Lakecia Benjamin
Lakecia is endorsed by Vandoren, Yanagisawa, Key Leaves, Sennheiser and Conn & Selmer
Lakecia Benjamin is a 3x Grammy nominated New York-based saxophonist, arranger, composer, and educator. Her music offers a unique meld of R&B, several strains of jazz, and funk. Her warm resonant tone – that has been compared to Johnny Hodges – lends itself to any form of music she chooses to play. In addition to honing her chops early with Clark Terry and later Terri Lyne Carrington, she is also a noted accompanist for vocalists – among them Gregory Porter and Theo Crocker. Retox, her 2012 leader debut, offered a beat-conscious set of soul and funk covers and originals produced by Ben Kane. Benjamin played on “Right on Brotha,” the closing track from Robert Glasper’s Everything’s Beautiful in 2018, a collection of reimagined Miles Davis tracks. Her sophomore date, Rise Up for Ropeadope, contained a Prince-inspired series of original jazz-funk jams. In 2020, she released Pursuance: The Coltranes. The widely acclaimed set contained six tunes each by Alice and John Coltrane, with Benjamin leading a large cast that included former Coltrane sideman Reggie Workman. In 2023 she returned with the star-studded Phoenix. Produced by Carrington, it wed jazz, funky sould, R&B, and hip-hop with an all-star cast. The album brought upon three Grammy nominations and universal praise.
Benjamin was born in New York City and raised in Manhattan’s predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. She played recorder in grade school and junior high where she began writing songs and lyrics. She won admission to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. It was there she began playing saxophone in earnest. After graduating she joined the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University and studied with jazz veterans, Billy Harper, Reggie Workman, Buster Williams and Gary Bartz.
Benjamin didn’t want to be heard as merely an instrumentalist and soloist, but as an arranger and bandleader. Her playing and touring career to date, features a wide array of artists
including Missy Elliot, Alicia Keys, drummer Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, guitarist James Blood Ulmer, and vocalist, Anita Baker. In 2015 she was part of Charenee Wade’s Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, that included Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Malcolm Jamal-Warner and Lonnie Plaxico. She’s appeared with Stevie Wonder and DJ Spinna. Other notable musicians and vocalists – Marcus Strickland, Rootstock Republic, Steve Wilson, Greg Osby, Bruce Williams, Brandee Younger, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Zakiyyah Modeste and Dudley Perkins. The 2023 release of Phoenix (mostly original 12 tracks) featured many guests including Dianne Reeves, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Sonia Sanchez, and Angela Davis.
In addition to performing, Benjamin is also an educator, teaching at Jazz at Lincoln Center and at Jazz House Kids.
Lakecia is endorsed by Vandoren, Yanagisawa, Key Leaves, Sennheiser and Conn & Selmer
