Saxophonist and composer Daniel Bennett first showed interest in his instrument when his sister brought him to see a high school jazz ensemble when he was nine years old. Now he's an active performer on the New York jazz scene; his ensemble the Daniel Bennett Group was recently voted “Best New Jazz Group” at the New York Hot House Awards.
Watch the performance on the WRTI Facebook page.
A native of Rochester, NY, Bennett played local gigs during his undergrad years at Roberts Wesleyan College. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Saxophone Performance at The New England Conservatory in Boston, where he connected with drummer Bob Moses, who acted as a mentor, and encouraged Daniel to launch the Bennett Alliance record label.
Daniel now performs and teaches at the Bloomingdale School of Music. Described as “Exploratory Folk-Jazz hybrid” by The Boston Herald, Bennett’s music is known to be a bit hypnotic.
The Daniel Bennett Group includes guitarist Nat Janoff and drummer Matthew Feick.