New Group Featuring Jenna Jackman

I have been collaborating for some time with up-and-coming artist Jenna Jackman, and we are going to begin performing now. Bart Olson and I have been performing together for the past 15 years on and off, and he will be joining us on drums.

We are going for a downtempo, electronica, and trip-hop mixed with Jenna's melodic sensibilities.

Listen to some of our samples here:
http://robbennion.com/jennajackman.html

Standing while working

For the past three weeks, have tried an experiment: to stand up 100% of the time I am working, be it playing music, composing, or working on the computer in any way.

I elevated to standing-height my music keyboard, laptop, and desktop computer using my alto sax case, a cooler, a shelf, and an Ikea laptop table.

I got the idea reading this new york times article about the health benefits of standing up while working, and wanted to try it. That was three weeks ago.

The first week, I have to admit it was a challenge. My feet and joints hurt, especially my hip joint. My feet were not used to it and I had sore feet. But despite the pain and discomfort I felt better than while sitting for extended periods of time. While sitting, I had poor posture, so my back would often hurt after working for too long. No matter how many times I would try to sit up and correct my posture, soon I would slouched back into the chair and didn't think about it again until it started to hurt.

The second week, all the joint discomfort went away. I still felt tired after standing for extended periods of time, but noticed a huge difference in my overall feeling of health, and my legs began to feel rock solid. My back didn't have any discomfort, while standing I have great posture and often move around.

Now in week three, at the end of a long day at the computer I now feel like I just went for a walk, rather than a useless blob with an aching back. When I take the kids for a walk to the playground, rather than feeling sluggish and lazy about it I run and jump around with them, due to a boost in my leg strength and stamina.

I would seriously recommend that anyone who has to be at a computer for extended periods of time try the same experiment: be it writing novels, composing music, customer service, or working in an office; the health benefits are immediately felt.

Break Science: a new hybrid of great music

This group continues to blow my mind. Live drummer (none other than the incredible Adam Deitch) plus super talented dj/keyboardist Borahm Lee = http://www.myspace.com/breaksciencemusic

Performances Friday Feb 19th and 26th at Salsa Leedos Mexican Grill

I'll be playing at Salsa Leedos on Friday Feb 19th and the next Friday Feb 26th from 6-9PM. Salsa Leedos has great food and atmosphere, I love playing there, this will be my third performance there. I have played there for private parties in the past, this time I'll be out in the open in the middle of the restaurant.
Looking forward to their amazing food! Here's their website: http://salsaleedos.net/

Appearance Tuesday on Fox 13 Morning Show

Big Budah from local station Fox 13 called me and asked me to be on his Mardi Gras-themed show for Fat Tuesday. It'll be taking place in the morning at 6:15, 7:23, and 8:08 AM this coming Tuesday Feb 16th. Should be fun, he says there will be Mardi Gras dancers, cajun food, and more, filming will take place at the Bayou downtown.

21st and Ivy article/spotlight . . .

http://www.twentyfirstandivy.com/2010/02/rob-bennion.html

Nate Robinson and Gracies

Nate Robinson is one of the most talented guys I know. He sings and plays rhythm guitar for 2 and a half White Guys, but also plays more and more in his trio where he not only sings and plays guitar, but plays the kick and high hat with his feet.
I played in Nate's band for two years, and have to say he is consistently one of the coolest and chill people I have ever met. This I can say because I've been with him during month long tours living out of a van, and he was still cool and chill.
I played with Nate at Gracies last night, one of my favorite venues in Salt Lake City. Gracie's is Deno and Sean's bar (from the Port 'O Call) right across the street from where the Port used to be. I love reggae music and it was fun to play with Nate again.

I'm to be featured on 21st and Ivy, lifestyle website by photographer Matt Clayton

There will be a Valentine's day story on me (romantic saxophone music and all) at the website http://www.twentyfirstandivy.com/

I'll post another link when the story is up. You may remember Matt from his earlier project "Square Magazine". He's a very talented photographer and really nice guy to boot.

