Thursday, June 1
7:30 pm PDT
Raisbeck Auditorium*
In-person*
$10-30
Lakecia Benjamin is a saxophonist for a new era—charismatic, dynamic, and marvelously talented, Lakecia Benjamin bridges jazz legacy and contemporaneity with a style all her own. Fusing traditional Jazz concepts with HipHop, and Soul, Benjamin paid homage to jazz greats John and Alice Coltrane in her 2020 album Pursuance. Riding on the back of the success of that album is Benjamins’s 2023 release Phoenix. Produced by the multi-Grammy-award winning Terri Lyne Carrington, the album features a star-studded lineup of specially curated guests Dianne Reeves, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Sonia Sanchez, Angela Davis and others. As well as highlighting the unique viewpoints of groundbreaking women and their take on American culture the album speaks to Benjamin’s personal journey overcoming a traumatic car accident in late 2021 while simultaneoulsy exploring Blackness in America today. Complex, unique, and heartfelt—as New York Times asserts “hustle and ingenuity have defined Benjamin’s career, and her strong will, warmth and down-to-earth persona come through in the music.” Joining Lakecia Benjamin for this performance are Zaccai Curtis on piano, E. J. Strickland on the drums, and Ivan Taylor on bass.
*This performance was previously scheduled to be at Langston, but venue was changed to Raisbeck Auditorium on Tuesday, 05/23/2023. Raisbeck Auditorium is a new performance space at Cornish College of the Arts. Not to be confused with the older Raisbeck Performance Hall next door, the new auditorium is located in the Ivey building on the corner of Lenora St and Boren Ave.
**Earshot Jazz COVID-19 Policy: Earshot recommends that all ticket holders be vaccinated. Masks are strongly encouraged unless actively eating or drinking. Policy subject to change. Full COVID policy here.
Lakecia Benjamin photo by Elizabeth Lietzell