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Lakecia Benjamin bringing jazz sax sounds to Iowa City Jazz Festival
Grammy-nominated performer back in her groove after serious 2021 car crash
Ed Condran
Jul. 4, 2024 6:15 am
The sounds of sirens, as opposed to the sounds of silence, mean different things to different people.
Sirens blare at the start of āAmerikkanĀ Skin,ā the leadoff track from Lakecia Benjaminās fourth album, āPhoenix.ā The easy assumption is that the whirring noise was inspired by New York City, which is where the jazz saxophonist resides and was raised.
However, the source is from ambulances, which rescued Benjamin after a terrible car crash in Ohio in September 2021. She was on her way from a gig, but while driving in a rural area, her car flipped into a drainage ditch. Benjamin suffered multiple injuries, including neurological damage, a broken jaw and shoulder blade, and a perforated eardrum.
āI remember hearing a lot of sirens then,ā she said. āIt was awful. I totaled my car. I woke up in the woods with some stranger dragging me out of my car. When I went to the hospital, they didnāt know if I was going to make it or not.ā
Benjamin recovered quickly and was touring Europe three weeks after the accident. She will be headlining the Iowa City Jazz Festivalās Main Stage Saturday night, July 6, 2024.
If you go
What: Lakecia Benjamin and Phoenix
When: 8 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, 2024
Where: Iowa City Jazz Festival Main Stage, 16 N. Clinton St., Iowa City
Admission: Free
Details: summerofthearts.org/calendar-event/lakecia-benjamin/
Artistās website: lakeciabenjamin.com/
2024 Iowa City Jazz Festival: Friday to Sunday, July 5 to 7; bring seating; includes artist booths, food, beverage gardens, with city fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Friday around Old Capitol Museum downtown
Festival lineup: summerofthearts.org/festival/2024-iowa-city-jazz-festival/
The upside of the near tragedy is that the experience inspired āPhoenix.ā The critically acclaimed album, which dropped in 2023, received three Grammy nominations.
āI was just writing the material for that album at the time of the accident,ā she said while calling from her New York City apartment. āThat hardship propelled me to write the material. I had to dig deep, and I fortunately had the resiliency to bounce back.ā
That spirit is all over the varied, adventurous album. The hour-plus collection features terrific guest appearances with such jazz icons as Wayne Shorter and Dianne Reeves.
āThey were both great to work with,ā Benjamin said. āDianne is one of the nicest people youāll never meet. She related so well to me. It was never like she was on a pedestal. I appreciate how honest and direct she is. Dianne is just amazing.ā
But Benjamin is the vital and energetic focal point, with compelling solos and brave experimentation.
Acclaimed jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who has played with such icons as Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson and Stan Getz, produced āPhoenix.ā
āI reached out to Terri and told her about theĀ project,ā Benjamin said. āShe liked what I was talking about, but wanted to hear the music. She agreed to do the project and I love what she did, since she got the best out of me. Her father (Sonny Carrington) was a sax player. She understands what Iām doing and she pushed me to a higher level. I really appreciate what she helped me accomplish.ā
Playing live
āPhoenix Reimagined,ā Benjaminās next project ā a live release, withĀ three new songs ā is slated to drop July 12. The energy emanating from the alto saxophonist, MC and bandleader was captured during the Brooklyn concert experience.
āI never had a live album out, but itās about time that I do,ā she said. āSeeing me onstage playing live is so different than what Iāve done on all of my recorded albums. You get to know me as a person when you see me live. Thereās nothing like having an audience in front of you when you perform.ā
Benjamin looks forward to making her Iowa debut Saturday during the Iowa City Jazz Festival.
āIām excited about coming to Iowa, since Iāll be performing at a festival,ā she said. āI love playing festivals so much that if I had my way I would never play a club again. I love festivals because youāre outside and you can just go full throttle. My energy level is at another place whenever I play a festival, so this show is a great way to experience what Iām about.ā
Jazz roots
While growing up in the Washington Heights section of New York City, Benjamin soaked up a number of different sonic styles, but didnāt immerse herself in jazz until high school.
āWhen I heard John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Charlie Mingus, I really enjoyed jazz,ā she said. āThere really isnāt anything like it.ā
Benjamin has made a career out of jazz and fortunately, it continues after surviving her car crash.
āI very much appreciate still being able to create and perform after going through that,ā she said. āI canāt imagine doing anything else.ā
Part of whatās refreshing about Benjamin is that she doesnāt follow a template. She has an old-school manner, since she makes old-fashioned albums. āPhoenixā clocks in at 70 minutes. Only two songs are under four minutes. Each track takes the listener to a different place, but a common denominator connects each cut.
āIām not about doing what other people are doing,ā she said. āI create whatever moves me. I know that not everybody does that. But Iām not interested in what everyone else is doing. I like to do my own thing.ā