Soak in the sounds of the velvety melodies and smoky rhythms of quintessential crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin when the golden age of jazz returns with Great American Crooners! A dazzling night of swoon-worthy hits and sentimental serenades await when Benny Benack III (Downbeat Magazine‘s#1 Rising Star), Robbie Lee, and Shenel Johns perform favorites like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “Moon River,” and many, many more. In addition to soaring vocals, the trio of Jazz at Lincoln Center favorites will share incredible true stories about the legendary performers who brought these timeless songs to life.
For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading global advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the distinctly American art form of jazz to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries.
Their touring initiative brings the best in jazz and features the organization’s top rising stars. It adds to their mission “to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.”
About The Artists
Benny Benack III (trumpet & vocals)
Emmy®-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This dual-threat ability was recognized by the 2022 Downbeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well. Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921-86), and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny has performed internationally as an emcee/host for the YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox and achieved his own viral success amassing millions of views for his crooning alongside the Grammy®- winning 8-Bit Big Band. Alongside his global touring as a bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ben Folds, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at leading New York venues, and has also been a special guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra.
Robbie Lee (piano)
Robbie Lee is a New York City based pianist, vocalist, composer and educator whose spectacular ability to merge his talents make him one of the most exciting emerging artists to date. Growing up in Tucson, AZ, Robbie was encouraged by his mother to find music he enjoyed. Falling in love with earlier blues and rock and roll music, he eventually found jazz as a new way to express himself. Through joining the Tucson Jazz Institute, Robbie was exposed to a broad range of jazz from traditional to post-bop styles. A graduate of both The Juilliard School (AD ‘21) and The Manhattan School of Music (BM ‘18), at 27 he has already shared the stage with his mentors such as world-renowned jazz icons Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Herlin Riley, Bruce Barth, Matt Wilson and Brice Winston. As both a leader and a sideman, Robbie has graced several world-class stages and played in numerous jazz festivals across the globe. Throughout his career, he has earned recognition for both his performance and composition skills, receiving awards from Downbeat Magazine, YoungArts, The Essentially Ellington Festival and Competition and The Next Generation Jazz Festival.
Shenel Johns (vocals)
With a voice that embodies grace and passion and a personal style that sways effortlessly from jazz to R&B to gospel, Shenel Johns has emerged as one of the shining stars of her generation. A native of Hartford, CT, Shenel has been performing since she was 14 and has developed a distinctive, eclectic style that has increasingly caught the attention of her peers and some of the industry’s top performers. Shenel received a B.A. in Music Management from the Jackie McLean Institute at the Hartt School of Music and studied performance with such jazz legends as Rene McLean, Jimmy Greene and Nat Reeves. She has shared the stage with music royalty including Curtis Fuller, Hank Jones, Dionne Warwick and Sheila Jordan, and has performed and recorded with an impressive array of leaders in the field. In 2016, Shenel completed a musical residency at Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha in Qatar and, several months later, honored Billie Holiday as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s New York production of Billie and the Boys. She has also paid tribute to another of her idols, Lena Horne, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s famed Appel Room. Most recently, she was the winner of the Riga Jazz Stage Competition in Riga, Latvia, and was featured in the Hartford Jazz Festival’s Ella Fitzgerald Tribute.
Felix Moseholm (drums)
Felix Moseholm (b. 1997) is a compelling double bassist from Copenhagen, Denmark. He is mainly known for his work with Brad Mehldau, Samara Joy and Sean Mason. Felix started on cello but switched after ten years to the double bass—encouraged by his granduncle Erik Moseholm. At the age of 18, he moved to New York City to attend Juilliard (2018– 2023) and received mentorship from Gerald Cannon and George Coleman. Since then Felix has toured extensively and appears on several acclaimed recordings, most recently Brad Mehldau’s “Ride into the Sun”, Samara Joy’s “Portrait” and Sean Mason’s “A Breath of Fresh Air.”
