Jazz at Lincoln Center presents Sing and Swing: Our American Songbook

They only need one name: Ella, Judy, Bing, Dean, Peggy. These were the artists who brought the music of Gershwin, Ellington, Porter, and Berlin to life. Now, in a Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents program Sing and Swing: Our American Songbook with Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III, the virtuoso trumpeters and vocalists relive and recreate some of the classic pairings in jazz and popular song.

For more than three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, that uniquely American art form. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought jazz from the heart of New York City to more than 46 cities and 40 countries. The Jazz at Lincoln Center touring initiative provides an affordable opportunity to present great jazz programming featuring up-and-coming musicians who have been identified as rising stars. The initiative also allows for the expansion of the mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center to “entertain, enrich and expand the global community for jazz through performance, advocacy, and education.”

This year’s touring project, Sing and Swing: Our American Songbook, celebrates American music in all its playful and sophisticated glory, brought to life by two of this generation’s brightest stars. Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack III, co-music directors of the program, bring their music and vocal talents and a who’s who of New York all-stars.

Bria Skonberg was described by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” The New York Times called her “the shining hope of hot jazz.” She has been a featured artist at hundreds of festivals and stages worldwide, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage, the Kobe, Monterey, Newport, and Montreal Jazz festivals. She has performed with Jon Baptiste, Wycliffe Gordon, Stephan Wrembel, U2, Sun Ra Arkestra, the American Pops and Vancouver Symphony. A three-time Juno Award nominee, her debut LP for Sony Masterworks won Best Jazz Vocal Album and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. A six-time Downbeat Rising Star, she has won the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing Award, Best Vocal and Best Trumpet from Hot House Jazz Magazine and Outstanding Jazz Artist at the Bistro Awards. She is an in-demand touring artist, bringing her own signature sounds of fiery trumpet playing, smoky vocals and storytelling together with adventurous concoctions of classic and new.

Benny Benack III, proud scion of a notable Pittsburgh jazz family, is known as a fiery trumpet player but also as a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold. He was recognized for his dual set of talents in the 2022 Downbeat Critics Poll, where he appeared not only as the Number 2 Rising Star Male Vocalist but also a top Rising Star trumpeter. He 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-award-winning “8-Bi Big Band.” He has appeared with Josh Groban, Ben Folds, and Ann Hampton Callaway. He has performed at Birdland, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and as a special guest of the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Orchestra, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra.

Come join them for an “Unforgettable” evening of singin’ and swingin.’