Say the word “jazz,” and many instantly think of legends like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, or Herbie Hancock. But over the years, jazz has evolved and grown into a much larger phenomenon.
“There are a lot of jazz performers in your face that you don’t even know are jazz musicians,” says saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. “You don’t know that the best new artist Samara Joy is jazz. You don’t know that Robert Glasper is jazz, even though he’s playing all hip-hop stuff. You don’t know John Baptiste is jazz.” Even Beyonce’s entire band is made up of jazz musicians.
Benjamin will be in Miami on Saturday, Nov. 22 as part of the Bayfront Jazz Days, and while the Bayfront Jazz Festival was previously held at Bayfront Park, this edition is at the Miami Beach Bandshell. It’s an all-female lineup that includes bassist Nik West, Steinway artist Connie Han, and Taishogoto musician Eva Blanche.
“I think people like jazz more than they know,” adds the musician speaking to ArtBurst via Zoom.
Organizers are hoping to put a spotlight on top female talent in the jazz genre with a specific focus on bringing new performers to Miami. In fact, one of the requirements for Amos Rozenberg and Manuel Molina of Melrose Media, the production house behind the festival, was that the musicians hadn’t played Miami.
READ MORE: Dennis Scholl explores collective memory and space in ‘A Day of Four Sunsets’
“We wanted to feature masters of different instruments and each of these performers are leaders in their different fields of jazz,” says Rozenberg. “None of these four artists have ever performed in Miami before and that’s part of why we chose them, because we want to bring new energy to Miami. It’s going to be a great night full of energy, culture, and a lot of discovery.”
While saxophonist Benjamin might be new to playing in Miami, she’s a heavyweight in the jazz scene. A five-time Grammy award nominee, Benjamin has been playing the sax since fifth grade. She stepped into the music room and was in awe of the power of the woodwind instrument.
“I saw the saxophone up on the wall and at that moment, I was like, oh yeah, I’m totally gonna, play that,” recalls Benjamin.
The 32-year-old saxophonist grew up in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. She credits the soundtrack of her youth to influencing her sound as an adult.
Dominican and Cuban music was “90% of the music I heard non-stop,” she says. “The whole goal was always to keep everyone on the dance floor. And that stayed with me, that music is something for the community, something to have a good time to.”
As part of her set, Benjamin promises the Grammy-nominated hits as well as new music she’s been working on. “Expect lots of high-energy, lots of audience participation, and above all, a kind of healing space for people.”
Another powerhouse performer sharing the stage at the Bandshell is former Prince bassist Nik West. Much like Benjamin, the Los Angeles-based musician attributes her upbringing to influencing her work. “A lot of fans say it’s kind of like funk-soul, but I feel like all my roots lead back to jazz and gospel,” says West.
She calls herself an out-of-the-box artist.
“So you’re going to hear all kinds of things from me that night, from funk to rock to jazz to soul,” continues West. “I like to call it a jambalaya of music. You’re going to get high energy, that’s what you’re going to get from me.”
While West is accustomed to performing in Europe and Asia, she’s looking forward to taking the stage in Miami. “I think this is a really good opportunity for all of us to perform in Miami for the first time.”
She hopes this is the first of many Miami appearances. . . “ ‘Wow’ some people, gain more fans, and eventually perform there again in the future. “I’m just excited about being able to have everyone hear and feel all of the things that jazz can be through my soulful, funky music,” adds West.
Jazz-lovers are getting four mini concerts for the price of one. The event starts at 4 p.m. with performances slated to run through 11 p.m.; that’s nearly seven hours of jazz.
The first edition of Bayfront Jazz Festival was in 2021 (at Bayfront Park) and featured major jazz players Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Chucho Valdés. After that event, Rozenberg and Molina took a break from producing events and focused on making movies. Now, they’re back to putting on large-scale music concerts and are already planning next year’s Bayfront Jazz Festival.
Organizer Rozenberg gets animated when speaking about the upcoming event at the Bandshell. “It’s going to be a very exciting night because we’re bringing pure jazz to Miami… jazz is kind of niche, but niche is the new black.”
IF YOU GO
What: Bayfront Jazz Days
When: 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22.
Where: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
Cost: $93.73, $65, $39, for general admission. $29 for students. Tickets via DICE or bayfrontjazz.com.
Information melrose.media/festivals or bayfrontjazz.com.
ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit news partner of WLRN, providing news on theater, dance, visual arts, music and the performing arts.
