User:Bennylackner

Benny Lackner, (born June 10th, 1976) is an american jazz pianist. Born in Berlin to an american father and a german mother, Benny Lackner, moved to California at the age of 13. He received his BFA from the California Institute of the Arts under the direction of Charlie Haden and David Roitstein. From 1997 - 1998 he studied privately with his mentor, pianist Brad Mehldau. He has performed at numerous jazz festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux and Monterey. He has worked with artists such as the late Billy Higgins, Marc Ribot, Brad Shepik, Pheeroan akLaff and is now residing in NYC and Berlin where is working with his internationally touring trio and as a sideman and Composer.

German-American jazz pianist Benny Lackner lived in the US almost 20 years, and about half of that in NYC. In the States he studied at the California Institute of the Arts under the direction of Charlie Haden and his mentor Brad Mehldau. He played many major jazz-clubs and festivals and formed his own trio that got a name for its personal way of interpreting standards as well as covers of songs of the current generation. His Trio's approach to both its original material and compositions ranging from Monk to Prince fuses intensity with unintrusive virtuosity. These reharmonizations of the familiar give the traditional form of piano trio a new identity and purpose in our own time. Lackner's fourth Album, CACHUMA is a "...snapshot of the moment where everything is in harmony with itself...". "CACHUMA tells about the joy of listening, trying not to overstate while remaining open to surprises. It's about developing patience in one's work without losing the passion, and about the discipline of focusing on the step-by-step process without forcing the result. It's about knowing when to obsess about detail, when to control your thoughts and when to let go.. ". CACHUMA is about the quest for balance between clarity and deliberate vagueness, deep meaning and a playful lightness of being." CACHUMA is about that feeling of living in exile - trying to feel at home everywhere while craving a real home. Benny Lackner manages to incorporate this theme of being in two places at once into his pieces. In Brooklyn / Berlin, two world cities fight each other aggressively until they melt and harmonize together into a one heartbeat. Lola's Dance is about the cat that was left behind in Brooklyn - an expression of love that manages to stay clear of the corny while going into depths that are indeed very touching. Find your Place and I can do whatever I Want, tell about a limitless freedom and a fear of being caged in by ones own need for creativity. Lackner departs from and returns to the new old place where he is from: defining new territory while rediscovering the familiar. Danger, chance, fortune and insanity all in one present moment. Lackner's album is constantly moving, like the ocean between the two continents that he inhabits. CACHUMA tells stories that never get old: with each new listen the songs unfold anew, like the intercontinental currents swirling surface between his two countries. Developing CACHUMA with a new rhythm section of European musicians further deepens the bi-continental theme. "...This album marks a new beginning for me.." says Lackner, "...All the compositions where inspired by the particular group of ind viduals in this new trio. " The drummer, Matthieu Chazarenc, breathes life into the melodies with a new fire, drive and dynamic contrast that matches the songs perfectly. For each tune he has composed drum parts that are fully composed yet leave room for improvisation. Chazarenc studied at the Conservatoire National SupÃ©rieur de Musique in Paris with Daniel Humair and took private lessons with John Riley and Kenny Washington in New York. He has worked with musicians such as Mark Turner, Sheila Jordan, Robert Glasper, und Magic Malik. The bassist, JÃ©rÃ´me Regard, studied at the Conservatoire National SupÃ©rieur de Musique Paris. He is constantly on the road playing festivals with the likes of Jan Garbarek, Manu KatchÃ© and Michel Legrand. Benny Lackner says: "JÃ©rÃ´mes mighty bass sound, clear and deep, leaves no room for doubt and allows me to float over the groove or to dance with it in harmony.... The making of CACHUMA is life changing for me - through working with my French colleagues it is slowly becoming clear that I could live in Europe full time - a very pleasing thought that will help me find peace in my quest for a new home. "

http://bennylackner.com