By Beth Naji***In a city brimming with exceptional jazz talent, trumpeter-vocalist Benny Benack III stands out for his rare ability to honor the traditions of jazz while maintaining a thoroughly contemporary appeal. With a recent performance at Jazzcultural, the Benny Benack III Quintet was a swinging reminder of that perfect balance. Benack doesn’t simply look back at 
jazz history—he grabs it, flips it and blows new life into it, with chops, heart, humor and one serious dose of swagger—always keeping his irresistible old-school charm.
And he’s one hip guy! What makes Benack so compelling isn’t simply his musicianship, impressive as it is. There’s a confidence to his playing, and singing, but never a sense that he takes himself too seriously. Swanky and sophisticated—that combination is part of the magic. He can deliver the goods musically and still make you feel like you’re hanging out with the coolest guy in the room.
Benack’s powerhouse group featured Eli Howell (trombone) and as Benack affectionately dubbed them “A Cadillac rhythm section,” locked in and driving the time: William Hill III (piano), Mark Lewandowski (bass) and Maria Marmarou (drums), who together created the kind of musical chemistry that makes you sit back, settle into the groove and enjoy the ride!
The evening opened with Benack singing, “There Will Never Be Another You” (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon), with an intentional Chet Baker flavor to his delivery: cool, relaxed, conversational, yet completely his own. He moved effortlessly from vocals into a vocalese solo over the changes, then picked up his trumpet and took flight! Each member of the quintet had a chance to shine, with solos and trading fours that established the evening’s swinging spirit right from the start.
With a Lee Morgan tune, “Totem Pole,” the band settled into its Latin-flavored, straight-ahead swing groove, with Benack’s trumpet leading the way alongside Howell’s trombone, whose solo was particularly impressive, adding another layer of depth and personality to the arrangement. “Just Friends” (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis), taken at an uptempo swing, began with just Benack’s vocals alongside Mark Lewandowski’s bass: cool, intimate, and in the pocket. Benack’s scat solo was one of those moments when you remember that he isn’t simply a terrific trumpet player who happens to sing—he’s a serious 
vocalist whose scatting had a smooth, almost Mel Tormé quality, with horn-like phrasing and impeccable rhythmic instincts.
Chet Baker again served as inspiration for “You Can’t Go Home Again,” the title track from Baker’s 1977 album, recorded in NYC, with its melodic roots connected to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2—a haunting melancholy song of trying to return to a place, or perhaps a time, that no longer exists in quite the same way. But there was an extra surprise: Benack had not only written lyrics to the tune, but that very same day, and the result was beautiful: tender, thoughtful and heartfelt. The entire performance seemed to breathe with a quiet emotional honesty. It was one of those moments when the room gets a little still and everyone simply listens.
Benack also demonstrated another side of his bebop vocabulary, as a composer, performing his own contrafact (a new melody created over the chord 
progression of an existing tune), titled “My Sentiments Exactly,” based on “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.” The arrangement gave the musicians plenty of room to stretch out with some serious chops all around! In the final tune of the night, Benack swapped out some of the band members, bringing in an impressive lineup of local jazz talent, including some regulars from Jazzcultural’s own A-list. The band launched into a smokin’ hot blues intro, with a retro flair. Benack didn’t announce the title, teasing with “(trumpeter) Woody Shaw recorded it—you’ll know it,” and sure enough, the moment that hook hit, we were caught in that familiar melodic web. “Look out here comes the spider man!”— Shaw’s “Spiderman Blues,” arranged from the original 1960’s “Spiderman” theme song. They were totally in the zone putting the pedal to the metal, with that driving blues-based jazz line. What a way to end the night.
Photos by Marilyn Lester
