR Gallery, Fox Hall Studios, The Beehive, and the Judi Rotenberg Gallery. In the summer of 2008, the newly-formed quartet also collaborated in double bill performances with guitarist Bill Frisell
, saxophonist James Carter
, and indie rock group Zyrah's Orange. In the fall of 2009, the group began an eight month artist residencey at the famed Liberty Hotel (formerly the historic Charles Street Jail
) in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
, Steve Kuhn
, and Greg Osby
. The concert series quickly garnered critical acclaim throughout the New York media. Jim Macnie of the Village Voice raved,
In the winter of 2011, the Daniel Bennett Group released the much anticipated new album, Peace and Stability Among Bears
. The album was the third installment of the Bear Thompson trilogy.
(2004, Tri-Head Productions)
A Nation of Bears
(2007, Bennett Alliance
)
The Legend of Bear Thompson
(2008, Bennett Alliance
)
Peace and Stability Among Bears
(2011, Bennett Alliance
)
Boston Phoenix (May 29, 2008)
Boston Phoenix (June 2, 2010)
The Boston Globe
Progression Magazine
JazzReview.com
AllAboutJazz.com (November 22, 2009)
The Village Voice (May 18, 2011)
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Daniel Bennett is best known for his "folk jazz
Folk jazz
Folk jazz is a broad term for music that pairs traditional folk music with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles....
" music. Bennett contends that his music is "a mix of jazz, folk, and twentieth century minimalism." Jon Garelick of the Boston Phoenix wrote, The music has given them a broad fanbase in both jazz and folk circles. The drummerless trio has performed with musical pioneers like guitarist Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....
, saxophonist James Carter
James Carter (musician)
James Carter is an American jazz musician.Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan and learned to play there before moving to New York City. He has been prominent as a performer and recording artist on the jazz scene since the mid-1990s, playing saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet...
, percussionist Billy Martin
Billy Martin (percussionist)
Billy Martin is an American jazz drummer, best known as a member of jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood.-Biography:Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin was part of the New York City Brazilian scene in the 1980s. He performed regularly with Pe De Boi, Batucada and several Bob...
(of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi
Jerry Bergonzi
Jerry Bergonzi is a jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and educator. Bergonzi received a B.A. Degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is the founder of Not Fat Records....
, David Fiuczynski
David Fiuczynski
David "Fuze" Fiuczynski is an American guitarist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave...
(of the Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos or SHT are an experimental jazz/funk band formed in 1989 consisting of guitarist David Fiuczynski, vocalist Dean Bowman, bassist Fima Ephron and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. The band's original drummer was Jojo Mayer, but he was replaced by Gene Lake for their 2001...
), Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer is an indie singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His first release, in 1995, was a cassette titled My Luck, My Love. He has since released six studio LPs; two live albums, a cover album ; three EPs; and an LP with The River Bends—a side project consisting of members of the...
, and Tooth and Nail recording artist Joy Electric
Joy Electric
Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...
. Daniel Bennett is also known as the founder of Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance is a Boston-based record label and music production company serving Massachusetts and New York since 2003. Bennett Alliance was founded by saxophonist Daniel Bennett in the spring of 2003. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk fest held in Rochester, New York...
productions. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
festival held annually in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. The Bennett Alliance Concert Series is a monthly music series held at the Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
YMCA Theatre in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In 2006, Bennett Alliance expanded into a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, releasing albums for the Kode, the Furr Project, and Daniel Bennett Group.
The Rochester years
Daniel Bennett was born in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. He first picked up the saxophone at the age of 10 and began playing professionally in 1998. At that time Bennett was an undergraduate music student at Roberts Wesleyan College
Roberts Wesleyan College
Roberts Wesleyan College is a Christian liberal arts college located in North Chili, New York. It is the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America...
. Daniel Bennett worked with Rochester jazz artists like bassist Ike Sturm
Ike Sturm
Ike Sturm is a well known bassist, composer and educator in New York City, USA. Ike Sturm is most known for his work as Assistant Director of Music for the Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan...
, pianist Joe Santora, Sean Jefferson, and drummer Ted Poor.
In 1999, Daniel Bennett was introduced to the music of Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
and Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
. He began to write music for larger ensembles that infused jazz and minimalism. This led to collaborations with new music artists in Rochester, as well performances at major Rochester venues like Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
Darien Lake, the Rochester Lilac Fest, Shewan Hall, and the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
.
The Boston years
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to receive his Masters in Saxophone Performance at the New England Conservatory. Daniel Bennett studied saxophone with Jerry Bergonzi
Jerry Bergonzi
Jerry Bergonzi is a jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and educator. Bergonzi received a B.A. Degree in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is the founder of Not Fat Records....
, as well as classical saxophonist Ken Radnofsky. During that time, he also met drummer Bob Moses
Bob Moses (musician)
Rakalam Bob Moses is an American jazz drummer born in New York City.Moses played with Roland Kirk in 1964-65 while he was still a teenager. In 1966 he and Larry Coryell formed The Free Spirits, a jazz fusion ensemble, and from 1967 to 1969 he played in Gary Burton's quartet...
, who encouraged Bennett to pursue his own path towards "folk jazz
Folk jazz
Folk jazz is a broad term for music that pairs traditional folk music with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles....
" music. In 2004, Daniel Bennett met folk guitarist Chris Hersch
Chris Hersch
Chris Hersch is a Boston-based guitarist. Hersch is part of the new "folk jazz" movement emmerging in the northeast. In 2004, Chris Hersch began collaborating with "Avante-Folk" Boston Saxophonist Daniel Bennett...
. Hersch was performing fulltime in bluegrass groups around Boston.
