Born in 1971, Benjie began playing trumpet at the age of ten. But it wasn’t until he took up piano two years later that everything fell into place. Already drawn to jazz and blues, he began to practice relentlessly and, after graduating from high school and attending a semester at the Berklee School of Music, decided to pursue music full-time.
He eventually found himself sitting in with musicians like Ron Holloway, Marshall Keys, and Chuck Brown and, as a result, learned an almost chameleon-like ability to play various styles of music on piano, synthesizer, and organ. His amazing versatility caught the attention of Severn Records who offered Benjie a recording deal.
Benjie’s affiliation with Severn has brought further recognition with performances on several Severn-produced projects including titles from Darrell Nulisch, Lou Pride, Big Joe and the Dynaflows, and Tad Robinson, plus WPG Trio’s Small, Medium, Large (Severn CD-0013) Benjie’s side project with drummer Andre “Blues” Webb and bassist Gary Grainger.
DISCOGRAPHY (partial)
Servin’ It Up (Severn CD-0005 © 1998)
The Rest Of My Life (Severn CD-0011 © 2001)
WPG Trio – Small, Medium, Large (Severn CD-0013)
How Does It Feel? (Funklove Productions)
Going On Through (Funklove Productions)
Darrell Nulisch – The Whole Truth (Severn CD-0003); I Like It That Way (Severn CD-0007); Times Like These (Severn CD-0020)
Big Joe & the Dynaflows – All Night Long (Severn CD-0009)
Lou Pride – Words of Caution (Severn CD-0017); Keep On Believing (Severn CD-0037)
Louisiana Red – A Different Shade of Red-The Woodstock Sessions (Severn CD-0016)
The Rockin’ Highliners – Sputnik Café (Severn CD-0018)
Roy Gaines – New Frontier Lover (Severn CD-0008)
Tad Robinson – Did You Ever Wonder (Severn CD-0025); Day into Night (Severn CD-0065)
Chuck Brown – Timeless; Spirit of Christmas
Pieces Of A Dream – Love’s Silhouette
Ron Holloway – Groove Update; Live at Montpelier
