Jazz singer Benn Bacot transforms lifelong affection for music into new CD of standards

Benn Bacot has been singing his whole life; it is an essential part of who he is. "My very first memories are of standing in front of the radio, singing and listening to the music," Bacot recalled. "It has always been a part of who I am from the very beginning. I didn't choose it. It chose me."

Bacot's new album, Stolen Moments, reflects his longtime affection for songs, especially the timeless ones that stir his emotions. Ironically, for such a powerful jazz vocalist the genre wasn't even his first love - or even second. "I have sung many different types of music over the years, from choral music to R&B and musical theater," Bacot said. "About 16 years ago a friend gave me a copy of a CD of duets by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. All of the songs were in good keys for me. I started humming along and realized that I enjoyed those songs and began to seek more of the same."

Initially, Bacot's delivery was brimming with passion yet there was something still missing. "I was in church and high school choirs, and once on my own I realized that I had the basics but no real technique," Bacot admitted. "So I studied at the Blue Bear School Of Music in San Francisco with Bobby McFerrin protégé Raz Kennedy." According to Bacot, San Francisco continues to be a wellspring for promising jazz acts. "The scene there for jazz is a slowly thriving one," Bacot revealed. "There are not many clubs or opportunities but they are there."

It is through live shows that Bacot finds his greatest thrills. "As many times as I can I hit the stage; live performing takes it to the next level," he explained. "You have the song which affects the audience, whose energy comes across and motivates me to give more. It's a give and take relationship, growing and building with each song. In the studio it's just you and the song. With good material, creating the mood and experience to give a good performance can be easy. But you have to be prepared and know your material to be able to emote the feelings of the song."

(Wavelength Radio Promotion would like to respectfully dedicate this article to the memory of Benn Bacot's mother, Mrs. Audrey Elizabeth Bonds.)

More Information: http://www.bennbacot.com/?section=home

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Wavelength Radio Promotion
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