The vibraphonist occupies a unique spot in jazz, wielding an instrument that’s both rhythmic and harmonic. Thus it can both lead a band into new territories, or provide distinctive support in side work – cf. innovators Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, and Lionel Hampton. While current stars and up-and-comers like Joel Ross, Warren Wolf, and Jalen Baker are rightly celebrated, let’s not forget that nineties young(ish) lion Stefon Harris still treads the boards. His work with his long-running band Blackout has led the mallets into new musical realms for the past twenty years.
Legacy Dances opens a new chapter in the Blackout saga with a note of tragedy, as the band suddenly lost founding saxophonist Casey Benjamin, a treasured member of the jazz, soul, and hip-hop communities, in 2024. This album includes some of his final recordings: as an altoist, a vocoder-assisted singer, and an aerophonist (the aerophone being an electronic wind instrument). The two vocal showcases result in fairly standard modern R&B tunes (“I Know Love” and a funky cover of Louis Armstrong’s immortal “What a Wonderful World”), but Benjamin’s synthesizer-like aerophone solos call to mind the electric saxophone playing of the late, great Eddie Harris. While (Stefon) Harris plays plenty of his patented liquid solos, he cedes the spotlight to his late friend, giving cool tunes like the title track, “Eli’s Boogie,” and a cover of jazz legend King Oliver’s “West End Blues” an air of celebration, rather than mourning. Would that we all receive such a tribute for our lives and work as Harris gives Benjamin with Legacy Dances.
