On Aug. 2, saxophonist (and flutist, clarinetist, oboist, and piccoloist) Daniel Bennett joined Mandorichard and Bill Barnett for a wide-ranging interview about the Daniel Bennett Group’s music — and their upcoming appearance at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, at the Newark Free Library.
According to the group’s website, critics have been raving about the Daniel Bennett Group’s music: “The Boston Herald describes Bennett’s music as ‘exploratory Folk-Jazz hybrid.’ Timeout New York raves, ‘Daniel Bennett airs his lilting, potentially hypnotic compositions!” During the interview we listened to tracks from three of the group’s albums. The music is upbeat and engaging. What’s not to like about a track named “Paul Platypus”?
Bennett was gracious, funny, and very honest about how he approaches his music–Bill and Mandorichard found themselves laughing repeatedly as Bennett talked about playing for audiences, his wide-ranging early influences (Peter, Paul, and Mary; Bela Fleck; Ornette Coleman), and the number of animals featured in the titles of his compositions. He is very serious about his music, his musicianship on several members of the woodwind family, and his compositions; however, the resulting music is gleeful and exuberant because he and his group always try to engage their audiences. The group plays in clubs and at festivals, but his commitment to bringing jazz to lots of different kinds of people has led the group to play concerts in over 80 libraries across the United States.
If Aug. 12, 2016, hasn’t passed you by, you should definitely check out the Daniel Bennett Group at the Newark Free Library. And no matter when you are viewing this web page, you will find the podcast of of our interview with Daniel Bennett to be engaging, inspiring, and entertaining.
Listen to the Interview
Daniel Bennett. Hosts: Mandorichard and Bill Barnett, aired live on Aug. 2, 2016.
32:28
62.3 MB
The podcast is also available in a lower-fi version for ease of downloading.
31:18
30.0 MB
The Music
| Artist | Song | Album | Year |
| The Daniel Bennett Group | The Legend of Bear Thompson | The Legend of Bear Thompson | 2008 |
| The Daniel Bennett Group | Paul Platypus | The Mystery of Clown Castle | 2015 |
| The Daniel Bennett Group | The Clown Chemist | The Mystery of Clown Castle | 2015 |
| The Daniel Bennett Group | John Lizard Comes Home | Sinking Houseboat Confusion | 2016 |