Biography

According to Bennion's mother, Rob was singing to himself long before he learned how to speak. In the public school band program Rob picked up the sax, and teacher/mentor John Talcott introduced him to jazz music, which became Bennion’s musical passion and pursuit.

As an 8th grader, Bennion performed on national television in the Kahuku High School Marching Band (Hawaii) and was the youngest member of their jazz band. Later, in 9th grade, under the direction of saxophonist Michael Vance; Bennion beat out high school seniors across the state of Utah to perform in the All-State band.

At 16, Bennion was performing and touring with local college bands. There he learned “on the street” the skills of a professional musician: composing, networking, and adapting rapidly to new situations and musical styles.  Bennion used these skills to audition for and make lead tenor in the Utah Valley State College Jazz Band his junior and senior years of high school.

After high school Bennion served a voluntary two-year teaching mission in Brazil for his church. There he learned the value of selfless service and the rewards of hard work, as well as a love for the Brazilian culture and Portuguese language. 

 
Upon his return, Bennion furthered his education at Brigham Young University, playing in various groups from the big bands to small combos. He Studied privately with saxophone legend Ray Smith and played in percussion guru Jay Lawrence’s salsa combo, as well as renowned composer Christian Asplund’s group Brainstun.  He also performed in the BYU clarinet choir, saxophone quartet, and various jazz combos.

During school Bennion joined nationally-touring reggae band Two-and-a-half White Guys, touring much of the United States and Canada.  He performed many of his own original compositions his trio No Street, and performed regularly in the Peery Blues Project and Salsa-merengue band Orquesta Caribe.  He played lead tenor and lead alto alternately in local big bands as well as smaller jazz groups.

In 2005 Rob Bennion relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where he played saxes, flute, clarinet, and effects pedals in various groups, including Brazilian group Bossanossa, progressive rock band Cramer, and party band Plan B. In Dallas he performed in various venues including the Gaylord Resort's AmaLure restaurant, the Westin hotel Dallas, and Escargot Restaurant Fort Worth; his client list included Countrywide, Crossmark, OmniAmerican Bank, and United Central Bank.

In 2006 Rob moved to Marugame, Japan. Rob Bennion was the artist in residence playing 6 nights a week at Marugame's Saso Luxury Club, performed weddings at the Hotel St. Catherine in Utazu, as well as regular community performances and appearances at D's Jazz Bar downtown. 

Bennnion returned to the United States summer 2007, where he can be hired for private parties, wedding receptions, corporate or other special events. Rob's Utah client list includes Tahitian Noni International, BalletWest, Xango, Hindsight Trading, Ernst&Young, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Thanksgiving Point, and the Park City Jazz Foundation among many other smaller companies and private parties. He's performed at wedding ceremonies of local celebrities like Terry Wood of Channel 4 News and has traveled for performances all over the United States and abroad, from Vancouver to Miami Beach and everywhere in between.

In October 2008 Rob was the headlining performer at the Okayama Jazz Festival and other jazz clubs. He was also featured as the musical guest on KJZZ TV Channel 14's "Cooking Delight" with Jennifer Burns. Rob's band was named "Best Jazz/Blues band 08-09" by local paper the Daily Herald, and appeared live on Fox 13's Fat Tuesday morning show Spring of 2010. The band has appeared numerous times on TV since then including on Channel 2 news' morning show, has been featured in the Salt Lake Tribune's Nightlife section multiple times, and was recently interviewed during the Sundance film festival 2013 for an LA T.V. station during one of their performances for a celebrity party. The band travelled to Houston for performances in January 2013 and has plans for performances in LA, and will be featured during the Cannes film festival in France this coming May.

Please read reviews written by past clients here. He performs solo as well as with groups of many sizes and styles, including his DJ/Drums Duet Robot Dream. Please contact him for more information.