Recording your kids

Ever wanted to record your infant's baby talk and set it to music? Or do you have a small child who loves to sing? Listen to some samples I have made in the past with my own kids:
http://www.robbennion.com/mp3s/changeiscoming.mp3
http://robbennion.com/mp3s/babysong.mp3

I have a selection of music, or if you have an idea in mind for a song I also compose music. Listen to some of my past compositions here: http://www.robbennion.com/composition.html

I am a Salt Lake City musician who can come to your house and record your child with my laptop and microphone, or if you prefer you can come to my house. It usually works best if the child is comfortable and happy (i.e. napped and fed). I live downtown in the Avenues Salt Lake City.

For more information about me (I am a father of two little ones myself) please visit my website http://www.robbennion.com

Thanks!

Restaurant performance at Christopher's Seafood and Steakhouse

I played this weekend at Christopher's downtown. It was a lot of fun, they were extremely busy and the tables were full all night with a line at the door.
I played 3 sets, performing a mix of standards and my own compositions, as well as some fun pop songs and other covers.
At the end of the night I got some of the best food I've had in a long time. Anyone interested in great food and and a high-class atmosphere should check out Christopher's.

Writeup about our performance in the Tribune

I contacted the David Burger, the Trib's Entertainment Reporter, and he made a writeup about our gig tomorrow: http://blogs.sltrib.com/burger/index.php?p=8355&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

NYE jazz 8pm-12 midnight

DJ + SAX + FLUTE = GREAT MUSIC

A few weeks ago I performed a set with a dj down at the Hotel/club elevate for a VIP red-carpet party on a Saturday night. It was a lot of fun and people were very receptive to the sax and flute mixed with downtempo, electronica, and trip-hop.
Since then I've been composing some downtempo songs of my own, and have aquired equipment to be able to dj while performing on the sax and flute. It's a lot of fun for me and a way to create an accessible style of music while maintaining the improvisational quality of a live musician.
Adding a live drummer, the energy goes up even more. I run the "turntables" (digital turntables that is) while performing on the flute or sax with my effects pedals including delays, harmonization, octave dropper, etc; while the drummer keeps the beat going.
Jazz music as a genre has always been about innovation and incorporating new elements. If anyone has heard any of the Verve Remixes, that is the type of sound we are going for. The mix of the organic acoustic instruments (sax, flute, live drums) with the elecronic and pre-recorded sounds sets a very cool ambiance.

NYC Fashion show recap

I had a blast in NYC this weekend playing at the fashion show/talent showcase. Diana from Suede marketing truly knows how to take care of her clients, and everyone was very welcoming. I played two sets, broken up by comedian "Shorty" who proceeded to make fun of everyone in the audience, including me, the "white chocolate from Utah with 5 wives, recruiting for his 6th wife". He was hilarious.

The event was held at the Mt Vernon AAC (African American Club) and I was so happy to have the opportunity to play for such an enthusiastic crowd that was so into jazz music. Typically at events I get a lot of requests for music that is not jazz, but here they asked me to play Coltrane, couldn't ask for a better place to play.

The clothing designer had some really stunning pieces, she weaves them all herself.

I was especially happy to be able to meet so many of the members at the club, and learned about a lot of other places in town that I could potentially perform at.

Diana coordinated everything and made it an amazing evening. I'd go back and play there again in a heartbeat, and hope for another opportunity.

Fashion show performance tonight in NYC

Brought to you by SMB

Featuring Michi Designer Knitwear and Pottery by Ron Brown & the smooth Jazz Sounds of Rob Bennion
For one night only ! Fashion & Art join under one roof along with Jazz and Comedy!
When Fashion and Art Meet..... a fire ignites!!

An Evening of Fashion and Art!

This amazing evening was a mere fantasy in the mind of it's creator Diana Barnes, Owner of Suede Management Booking & Management (SMB). Diana is currently an Instructor at adult vocation school, and an accountant outside of her Booking & Management business.

Hosted by Comedian "Shorty", Music by International touring saxophonist and composer. Rob Bennion and Featuring an amazing Showcase by Michi Designer Knitwear and Pottery by Ron Brown.


**Just added**... the AMAZING Sound of Saxaphonist, Rob Bennion!!



Rob spent his first few years living on a farm in rural Utah. According to Bennion's mother, Rob was singing to himself long before he learned how to speak.
After the family moved to Houston, Rob picked up the saxophone, which became Bennion’s musical passion and pursuit.