Felix Moseholm (n. 1997) es un destacado contrabajista de Copenhague, Dinamarca. Es conocido principalmente por su trabajo con Brad Mehldau, Samara Joy y Sean Mason. Felix comenzó con el violonchelo, pero después de diez años cambió al contrabajo, alentado por su tío abuelo Erik Moseholm. A los 18 años se trasladó a la ciudad de Nueva York para asistir a Juilliard (2018–2023), donde recibió mentoría de Gerald Cannon y George Coleman. Desde entonces ha realizado extensas giras y participa en varias grabaciones aclamadas, entre las más recientes Ride into the Sun de Brad Mehldau, Portrait de Samara Joy y A Breath of Fresh Air de Sean Mason.
Jocelyn Gould (trombone)
2021 JUNO Award winner Jocelyn Gould has been called “a leader in the next generation of great mainstream jazz guitarists” by Howard Paul, CEO of Benedetto Guitars. Her joyful energy has captivated audiences around the world and her passion for music is as infectious as her unique ability to connect with audiences. Jocelyn has absorbed the influences of the jazz guitar greats and has woven them into an exciting personal sound, citing Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell as primary influences on the guitar. Jocelyn has performed and recorded internationally as a leader and with GRAMMY-nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, JUNO-winning trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg, DownBeat Rising Star trombonist Michael Dease, Etienne Charles, Jon Gordon, Rodney Whitaker, Randy Napoleon and Diego Rivera.
Jocelyn’s debut album, Elegant Traveler, won the 2021 JUNO Award for Jazz Album of the Year: Solo. Golden Hour, Jocelyn’s sophomore album, showcases her virtuosic guitar playing and dynamic compositions, and introduces her voice. It has received international critical acclaim and radio play, including extensive play on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Golden Hour reached #1 on Canadian and #9 on North American college radio jazz charts. Jocelyn’s Golden Hour Tour took place in June 2022 with performances at 11 Canadian Jazz Festivals. Jocelyn toured extensively in 2022, including a 6-week American tour featuring the music of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. She will begin 2023 with a two-month North American tour from Florida to Alaska as one of four guitarists featured in a concert of solo guitar. Jocelyn is a Professor and Head of the Guitar Department at Humber College in Toronto. She is a Benedetto-endorsed artist.
Maria Marmarou (trumpet)
Maria Marmarou is a graduate of Temple University, where she studied with Justin Faulkner and Steve Fidyk, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Maria has shared the stage with notable artists such as Joey DeFrancesco, Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield, Kurt Elling, Catharine Russell, Orrin Evans, Terell Stafford, Carmen Bradford and the Count Basie Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, among others. Her performances have taken her to prestigious venues including Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Kimmel Center. In 2023, Maria was honored with the Earl Hines Outstanding Musician Award at the Jack Rudin Collegiate Competition at JALC. In January 2024, she was selected to perform with the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Jazz Combo at the 15th Annual JEN Conference in New Orleans, under the direction of Bria Skonberg. Maria is endorsed by Sabian Cymbals.
Michael Stephenson (bass)
Michael Stephenson is an upcoming saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and vocalist from Philadelphia, currently based in New York City. He began playing saxophone at the age of ten. At fifteen, he became a member of the historic Clef Club of Philadelphia. Given the opportunity to play not just with other dedicated musicians his age but also with some of the most prolific players on Philadelphia’s music scene, Michael learned through the Clef Club to express himself through jazz music. His years in the Club gained him notoriety, and he was soon picked to join long-standing veteran ensembles like the Millennium Big Band, young and talented bands like the Claffy-Howell Band, and he even formed his own ensemble, the Michael Stephenson Quartet.
In 2010, Michael was accepted to the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Manhattan. There, he studied with award-winning professional musicians such as Jaleel Shaw, Jane Ira Bloom, Adam Holzman, and Marcus Strickland. While in New York, Michael was selected by the C.O.L. Jazz Band to perform and compete in the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival two years in a row. His band took 2nd and then 1st place in the open small-group division. Michael has been fortunate to perform at such venues as Chris’ Jazz Cafe, the Philadelphia Clef Club, the Susquehanna Bank Center, Puppet’s Jazz Bar, and Smalls Jazz Club. Michael has also performed both nationally and internationally at festivals including the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival, the Monterrey Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Pittsburgh Jazz Live International Festival, and the Internationales Jazz Festival Bern in Bern, Switzerland. Currently, Michael lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he continues to compose, play, and sing. He performs frequently in New York, Pittsburgh, and, of course, his native city of Philadelphia.