Biography
Lakecia Benjamin works as a saxophonist, arranger, composer, and educator while residing in New York. Her sound fuses R&B, multiple jazz idioms, and funk into a singular blend. A warm, resonant tone often likened to Johnny Griffin’s allows her to move fluidly across any idiom she selects. Early development of her technique occurred alongside Clark Terry, followed later by Terri Lyne Carrington; she has also distinguished herself as an accompanist for singers such as Gregory Porter and Theo Crocker. Retox, issued in 2012 as her first album under her own name, presented a rhythm-focused program of soul and funk covers alongside originals, with Ben Kane serving as producer. Benjamin contributed to “Right on Brotha,” the final track on Robert Glasper’s 2018 release Everything’s Beautiful, a project revisiting Miles Davis material. Her second album, Rise Up, appeared on Ropeadope and comprised a sequence of original jazz-funk pieces shaped by Prince’s influence. In 2020 she issued Pursuance: The Coltranes; the widely praised recording featured six compositions each from Alice Coltrane and John Coltrane, with Benjamin directing an expansive ensemble that included former Coltrane associate Reggie Workman. She returned in 2023 with the star-filled Phoenix, produced by Carrington; the Grammy-nominated set merged jazz, funky soul, R&B, and hip-hop through an all-star roster.
Benjamin entered the world in New York City and grew up in Manhattan’s largely Dominican Washington Heights section. Recorder study began during elementary and middle school, where she also started composing songs and lyrics. Acceptance to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts followed, and it was there that she committed seriously to the saxophone. Rapid progress led, after graduation, to enrollment in the acclaimed jazz curriculum at New York’s New School University.
At the New School she received instruction from jazz veterans Billy Harper, Workman, Buster Williams, and Gary Bartz. Bartz emerged as a pivotal guide, acquainting her with specialized technical exercises while encouraging her engagement with the work of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean. She also performed in Clark Terry’s Young Titans of Jazz and in several of Workman’s groups. While facing financial pressures, she secured compensated engagements with Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys, broadening her stylistic range. Those experiences surfaced on her 2010 Motema debut Retox, an unconventional project in which Benjamin’s Soul Squad supported assorted vocalists and rappers across originals and covers, some lacking her saxophone entirely. She noted in conversation that she sought recognition not solely as an instrumentalist and soloist but equally as an arranger and bandleader. Additional collaborations encompassed former Coltrane drummer Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, and guitarist James Blood Ulmer. Her established jazz foundation and reputation for rigorous yet inventive contributions positioned her as a preferred sidemusician, arranger, and section leader, resulting in a touring role with Anita Baker.
During 2015 she joined the notable lineup on vocalist and arranger Charenee Wade’s Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, alongside Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Lonnie Plaxico. The next year pianist Robert Glasper invited her to the sessions for his Miles Davis homage Everything’s Beautiful, where she appeared with Stevie Wonder and DJ Spinna on the closing track “Right on Brotha.”
Benjamin released her Ropeadope debut Rise Up in 2018, directing an expansive group through a contemporary jazz-funk revision that incorporated instrumentalists, singers, and rappers alike. Subsequent activities included New York-area performances, membership in Porter’s touring ensemble, further work with Carrington, and featured musician and arranger duties for comedian Craig Robinson. Beyond performing, she took on educational roles at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Jazz House Kids.
Her third album, again on Ropeadope, shifted away from R&B and funk and drew widespread notice. Pursuance: The Coltranes, issued in May 2020, stands apart from typical tribute recordings: its thirteen selections split evenly between Alice and John Coltrane works, frequently offering bold reinterpretations. The sole original, “Going Home,” featured bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland and the string ensemble Rootstock Republic. Benjamin’s alto was joined by selective horn contributions from Bartz, Steve Wilson, Greg Osby, and Bruce Williams, harpist Brandee Younger, violinist Regina Carter, bassists Workman, Plaxico, and Me’Shell Ndegéocello, and vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Zakiyyah Modeste, and Dudley Perkins. Critics worldwide greeted the album with acclaim at release, after which it registered on streaming charts.
January 2023 brought Phoenix on Whirlwind Recordings, a twelve-track collection consisting primarily of originals performed by her septet under Carrington’s production. Guests included Dianne Reeves, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Anastassiya Petrova, and Jahmal Nichols. By year’s end Phoenix had secured Benjamin multiple Grammy nominations, among them Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition for “Amerikkan Skin,” and Best Jazz Performance for “Basquiat.”
Benjamin entered the world in New York City and grew up in Manhattan’s largely Dominican Washington Heights section. Recorder study began during elementary and middle school, where she also started composing songs and lyrics. Acceptance to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts followed, and it was there that she committed seriously to the saxophone. Rapid progress led, after graduation, to enrollment in the acclaimed jazz curriculum at New York’s New School University.
At the New School she received instruction from jazz veterans Billy Harper, Workman, Buster Williams, and Gary Bartz. Bartz emerged as a pivotal guide, acquainting her with specialized technical exercises while encouraging her engagement with the work of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean. She also performed in Clark Terry’s Young Titans of Jazz and in several of Workman’s groups. While facing financial pressures, she secured compensated engagements with Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys, broadening her stylistic range. Those experiences surfaced on her 2010 Motema debut Retox, an unconventional project in which Benjamin’s Soul Squad supported assorted vocalists and rappers across originals and covers, some lacking her saxophone entirely. She noted in conversation that she sought recognition not solely as an instrumentalist and soloist but equally as an arranger and bandleader. Additional collaborations encompassed former Coltrane drummer Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, and guitarist James Blood Ulmer. Her established jazz foundation and reputation for rigorous yet inventive contributions positioned her as a preferred sidemusician, arranger, and section leader, resulting in a touring role with Anita Baker.
During 2015 she joined the notable lineup on vocalist and arranger Charenee Wade’s Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, alongside Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Lonnie Plaxico. The next year pianist Robert Glasper invited her to the sessions for his Miles Davis homage Everything’s Beautiful, where she appeared with Stevie Wonder and DJ Spinna on the closing track “Right on Brotha.”
Benjamin released her Ropeadope debut Rise Up in 2018, directing an expansive group through a contemporary jazz-funk revision that incorporated instrumentalists, singers, and rappers alike. Subsequent activities included New York-area performances, membership in Porter’s touring ensemble, further work with Carrington, and featured musician and arranger duties for comedian Craig Robinson. Beyond performing, she took on educational roles at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Jazz House Kids.
Her third album, again on Ropeadope, shifted away from R&B and funk and drew widespread notice. Pursuance: The Coltranes, issued in May 2020, stands apart from typical tribute recordings: its thirteen selections split evenly between Alice and John Coltrane works, frequently offering bold reinterpretations. The sole original, “Going Home,” featured bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland and the string ensemble Rootstock Republic. Benjamin’s alto was joined by selective horn contributions from Bartz, Steve Wilson, Greg Osby, and Bruce Williams, harpist Brandee Younger, violinist Regina Carter, bassists Workman, Plaxico, and Me’Shell Ndegéocello, and vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Zakiyyah Modeste, and Dudley Perkins. Critics worldwide greeted the album with acclaim at release, after which it registered on streaming charts.
January 2023 brought Phoenix on Whirlwind Recordings, a twelve-track collection consisting primarily of originals performed by her septet under Carrington’s production. Guests included Dianne Reeves, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Anastassiya Petrova, and Jahmal Nichols. By year’s end Phoenix had secured Benjamin multiple Grammy nominations, among them Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition for “Amerikkan Skin,” and Best Jazz Performance for “Basquiat.”
Albums
Singles
Live