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 experimental groups, the clarinet choir, saxophone quartet, Celtic, ragtime and jazz combos. During school Bennion joined nationally-touring reggae band Two-and-a-half White Guys, touring the United States and Canada. Rob's own trio No Street played his original compositions, and he played in the Peery Blues Project and Salsa band Orquesta Caribe. He played lead tenor and lead alto alternately in local big bands as well as smaller jazz groups. There he met his Costa Rican wife Nicolle.

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 2006 the Bennions moved to Marugame, Japan. Rob Bennion was the artist in residence playing 6 nights a week at Marugame's Saso Luxury Club.

Rob Bennion returned to the United States summer 2007, where he currently composes, performs, and collaborates with musicians ranging in styles from Salsa to Hip-Hop. As a husband and father, a fluent speaker of Spanish and Portuguese; Rob's life experience comes through in his compositions and performances.

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. He has composed theme music for the Mayan Restaurant, various video games and TV pilots, and short films. Please visit www.RobBennion.com for more information.

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Your Host & MC for this fabulous evening is Comedian "Shorty" noted for his appearances in a television pilot for BET called "Busted" (aired April 12, 2008-check BET.com for more details), the 2008 Los Angeles Comedy Festival, VH1's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Videos (aired in early 2009) and comedian Talent's (weekly comedy show) and Hot 97's DJ Enough's comedy spot in Manhattan, NY.

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Michi Designer Knitwear by Michele Walden

Michi Designer Knitwear by Michele Walden designs are easily recognized by the designer, Michele M Walden's signature lace effect , created on her one of a kind garments. Michele's unique eye for detail, style and fit is phenomenal. Michi Designer Knitwear has been featured at the Essence Music Festival and is now being featured in upcoming Fashion Showcase & Art Gallery this Saturday November 21, 2009 "Principals of Love" Fashion Show, Art Gallery, Jazz & Comedy.
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Art by Ron Brown (Pottery by Ron Brown)

A teacher of African American History, African History 1 and 2.
States."

Ron's mask's can be seen this Saturday at the Exclusive "Principles of Love"

By Popular Demand: New Music for a new generation

Over the past year I have performed and DJ'd many events and wedding receptions, and have had many clients request current hip-hop and R&B songs during the dance portion of the event. There is a real demand for a band that can play the current chart-toppers, a band that could do hip-hop and R&B songs which MTV is currently playing.

I wanted to tell you about a new addition to my band . . . rapper 2uce Betta from Indianapolis. Together with LA native Hayley Singley, my band does what no other Salt Lake city band can do: we play popular R&B and hip-hop music, from classics like Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean", "Rapper's Delight" and the Beastie Boys to current chart-toppers like Beyonce and Jay-Z, Estelle and Kanye West, and the Black Eyed Peas.

Generation Xers are now CEOs, CFOs, and getting married by the droves. This party band, the only one of its kind, can really push the boundaries of live music. Keeping in mind that we are still well-versed in the classics from the Jazz/Blues/Pop songbooks such as the Beatles, Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and many others. We can really keep the dance floor packed. Click here for demos and info about the group: http://www.robbennion.com/theband.html

Recap and more pictures from the Okayama Jazz Festival Last year

Soul and Jazz singer Alicia Saldenha wrote a great recap of our experiences performing for the Okayama Jazz Festival last year. Check it out for her take on the festival and the great city Okayama for hosting such a fun festival:

http://alicia.kansaiblogger.com/2008/12/06/okayama-jazz-festival-with-rob-bennion-report-pics/

Musicians and Event planners coordinating to make the event a success

Over the years my bands have performed at many many events of all shapes and sizes. I've played acoustic background music with a small instrumental jazz quartet for backyard wedding receptions with an intimate gathering of close friends and relatives. I've had my bigger band play for large corporate events at the Salt Palace, providing the main entertainment for a seated convention crowd of 8,000; with rehearsed timing and entrances, boosted with huge speakers and complicated audio-visuals to accompany the music.

No matter the size or complexity of the event, it is essential to communicate well with the event planner, whether it's the bride herself or an events expert from a large company. This communication may be as simple as emails back and forth, or as complex as multiple meetings or long phone calls going over the needs and plans for the event to go off without a hitch.

