Casey Benjamin
Casey Benjamin, is a genius producer, musician, and artist. A pioneer of his unique brand of Saxophone and Vocoder, Casey has been constantly pushing the limits of music and the very concept of genre itself to new heights. Originally a Jazz saxophonist, he evolved to develop a sound that is wholly unique to him. From sonic contributions to his stylish aesthetic, Casey is in a class of his own. He is an industry veteran, a fact that is clear from a long list of collaborators that range from Betty Carter to Robert Glasper. With three Grammy wins under his belt, Casey has broken the mold and built a new trend which has inspired so many notable artists who are coming up in his wake.
Bio
NEW GEAR
Casey’s new HornFX Pedalboard
Morningstar MC-6
LINE6 HX Stomp
Eventide H9
Source Audio C4
Dunlop Volume X
Old Gear
"I change my gear quite often, so below are pictures and descriptions of some of the setups ive gone through during the years. The picture to the right is one of my more recent boards. It goes like this: bassoon into Little Jake bassoon pickup that is attached to the neck (bocal) of the bassoon-that leads to a LR Baggs 9V powered preamp on the floor closest to the camera. Then-It goes into the thing on the left-a Avalon U5 direct box. Then-into the main unit that you will see in a lot of pictures because I’ve been using it since about 2012. That would be the thing with the blue light-the TC Helicon Voice Live 2. Then, I have it sent to the Boomerang Looper."
"Here at another show (picture below) I added an EHX POG2 pedal that goes before the TC Voice Live and I normally just don’t bother with taking the Avalon. I don’t have a roadie so I hate bringing too much. You can’t see it but I also have a MXR Bass Envelope Filter-I love that unit."
GRAMMY® award-winner Casey Benjamin is one of the original members of the Robert Glasper Experiment. Through his melodic ingenuity on the vocoder, textual mastery on the keytar, and spiky virtuosity on the alto and soprano saxophones, Benjamin gives the Experiment some of its most defining sounds. This has enabled the group to gain international acclaim in the jazz, R&B, and hip-hop scenes on such trailblazing records as Black Radio (Blue Note Records, 2012) and Black Radio 2 (Blue Note Records, 2013).
Born in 1978, Benjamin grew up listening to music in his South Jamaica Queens, New York home. He started playing the saxophone when he was eight years old and continued his studies at the Harlem School of the Arts and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art. Benjamin complemented his early jazz studies by attending pianists Barry Harris’ Jazz Workshops and Dr. Billy Taylor’s Jazzmobile. Living in Jamaica Queens also afforded Benjamin contact with musicians involved in the bustling Jamaica Funk crew - bassist Marcus Miller, trumpeter Tom Browne, and keyboardists Bernard Wright, Ozell Miller, and Weldon, Irvine Jr.
After graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, Benjamin attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, where he met Robert Glasper in 1997. Glasper played piano on Benjamin’s demo for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program. Benjamin and Glasper collaborated formally in 2004 with the first edition of the Robert Glasper Experiment, which played its first gig at New York City’s Knitting Factory.
In addition to the Experiment, Benjamin tours with singer Patrick Stump, and has worked with a string of other stellar musicians comprised of jazz greats, including singer Betty Carter, bassist Derrick Hodge, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Victor Bailey, and pianist Kris Bowers; hip-hop artists, including Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Busta’ Rhymes, Diddy, Heavy D, Consequence, DJ Logic, and Wyclef Jean; R&B singers, including Bilal, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and Beyoncé; and Black Rock Coalition gurus, including Vernon Reid and Melvin Gibbs. Benjamin co-leads the funk-forward combo HEAVy with singer/songwriter Nicky Guiland. The band has released multiple albums, including HEAVy (Kindred Spirits, 2000), Jazz Money$$ (BBE, 2007), and First Sessions (Kindred Spirits, 2008).
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