The Man Making Jazz Relevant for Everyone

www.ozy.com [OZY]( [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright Sponsored by [Cariuma]( Leisurely reads. Quirky tips. Meet your weekend BFF with the lowdown on the coolest art, culture, food, travel, TV shows, music and more. Jan 21, 2023 Today Benny Benack III comes from a long line of talented musicians. That legacy fuels his work marrying traditional jazz with new sounds, reaching a whole new generation of listeners. — by Kate Harvie in New York  [New Year, New Sneakers]( [Cariuma]( Hello, 2023! 🥳 Now that the holiday season is behind us, and we’re looking ahead to the new year, it’s time to talk about all the resolutions on our list. From new gym routines to picking up new hobbies, to shopping sustainably, there’s sure to be a case for a new pair of sneakers. What better way than to rock the celeb-loved OCA Lows from the cool, sustainable sneaker brand, [Cariuma](? Made with, organic cotton, natural rubber, and recycled plastics, these beauties are sure to provide you with a cool, classic look that you’ll want to rock long after you’ve checked off your new year’s to-dos. And we can’t forget to mention that they’ve made all-star appearances in Vogue, Rolling Stone, GQ, and more. Snag a pair with your personalized code, [OZYJAN for 15% off]( any pair to get your new year started! [SHOP NOW]( Hacking the Pandemic … for Jazz Third-generation Jazz musician [Benny Benack III]( is a force of musicianship. He composes, sings and plays trumpet, often with musicians at the top of their games. But even that triple threat, combined with an impressive musical lineage, isn’t what makes him unique. It’s his voracious appetite to perform wherever and however possible. Even if it’s during a global pandemic. In July 2020, when New York City lockdowns were lifted, the 32-year-old was the first of his fellow musicians to perform publicly at Harlem’s The Craftsman, where he plays every Sunday. Wanting to ensure the safety of his audience, he used an ingenious mask hack and built a plexiglass performance booth. “I had a mask made with a zipper,” Benack explains. “I played in what amounted to a phone booth, with plexiglass barriers to protect the audience from the air from my trumpet.” Why? He needed to play. “Performing is my lifeforce and sustenance,” he explains. Without music, he says he would be depressed and isolated. “I couldn’t share the community that is so important to jazz music. It’s social music, and it’s meant to be shared.” That sharing also happened virtually. Early on in the pandemic, he performed with his colleague and friend, pianist Emmet Cohen, in a weekly series called “[Emmet’s Place](,” live streamed from Cohen’s apartment. He also wrote the jaunty “[Put a Mask on Your Face](,” a rewriting of the classic “Put on a Happy Face.” The performance was posted on YouTube with a description that reads: “I hope it brings everyone some much needed smiles and laughs in the face of these dark times! Kiss those Corona Blues goodbye!” Benack is driven by a desire to bring jazz to the masses. He says he wants to “have every audience member and listener hear something that resonates, whether they’re a diehard jazz snob or a casual listener.” And it’s in his blood — literally. [LOOKIN’ FAB LIKE A CELEB]( [Cariuma]( Temperatures may still be dropping as winter settles in, but what’s stopping you from owning a new year, new look? ‘Cause honey, it may be drab outside, but that ain’t stopping you from looking fab inside! 💁 Time to meet [Cariuma’s]( Therma and Caturi kicks – water-repellent, 100% vegan, and crafted for total warmth. They’re so cozy, even the insoles are lined! Designed from high-performance vegan suede and a cozy, ultra-plush shearling lining, made from GRS-certified recycled materials, these sneakers are sure to go quickly. Because who doesn’t want their feet to stay warm on these bitter cold days? After being raved about by celebs, skaters and surfers alike, these kicks sold out fast. But don’t worry! These kicks just cleared a huge waitlist and are back in stock. But they’re going to go quickly…again! Get ‘em while they’re hot and use code [OZYJAN for 15% off]( your order. Pssst…this offer won’t last forever. [SHOP HERE]( It Started With Keys Benack’s family gave him his first nudge toward music. His grandfather, the iconic Benny Benack Sr., was a legendary trumpeter and bandleader in the Pittsburgh jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Benny III has musical parents, too: His father is saxophonist/clarinetist Benny Benack Jr. and his mother, [Claudia Benack](, is an associate professor of voice at Carnegie Mellon University. At age eight, piano was Benack’s first instrument. However, he soon learned that keys weren’t his jam: “Piano was very much a chore, a slog. It didn’t take to me naturally. My mom’s father would set a 20-minute practice time. I’d move the clock hands so I would only play for three minutes,” he recalls. But it was on the bench he learned he had a knack for making music. He’d show up to his lessons and tell his teacher he’d been working on something. “Then I’d riff and improv then and there,” Benack adds. It was his grandmother who first cultivated his interest in jazz, playing albums while she looked after him. Arturo Sandoval’s Trumpet Evolution, featuring musical homages to history’s brass masters, became an early favorite. Not long after, Benack picked up his grandfather’s cornet. His first trumpet was the one his grandfather had played on “[Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood](.” By age nine, he was asking to play the trumpet in his school band — something his parents pushed for, since the school considered him too young at the time. Benny’s school considered the trumpet to be a band instrument; he was too young to play in band. How did he know the trumpet was his instrument? “I always knew,” he says. “I never had a plan B. It was always this. For my whole life. This is what I was put here to do.” Benack’s now 18-year career has seen many highlights, including releasing [three albums](. An inclusive artist, dedicated to the Great American Songbook and modern interpretations, he plays as much Louis Armstrong as Backstreet Boys, and as much Burt Bacharach as Billie Eilish. He’s fronted cover band Postmodern Jukebox and was a member of Isaac Mizrahi’s cabaret band. And he’s played on tours with [Ben Folds](, Josh Groban (trumpet soloist) and the Christian McBride Big Band. His energetic, passionate performances have landed him on [DownBeat Magazine](’s recent readers’ poll lists for Rising Star Male Vocalist and Rising Star Trumpeter (he’s even been described as “[too entertaining](.”) And yet, Benack isn’t signed to a record label and doesn’t have a booking agent. NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Lighting the ‘Flame of Jazz’ In 2013, Benack started teaching, something he considers “as important and fulfilling as anything I do in my career.” It began with co-instructing a course for public school students called “Jazz for Young People” at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), alongside Jake Goldbas, band leader for JACL and Artistic Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM). “Students immediately trusted Benny,” Goldbas says. “First, he taught the students and then the material. His love of learning is equal to his love of what he does.” In spring 2022, as one of the Voices of Freedom at LAHM, Benny taught over a dozen interactive concert assemblies. “Benny passed on to young people his love of this music, the common ground we shared, and his love of jazz,” Goldbas says. Benack has also taught at NY Pops Education Department and SEIKO Jazz Camp in Tokyo. “I have always felt responsible to keep the flame of jazz music lit for multiple generations,” he says. “Seeing the light bulbs go on for a young person witnessing high level live music — for the first time — provides inexpressible gratification.” From his playing to singing to teaching, Benack aims to make jazz as inclusive as possible. “I try to play it for all people. No one present will feel excluded. I’m always acutely aware of the opportunity to educate people and inspire them to want to listen more. I love the music so much; I want people to feel the same joy.” For those who want to see Benack perform in person — an experience that Broadway World’s [Stephen Mosher]( calls “audibly and visually thrilling” — he has shows coming up [across the USA](, and will be appearing on tours in Europe, Mexico and Saudi Arabia this spring. On June 26, Benack will be releasing his fourth album at Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center. COMMUNITY CORNER Did you discover a new band or artist during the pandemic? [TELL US ABOUT IT HERE]( ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! 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