Jazz Series: Lakecia Benjamin

To witness a live performance by alto saxophonist, MC, and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin is to never forget it. 

The success of her most recent releases, 2023's Phoenix and 2020's Pursuance: The Coltranes, positioned Benjamin among jazz's most celebrated recording artists. In addition to absolute raves in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and DownBeat, she received three GRAMMY nominations for Phoenix, as well as an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album. Earlier this year she was named Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the prestigious Jazz Journalist Association. 

The ever-rising star from Washington Heights remains, at her core, an improviser best experienced in her soul-stirring concerts. Each and every time she hits the bandstand, she takes her repertoire, and her wide-ranging audience, to sublime new planes. And her message—of spiritual uplift, of social and political liberation—soars higher still.