A few things which I have learned over the years which are important for the musician to discuss with the event planner:

1. Music Style. Often a client requests a mellow jazz band for their wedding reception but once the reception begins they start to request popular dance music. For this reason I've greatly expanded the repertoire of my band and vocalist, so that we are prepared to do the modern chart-toppers.

2. Special requests. Determine the Daddy-daughter and First Dance numbers long before the night of the reception. A request for an obscure song made the night of an event usually can't be fulfilled . . . plan ahead with the client so that expectations are clear and can be met.

3. What to do in case of a need for en extended performance time. Let's say the company party got to a late start, or the wedding reception is going so well that everyone wants to stay and party longer than the planned time. This is a common eventuality which must be discussed beforehand. If an agreement is reached before the event starts then the event planners and musicians already have a clear plan of action should the client choose to extend their party.

4. Will the band be served dinner? This seems small but can be a big deal if the band is playing starting in the evening going until late. Plan early to stay within expectations.

5. What is the band going to be wearing? Tuxes or concert black are the most common, but sometimes there is a certain look and feel desired . . . such as a mardi gras party, or a new year's marquerade ball, etc.

2uce Betta joins the Rob Bennion Band

It's been great working with 2uce on our collaboration "Robot Dream" (http://www.myspace.com/therobotdream) He is a very talented rapper and singer as well.

My band is going to showcase him so that we can largely expand our repertoire for events that call for dance music, playing current pop, hip-hop and R&B music (and the classics too).

Listen to a sample, our version of Estell and Kanye's :American Boy" notice how smooth 2uce sounds, and Hayley's great R&B stylings: http://www.robbennion.com/mp3s/americanboy.mp3

World Music Benefit Concert Friday March 20th

This week I played with Brazilian music group "Jinga Boa", had a great time. On Friday we will perfom again for Benefit to fund clean water projects in Africa, at Pierpont place downtown:
Pierpont Place
163 Pierpont Ave.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

Jinga Boa is a band made of mostly percussion instruments, with George Brown singing and playing cavaquinho (ukalele) and guitar. I play sax sometimes but mostly flute. Listen to some music here: http://www.robbennion.com/jinga.html

Hope to see you on Friday!

Sound for Film

This weekend I did sound for a period film from the 1950s called "Inspector 42". I switched off doing boom and mixer, learned all the terminology and how to run the mixer. This is the second set I've done sound on, the first being a new Fox Sports show that will air this summer.

I have also been composing a lot for different media projects, I did music for the Valentine's day KUED "Utah Now" with Doug Fabrizio show, and also did all the music for the Fox Sports Show airing this summer. I am working on a pilot about air gliding and am doing the music for Michael VanOrden's film "Spit" www.spitmovie.com".

I enjoy composing and have a desire to move in that direction more and more, although I still perform regularly.

New Year's fundraiser for Women's Abuse Prevention Fund

This New Year's Eve I performed for the Women's Abuse Prevention Fundraiser in Salt Lake City. We had a wonderful time and Nicolle looked amazing!

Top 5 movie scores from 2008

What are your favorite music scores from 2008? Here are my top 5:

1. Alexander Desplat's score for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. I saw this with my family on Christmas day. Big budget high production, with all the resources to make an epic soundtrack.

2. Thomas Newman's WALLE. As a father of two little monkeys, FINDING NEMO is always on the TV is our apartment, and I recognized some of the same styles and motifs going on. I loved the allusions to Star Wars throughout. Kudos to Peter Gabriel for the closing credits song (the use of the electric organ with a bit of distortion was perfect!)

3. Hanz Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score for THE DARK KNIGHT coupled with Heath Ledger's performance made this movie one of the best of the year for me. Sometimes jarring, the music fit the movie well.

4. After living for a year and then recently touring Japan again, I absolutely love the asian drums and instruments in KUNG FU PANDA. Hanz Zimmer and John Powell got it goin on. I loved Jack Black's interjections into "Kung Fu Fighting" sung by Cee-lo Green. As a flute player that song is dear to my heart, along with "Car Wash" ;)

5. As a sax player, I love the funky sounds of John Powell's score for HANCOCK. Plus my wife thinks Will Smith is hot so we can watch it as much as possible.