The two began performing Bennett's original compositions in clubs and various hall around Boston. The duo released a self-title EP in March 2005. Three months later they added bassist John Servo to the group. After a year of travel, the Daniel Bennett Group released "A Nation of Bears", on the Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance is a Boston-based record label and music production company serving Massachusetts and New York since 2003. Bennett Alliance was founded by saxophonist Daniel Bennett in the spring of 2003. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk fest held in Rochester, New York...
label. The album was released in April 2007. Bennett used repititious melodic ideas over shifting, odd-metered chord structures. The compositions were in stark contrast to the atonal music often associated with avante garde jazz. Frank Deblase of Rochester City News wrote, The direction of Daniel Bennett's music has changed dramatically since his Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
days. Most of his compositions feature transparent saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
lines over minimalist guitar patterns. Daniel Bennett also performs his music on flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
at many concerts. The group has maintained the original line-up for three years and Daniel Bennett rarely adds drums to his music.
In February 2007, the Daniel Bennett Group expanded into a full quartet. The new lineup featured classical guitarist Brant Grieshaber, as well as bassist Jason Davis
Jason Davis
Jason Davis may refer to:*Jason Davis *Jason Davis *Jason Davis *Jason Davis , Bermudian international soccer player*Jason Davis, aka Jabba , Australian radio and television personality...
. Most notable was the addition of drums to the group for the first time in three years. Percussionist Rick Landwehr joined the group in May 2007. The newly formed quartet found its audience in the Boston art scene, performing at venues like the Cambridge ArtCentral Festival, DTR Gallery, Fox Hall Studios, The Beehive, and the Judi Rotenberg Gallery. In the summer of 2008, the newly-formed quartet also collaborated in double bill performances with guitarist Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, saxophonist James Carter
James Carter (musician)
James Carter is an American jazz musician.Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan and learned to play there before moving to New York City. He has been prominent as a performer and recording artist on the jazz scene since the mid-1990s, playing saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet...
, and indie rock group Zyrah's Orange. In the fall of 2009, the group began an eight month artist residencey at the famed Liberty Hotel (formerly the historic Charles Street Jail
Charles Street Jail
The Charles Street Jail or "Suffolk County Jail" is a historic former jail located at 215 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts...
) in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The New York years
In the summer of 2010, Daniel Bennett moved to New York City where he enlisted a new cast of musicians that included guitarist Mark Cocheo, bassist Mark Lau, and drummer Brian Adler. In the winter of 2011, the Daniel Bennett Group organized the popular "Jazz at the Triad" concert series at the Triad Theatre on Manhattan's upper westside. The Daniel Bennett Group currently curates and performs in this ongoing concert series. Supporting artists on the series have included Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....
, Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano playing. At an early age he...
, and Greg Osby
Greg Osby
Greg Osby is an American jazz saxophonist who plays mainly in the free jazz, free funk and M-Base idioms.-Biography:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, where he majored in Jazz Studies, and then at the Berklee College of Music, with Andy McGhee...
. The concert series quickly garnered critical acclaim throughout the New York media. Jim Macnie of the Village Voice raved,
In the winter of 2011, the Daniel Bennett Group released the much anticipated new album, Peace and Stability Among Bears
Peace and Stability Among Bears
Peace and Stability Among Bears is the 4th full length CD release from the Daniel Bennett Group. The Album was released on April 16, 2011 on the Bennett Alliance label.-Track listing:1. "The Local Sheriff"2. "The Lost Treasure of Lunta"3. "Arizona"...
. The album was the third installment of the Bear Thompson trilogy.
Discography
We Are Not DefeatedWe Are Not Defeated
We Are Not Defeated is the 1st full length CD release from the Daniel Bennett Group. The album was released on July 20, 2004, on the Tri-Head record label.- Track listing :1. "Open Close"2. "75 Levels"3. "Paint the Fence"4. "Be Careful"5. "Arizona"...
(2004, Tri-Head Productions)
A Nation of Bears
A Nation of Bears
A Nation of Bears is the second full-length CD release from the Daniel Bennett Group. The album was released on April 13, 2007, on the Bennett Alliance label.-Track listing:# "Open"# "Bear Cub"# "Flow"# "Voices"# "Hit"# "Bear Thompson"...
(2007, Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance is a Boston-based record label and music production company serving Massachusetts and New York since 2003. Bennett Alliance was founded by saxophonist Daniel Bennett in the spring of 2003. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk fest held in Rochester, New York...
)
The Legend of Bear Thompson
The Legend of Bear Thompson
The Legend of Bear Thompson is the 3rd full length CD release from the Daniel Bennett Group. The album was released on July 1, 2008, on the Bennett Alliance label.-Track listing:1. "Lunta"2. "The Hills of Beijing"3. "Geronimo"4. "Bear Cub"5. "Andrew"...
(2008, Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance is a Boston-based record label and music production company serving Massachusetts and New York since 2003. Bennett Alliance was founded by saxophonist Daniel Bennett in the spring of 2003. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk fest held in Rochester, New York...
)
Peace and Stability Among Bears
Peace and Stability Among Bears
Peace and Stability Among Bears is the 4th full length CD release from the Daniel Bennett Group. The Album was released on April 16, 2011 on the Bennett Alliance label.-Track listing:1. "The Local Sheriff"2. "The Lost Treasure of Lunta"3. "Arizona"...
(2011, Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance
Bennett Alliance is a Boston-based record label and music production company serving Massachusetts and New York since 2003. Bennett Alliance was founded by saxophonist Daniel Bennett in the spring of 2003. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk fest held in Rochester, New York...
)
News Articles on Daniel Bennett
Insite Magazine (February 2, 2008)Boston Phoenix (May 29, 2008)
Boston Phoenix (June 2, 2010)
The Boston Globe
Progression Magazine
JazzReview.com
AllAboutJazz.com (November 22, 2009)
The Village Voice (May 18, 2011)