Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2023 Lakecia Benjamin
George Square Spiegeltent 16th July Review
George Square Spiegeltent 16th July Review
Lakecia Benjamin made not only her debut appearance at The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, but also her first visit and performance in Scotand as she took her place on the George Square Spiegeltent stage. With her was the “Phoenix” band – Ivan Taylor (Bass), E J Strickland (Drums) and Zac Curtis (Piano).
For anyone out there who has yet to come across Lakecia Benjamin and her music, this New York born saxophonist has for some years now been making her mark on the Jazz (and wider music) world and has already worked with major artists including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keyes and Missy Elliot. With her music, Lakecia Benjamin is firmly poised to take her own spotlight as an innovative and major talent as she fuses the sounds of Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Hip-Hop into her own very unique soundscape.
Lakecia Benjamin has a new album out “Phoenix” (released late January 2023) and the band (taking its name from the album) is currently on the European part of their current tour. As you would expect from any professional band on tour, everything is tight, sharp and crisp, and with the level of talent that these four musicians have, something a little bit special was always going to happen on stage and it did. This is how contemporary jazz can and should sound as everyone on stage not only knows where their music has come from but has the ability to take you into a classic 1950/60s jazz scene whilst at the same time introducing new musical threads and sounds as and when required.
Musically this evening was very much a celebration of music, life, and the sheer joy of being alive whilst also making a firm stand about the many different forms of injustice across the world today and standing up to say “No I don’t want things to be this way anymore” and that basic human needs such as food and freedom should be universal. This music is also a celebration of the power of women to recognise their own strengths and use that to make positive changes in this world.
All of the above is also central to the core concept behind the album “Phoenix” which features a collection of songs written throughout different seasons and a reflection that, coming out of a global pandemic, many things in this world simply had to start changing for so many people; the Phoenix had to rise from the ashes.
Phoenix is not only a new album, (I listened to it before reviewing this show) it is an important work with so much to say and the first track on it, “Amerikkan Skin” performed tonight has real power in its words (if you choose to listen to them). On the album, the words are spoken by American political activist Angela Davis, but here on stage, Lakecia did a fine job with them and they lost none of their power.
One of my favourite artists over many years, Patrice Rushen, also features on this album, so hearing Lakecia’s very distinctive take on “Jubilation” was a pleasure. Respects were also paid tonight to jazz legend John Coltrane with a cover of his classic “My Favourite Things”.
Lakecia Benjamin and the band were obviously enjoying bringing their music to Edinburgh and everyone was in an upbeat party mood, and whether you liked your jazz to be classically cool, very funky, hip-hop, R&B or even a little bit of gospel there was something here for you, and Lakecia and the band made it all look and sound so natural and effortless.
Review by Tom King © 2023www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
For anyone out there who has yet to come across Lakecia Benjamin and her music, this New York born saxophonist has for some years now been making her mark on the Jazz (and wider music) world and has already worked with major artists including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keyes and Missy Elliot. With her music, Lakecia Benjamin is firmly poised to take her own spotlight as an innovative and major talent as she fuses the sounds of Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Hip-Hop into her own very unique soundscape.
Lakecia Benjamin has a new album out “Phoenix” (released late January 2023) and the band (taking its name from the album) is currently on the European part of their current tour. As you would expect from any professional band on tour, everything is tight, sharp and crisp, and with the level of talent that these four musicians have, something a little bit special was always going to happen on stage and it did. This is how contemporary jazz can and should sound as everyone on stage not only knows where their music has come from but has the ability to take you into a classic 1950/60s jazz scene whilst at the same time introducing new musical threads and sounds as and when required.
Musically this evening was very much a celebration of music, life, and the sheer joy of being alive whilst also making a firm stand about the many different forms of injustice across the world today and standing up to say “No I don’t want things to be this way anymore” and that basic human needs such as food and freedom should be universal. This music is also a celebration of the power of women to recognise their own strengths and use that to make positive changes in this world.
All of the above is also central to the core concept behind the album “Phoenix” which features a collection of songs written throughout different seasons and a reflection that, coming out of a global pandemic, many things in this world simply had to start changing for so many people; the Phoenix had to rise from the ashes.
Phoenix is not only a new album, (I listened to it before reviewing this show) it is an important work with so much to say and the first track on it, “Amerikkan Skin” performed tonight has real power in its words (if you choose to listen to them). On the album, the words are spoken by American political activist Angela Davis, but here on stage, Lakecia did a fine job with them and they lost none of their power.
One of my favourite artists over many years, Patrice Rushen, also features on this album, so hearing Lakecia’s very distinctive take on “Jubilation” was a pleasure. Respects were also paid tonight to jazz legend John Coltrane with a cover of his classic “My Favourite Things”.
Lakecia Benjamin and the band were obviously enjoying bringing their music to Edinburgh and everyone was in an upbeat party mood, and whether you liked your jazz to be classically cool, very funky, hip-hop, R&B or even a little bit of gospel there was something here for you, and Lakecia and the band made it all look and sound so natural and effortless.
Review by Tom King © 2023www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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