Cal Bennett Plays Barbara Morrison PAC, 5/31

Soulful saxophonist and composer Cal Bennett and his band will perform a wide range of jazz that includes his new release "Love Knows Love," original songs and classic standards Tuesday (May 31) in the Mid-Summer Nights Jazz Concerts Under the Stars series at the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in Leimert Park.

"We'll be doing a bunch of original songs," Bennett said. "Two of the features will my new release 'Love Knows Love' and 'Mad Ampster' and we'll be performing songs like 'Fall' and 'Footprints' by Wayne Shorter, who is one of my favorites."

Bennett's music continues to evolve 40 years after his major breakthrough as the featured performer on "No Name Bar" from Isaac Hayes' Academy Award-winning "Shaft" LP in 1971.

"My writing is more prolific and my playing is more evolved," Bennett said. "I see myself with a new crop of music. It's a direction that's not just smooth jazz, not just fusion and not just contemporary. It's more soulful jazz."

Bennett's debut CD, "A Stolen Moment" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Jazz Contemporary Charts in 1996. He followed with "Moments Later" and "Ancient Memories/Pulse Meditation" in 1998, CDs that showcased his saxophone and song-writing and producing talents.

"Love Knows Love" has been released through iTunes and Amazon.com.

"There are a lot of great artists that are independent and there's so much available electronically now that allow us to be heard," Bennett said.

Besides Bennett, members of the Cal Bennett Band are bassist and vocalist Rob McDonald, Jerome Academia on keyboards, guitar player and vocalist David Neal, percussionist Oliver Brown and Lee Falconer on drums.

Bennett was the music director for Toni Braxton on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1996-97 and he's also worked with Stevie Wonder, Angie Stone, Carl Anderson, Ice Cube and Tito Jackson. Bennett, a Los Angeles resident, has performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Lakers home games several times a year for the past five years.

The Mid-Summer Nights Jazz Concerts Under the Stars series runs every Tuesday through July 26 with different artists in the park across the courtyard from Morrison's Performing Arts Center at 4305 Degnan Boulevard, Suite 101. Upcoming shows in the Mid-Summer Nights Jazz Concerts Under the Stars series include famed trumPeter Nolan Shaheed on June 7, Lionel Cole, son of Freddy Cole and nephew of Nat King Cole and a former member of Mariah Carey's band, on June 14, world-class trumpet player and UCLA educator Dr. Bobby Rodriguez on June 21 and Chester Whitmore's Big Band on June 28 and Cornelius Grant presents "A Motown 4th" featuring Junior Walker's All-Star Band joined by Sharon Cline and Rita Shelby on July 4.

Discount tickets for the series are $10 and available at www.Goldstar.com. Tickets are also available for $20 at www.BarbaraMorrison.com or at the door. For more information, go to www.bmpac.org.

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