Brandon Woody’s UPENDO ft Casey Benjamin LIVE at Current Space
Brandon Woody – Trumpet
Casey Benjamin – Sax/ Ewi
Troy Long – Keys
Kayla Childs – Synths
Michael Saunders – Bass
Quincy Phillips – Drums
Live Beat set by Eu-IV
Average Day Job / Hey Akilogram / Jazz. Camp vending
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Tickets $20 adv/$25 day-of
Doors at 6, show at 7
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Outdoors at Current Space – Enter through the back at 421 Tyson Street
Accessibility and Parking Info: https://www.currentspace.com/contact
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Two time GRAMMY® award-winning Casey Benjamin is the first original member of the Robert Glasper Experiment. Through his melodic ingenuity on the vocoder, textual mastery on the keytar and spiky virtuosity on the alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, Benjamin gives the Experiment on its most defining sounds that has enable it to gain international acclaim in the jazz, R&B and hip-hop scenes on such trailblazing as Black Radio (Blue Note Records, 2012), Black Radio 2 (Blue Note Records, 2013) and ArtScience (Blue Note Records, 2016).
In addition to the Experiment, Benjamin toured with singer Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) and has work with a string of other stellar musicians that include jazz greats – singer Betty Carter, vibraphonists Roy Ayers and Stefon Harris (Blackout), drummer Mike Clark (Headhunters) trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Victor Bailey, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Buster Williams; hip-hop artists – Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Busta’ Rhymes, Pusha T, Diddy, Heavy D, Consequence, DJ Logic and Wyclef Jean; R&B/Pop singers – Anderson Paak, Solange, Bilal, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Summer Walker and Beyoncé; and Black Rock Coalition gurus – Vernon Reid and Melvin Gibbs. With singer and songwriter Nicky Guiland, Benjamin co-leads the funk-forward combo, HEAVy, which has released three discs –HEAVy (Kindred Spirits, 2000), Jazz Money$$ (BBE, 2007) and First Sessions (Kindred Spirits, 2008).
Born in 1978, Benjamin grew up listening to music in his South Jamaica Queens, New York home. He started playing the saxophone when he was 8-years-old and continued his studies at the Harlem School of the Arts and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art. Benjamin complemented his early jazz studies by attending pianists Barry Harris’ Jazz Workshops and Dr. Billy Taylor’s Jazzmobile. As a young kid growing up in Jamaica Queens, also afforded Benjamin contact with musicians involved in the bustling Jamaica Funk crew – bassist Marcus Miller, trumpeter Tom Browne, and keyboardists Bernard Wright, Donald Blackman, Ozell Miller and Weldon, Irvine Jr. After graduating from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, Benjamin attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, where he met Robert Glasper in 1997. Glasper played piano on Benjamin’s demo for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program. Benjamin and Glasper collaborated formally in 2004 with the first edition of the Robert Glasper Experiment, which played its first gig at New York City’s Knitting Factory. Although Benjamin remains a charter member of the Robert Glasper Experiment, he’s working on his forthcoming solo project in which he released his first single/video, “Dig”
Baltimore native Brandon Woody was referred to as an artist on the rise in the region by the Baltimore Sun in 2015 at the age of 17. Since then, Woody has gone on to become an international artist, performing with his band, Upendo, curating projects for major museums, collaborating with international brands and performing at major venues and institutions around the globe. Woody uses music as a tool for healing, genuine connection and celebrating community.
Woody started his own band, UPENDO in 2015. Since then, the group has gone on to perform internationally with regular concerts across the east coast. Notable performances from the band include their 2019 performance at the Harlem Stage, 2021 performance at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore’s 2022 Vegan SoulFest, the 2022 closing of Baltimore’s Lexington Market, and their 2022 residency at the University of Maryland. Upendo’s concert experiences are comprised of original music composed by Woody and fellow Upendo collaborator, Troy Long. Woody has also had the privilege of performing alongside artists such as Stefon Harris, Tarus Mateen, Tim Green, Theljon Allen, Sean Jones, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Solange, Craig Alston, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Quincy Phillips, Benny Maupin, Jon Faddis and Danilo Perez, who have all greatly influenced his artistry and musical taste.
Woody’s career as a composer and recording artist has granted him the opportunity to score films such as Unwavering: The Power of Black innovation, The Unveiling of God, Keep What You Sow, Aliferous, Paint it Black Baltimore and Three Blind Mice. Woody has also produced and arranged horns for Emma Vie, Sudan Archives, Tye Tribet, Miranda Curtis, Kevin Sinatra and Klein. This work garnered the attention of international brands which lead to his collaborations with Calvin Klein (One Future), Saucony, Vogue Italy, Nike, Reebok X Eames, Union Los Angeles, High Snobiety X Newport Jazz Festival, Somewhere DC. Brandon has also curated projects with the Baltimore Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Reginald F Lewis Museum, August Wilson Center, MOMA PS1. Woody also had the opportunity of casting musicians and acting as a band leader in an upcoming Apple TV series, Lady in the Lake to be released in the fall of 2023.
In 2021, Woody was named a Bach/Conn endorsed Artist and was named the Best musician to watch by the Baltimore Magazine in 2022. Brandon’s other accolades include the 2021 Best Musician of the Year Award by the Baltimore Crown Awards, 2020 Emerging Voice Award by the Festival of New Trumpet and articles by the Baltimore Banner, Baltimore Sun, True Laurels, BmoreArt, Makers of the USA, Paper Magazine and Schone Magazine.
Woody also works to share his knowledge and love for music with those who want to learn. In his spare time, Woody private lessons and masterclass and has taught for institutions such as the Peabody Preparatory, University of Maryland, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Accent Pontiac and public schools such as Cecil Elementary, A Philip Randolph High School, Temple X Schools, and Highlandtown Elementary #215.
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Poster by Nic Dyer
