VIC’S LAS VEGAS WELCOMES BENNY BENACK III AUGUST 10 & 11
Two shows nightly at 7 and 8:30 p.m.
WHO: Vic’s Las Vegas welcomes Benny Benack III, to celebrate the recent release of his new album “Third Time’s the Charm.” Benack will be joined by Graham Dechter (guitar), Kyle Poole (drums), and Alex Claffy (bass) and will feature brand new arrangements from “Third Time’s The Charm” – a record that Benack describes as “the maturation and culmination of everything I’ve been developing artistically across my playing, singing and writing”. Amassing a fervent global community of fans, Benack has played on network television (NBC’s “Maya and Marty,” and CBS’ “Late Show with Stephen Colbert), alongside commercial stars Josh Groban and Ben Folds, and YouTube sensations including “Postmodern Jukebox” and the GRAMMY Award-Winning “8-Bit Big Band.”
WHEN: Thursday, August 10 and Friday, August 11
Two shows nightly at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Reservations are encouraged.
WHERE: Vic’s Las Vegas
355 Promenade Place in Symphony Park
ABOUT BENNY BENACK III
Benny has performed internationally as an Emcee/Host for the Youtube sensation Postmodern Jukebox and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy-award winning “8-Bit Big Band”. In early 2020 he released A Lot of Livin’ to Do, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut One of a Kind. This sophomore effort, richly varied in mood and brimming with bop inflection, features bassist extraordinaire and Jazz ambassador Christian McBride (whose Grammy-award winning Big Band frequently calls upon Benny in the trumpet section) and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., as well as the radiant Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes. His vocalese duet on “Social Call” from this album alongside fellow young star vocalist Veronica Swift became an instant smash hit single, being transcribed and learned by Jazz vocalists around the world.
Alongside his global touring as a straight-ahead/contemporary bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at Birdland, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and other leading New York venues and has also been a special guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his television debut in NBC’s short-lived, SNL-inspired variety show “Maya & Marty” playing in the in-studio band led by acclaimed bassist & Broadway arranger Charlie Rosen. More recent TV credits include “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” where he frequently performs in the House Band. His global recognition has been bolstered by recent live-streaming concerts at Smalls Jazz Club, where he maintains a weekly residency, as well as frequent appearances on fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” weekly show.
Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921-86), and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny, Sr. hailed from a Pittsburgh lineage that also produced Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and so many more. He recorded the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 theme song “Beat ’Em Bucs” and toured with Tommy Dorsey and Raymond Scott, among others. Benny III returns to Pittsburgh often to perform, saluting his family forebears and the jazz heritage, nonetheless staking his bold and highly individual artistic claim. He is an endorsing artist with Torpedo Bags cases, CarolBrass flugelhorns, as well as various menswear fashion lines including X-Suit, Alain Dupetit, Proper Cloth, and Vittone.
ABOUT VIC’S LAS VEGAS
Created by Porchlight Hospitality in 2023, Vic’s Las Vegas is located in Symphony Park at 355 Promenade Place. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Vic’s features Italian-American cuisine, a full-service bar, gaming, and live entertainment nightly. Reservations can be made by calling 725-755-5299 or visit vicslasvegas.com. Follow on Instagram @vicslasvegas.
