Benjie
Porecki
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In
addition to four solo releases, Porecki’s work as a sideman has
graced countless recordings, festival stages, concert venues and clubs
throughout the world. An abridged list of artists that Benjie
has performed and/or recorded with include Pieces Of A Dream, Maysa,
Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Regina Belle, Mary Wilson, Vesta, Kim
Waters, Ledesi, Chuck Brown, Angela Bofill, and Hubert Sumlin. Porecki’s
versatility is evident in the wide array of artists he works with in a
variety of genres. He is as comfortable playing traditional
jazz, contemporary jazz, pop, funk, R & B and urban, as he is
performing country and rock. He carries on the musical
traditions of the masters while putting his own personal and indelible
stamp on any piece he plays. It
began in 1981 when 10-year old, Benjie Porecki discovered the trumpet.
When he first brought the mouthpiece to his lips and blew into it, he
astonished his parents and teachers with his apparent innate knowledge
of the instrument. With no training or experience, he
immediately began to play melodies. This newly revealed
“gift” motivated him to study piano, organ, guitar, saxophone, and
any other instrument he could find. Naturally drawn to jazz and
blues, he began to play along with recordings of jazz and blues
standards, show tunes, as well as other styles of music he experienced. At
15, the young man was regularly playing professional gigs, and by 20
he had launched his career as a full-time musician. In1996 he
released his solo debut Going
On Through, followed in 1998 by his second solo project Servin'
It Up on the Severn label. With the release of this
all-instrumental album, Porecki was well on the way to earning his
reputation as a “B-3 monster” and “keyboard whiz” (Jazz Times,
1998). Porecki’s Hammond B-3 and acoustic piano chops on the
album led to rave reviews as well as to placing #32 on the Gavin Jazz
Chart. In 2001, he released The
Rest Of My Life which highlighted a more soulful,
introspective side of Porecki’s music. The album featured two
of his former employers, the legendary jazz bassist, Keter Betts (of
Ella Fitzgerald fame), and The Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown. |