Benny Benack III

Ben Edward Benack III, also known as Benny Benack III, (born November 23, 1990) is an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist and composer.[1]

Benny Benack
Background information
Born (1990-11-23) November 23, 1990
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentsTrumpet

Early life and education

Benny Benack III was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] He was introduced to the trumpet by his parents at the age of nine after studying piano initially from age five.[2] Benack was raised in the township of Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania and attended Upper St. Clair High School.[3] While in high school he was a part of The Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble where he met future collaborators Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, Grace Kelly and Chad Lefkowitz-Brown.[4]

Benack attended The Manhattan School of Music in New York City on a full-tuition scholarship, receiving a Bachelor of Music in 2013 and Master of Music in 2015.[5]

Career

Benny Benack III is primarily known for his work in Jazz and Cabaret.[6] He has performed with jazz artists Ulysses Owens Jr., Christian McBride, Aaron Johnson, Ann Hampton-Calloway and Joey DeFrancesco.[7] Outside of jazz he has performed with Josh Groban, Diplo, Major Lazer, Ben Folds and Isaac Mizrahi.[8]

Benack has served as the host and featured soloist of Post Modern Jukebox. He is regularly featured with Charlie Rosen & The 8-Bit Big Band.

Film and television

Most recently Benack played on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in the Late Show House Band for a handful of episodes in November 2022. Benack was also the house-trumpet player for NBC's summer variety show, "Maya & Marty" starring Maya Rudolph, Martin Short and Keenan Thompson. The show featured special guests in musical segments Jimmy Fallon, Steve Martin and Nick Jonas.[9]

Family

Benny is the grandson of musician Benny Benack, who is perhaps best known for writing the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers theme, "Beat 'Em Bucs."[10] His father is musician Benny "Peek" Benack II. His mother Claudia Benack is a professor of music theater at Carnegie Mellon University. His sister Laura resides in Los Angeles, CA and co-leads a band "Bass Race" with her husband in which they both sing, play instruments and produce original songs.[11]

References
  1. Forbes, Maggie (2022-05-17). "'Fly Us to the Moon' with Benny Benack III at Andrew Carnegie Free Library". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  2. "During Hard Times, a Jazz Dynamo Has a Lot of Playin' to Do". Bedford + Bowery. 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  3. "Benny Benack III: Young man with a horn and a Facebook page". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  4. "The Grammy Foundation Selects Students From Across The Nation To Participate In The Prestigious Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensembles Program". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  5. "How Jazz Healed a City". Tablet Magazine. 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  6. Adler, Nicholas. "BWW Interview: SO NOW YOU KNOW with Benny Benack, III". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  7. Bowling, Suzanna (2021-07-12). "Concerts Under The Stars". Times Square Chronicles. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  8. "The Benny Benack III Quartet". Telluride Jazz Festival. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  9. "Benny Benack III to Perform Nov. 12 | Royal News: December 1, 2021". news.scranton.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  10. Shanley, Mike. "New Local Release: Benny Benack III's One of a Kind". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  11. "Stephen Totter: singer, voice coach who loved to live a fashionable life". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
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