More than a dozen Jazz clubs across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan align to form the Midwest Jazz Collective and announce first collaboratively routed tour featuring the Benny Benack III Quartet.
“Midwest Jazz Collective” — Jazz clubs in the Midwest organize with a mission and announce first collaboratively routed tour in Spring of 2025.
More than a dozen Jazz clubs across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan align to form the Midwest Jazz Collective (MJC). With a shared passion for the preservation and advancement of the great American art form that is Jazz, this consortium of presenters intends to offer artists and agents a coordinated effort in booking tours in the Midwestern states and help facilitate educational opportunities along the way. Key objectives include:
Clubs in the Midwest (like those around the world) share some common characteristics. They’re relatively small with seating capacity typically between 100-200. Chairs are arranged at tables, cabaret-style, as opposed to rowed seating in an auditorium that might seat thousands. And each venue prides itself on being a dedicated “listening room” where artists and performance are the focus of attention.
While that intimate environment provides an exceptional experience for artists and audiences, it can pose economic challenges for the club itself. It’s often not feasible for small venues to take on the fees and travel expenses associated with presenting national acts. A well-planned booking route helps make it possible but can be difficult for an artist or agent to organize on their own. The MJC is born out of an interest to help optimize touring efficiencies by working together to make the Midwest Jazz club circuit a viable consideration for artists from across the country and around the globe.
When all these Midwest clubs are strung together there’s only a two—to four-hour road trip between them. Connecting the dots results in less travel time, expense, and hassle than an artist would experience getting from New York (for example) to any one of these Midwest clubs alone. With cooperation, the idea is that MJC can help realize a dozen or more concert engagements for an artist within a two—to three-week period.
Another passion shared by these clubs is facilitating educational opportunities for budding musicians. Many clubs have working relationships with area universities and are able to help coordinate masterclasses when a touring artist is in the area. Educational opportunities enrich the experience for both artists and students, as well as cultivate and inspire the next generation of Jazz musicians, fans, and supporters in the community.
The MJC is in early stages of organizing. The idea is that prospective artists are nominated and voted on by MJC members based some on established criteria — such as having achieved critical recognition and demonstrated a commitment to education. Once identified, the artist or agent would be approached with the coordinated touring opportunity. MJC’s goal is to collaborate on presenting nationally touring artists on a quarterly basis and continue to find other ways of working together for the greater good of Jazz in the Midwest.
The Midwest Jazz Collective is a consortium of more than a dozen Jazz clubs across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. They have aligned with a shared passion for the preservation and advancement of the great American art form that is Jazz. Together they announce their first collaboratively routed tour featuring vocalist and trumpeter Benny Benack III. The tour includes more than a dozen club concerts and a half-dozen educational workshops at regional universities.
Benny Benack III is a fiery trumpet player and singer performing standards and his own compositions with a thrilling sense of showmanship. A graduate of The Manhattan School of Music, Benny won the 2011 Carmine Caruso Trumpet Competition and was a 2014 finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.
Benack is a regular headliner at New York City’s most famed venues including Birdland, Mezzrow, The Django, Smalls Jazz Club, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He’s performed widely as a frontman for Postmodern Jukebox and worked with countless jazz artists including Ulysses Owens, Jr., Ann Hampton-Calloway, Joey DeFrancesco, Bria Skonberg, Emmet Cohen, and Christian McBride.
Benny tours extensively in the United States and around the World playing celebrated clubs and festivals. He’s played on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in the Late Show House Band and was the house-trumpet player for NBC's summer variety show, “Maya & Marty.”
In 2020, Benny released A Lot of Livin’ to Do featuring bassist Christian McBride, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., and Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano. He released his third studio album, Third Time's the Charm, in 2023. The album features stars such as Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, Bria Skonberg, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and more.
Benny is a sought-after educator, conducting masterclasses around the world, including the New York Youth Symphony and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People” program.
“A trumpeter, vocalist, writer and arranger with a swaggering soul and the chops to back up the panache.” —All About Jazz
“The vocalizing trumpeter is overloaded with talent, charm, and star quality.” —Broadway World
“Benny has an old soul, a quick mind and a big heart, and his music reflects both his love for the jazz tradition and his ear for the modern sound.” —JAZZIZ
More than a dozen Jazz clubs across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan align to form the Midwest Jazz Collective (MJC). With a shared passion for the preservation and advancement of the great American art form that is Jazz, this consortium of presenters intends to offer artists and agents a coordinated effort in booking tours in the Midwestern states and help facilitate educational opportunities along the way. Key objectives include:
- Destination Midwest | Offer an efficient touring circuit attracting more national artists to Midwest
- Jazz Education | Facilitate educational opportunities (masterclasses) with regional universities
- Regional Artist Tours | Open networking channels for regional artists to more effectively tour Midwest
Clubs in the Midwest (like those around the world) share some common characteristics. They’re relatively small with seating capacity typically between 100-200. Chairs are arranged at tables, cabaret-style, as opposed to rowed seating in an auditorium that might seat thousands. And each venue prides itself on being a dedicated “listening room” where artists and performance are the focus of attention.
While that intimate environment provides an exceptional experience for artists and audiences, it can pose economic challenges for the club itself. It’s often not feasible for small venues to take on the fees and travel expenses associated with presenting national acts. A well-planned booking route helps make it possible but can be difficult for an artist or agent to organize on their own. The MJC is born out of an interest to help optimize touring efficiencies by working together to make the Midwest Jazz club circuit a viable consideration for artists from across the country and around the globe.
When all these Midwest clubs are strung together there’s only a two—to four-hour road trip between them. Connecting the dots results in less travel time, expense, and hassle than an artist would experience getting from New York (for example) to any one of these Midwest clubs alone. With cooperation, the idea is that MJC can help realize a dozen or more concert engagements for an artist within a two—to three-week period.
Another passion shared by these clubs is facilitating educational opportunities for budding musicians. Many clubs have working relationships with area universities and are able to help coordinate masterclasses when a touring artist is in the area. Educational opportunities enrich the experience for both artists and students, as well as cultivate and inspire the next generation of Jazz musicians, fans, and supporters in the community.
The MJC is in early stages of organizing. The idea is that prospective artists are nominated and voted on by MJC members based some on established criteria — such as having achieved critical recognition and demonstrated a commitment to education. Once identified, the artist or agent would be approached with the coordinated touring opportunity. MJC’s goal is to collaborate on presenting nationally touring artists on a quarterly basis and continue to find other ways of working together for the greater good of Jazz in the Midwest.
Midwest Jazz Collective announces first collaboratively routed tour featuring Benny Benack III Quartet—March 22-April 10, 2025—with Tyler Henderson (piano), Caleb Tobocman (bass), and Charles Goold (drums).
The Midwest Jazz Collective is a consortium of more than a dozen Jazz clubs across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. They have aligned with a shared passion for the preservation and advancement of the great American art form that is Jazz. Together they announce their first collaboratively routed tour featuring vocalist and trumpeter Benny Benack III. The tour includes more than a dozen club concerts and a half-dozen educational workshops at regional universities.
About Benny Benack III
Voted #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist (#8 Rising Star Trumpet) — 2024 DownBeat Magazine Annual Critics Poll. Voted #7 Male Vocalist — 2024 DownBeat Magazine Annual Readers Poll.Benny Benack III is a fiery trumpet player and singer performing standards and his own compositions with a thrilling sense of showmanship. A graduate of The Manhattan School of Music, Benny won the 2011 Carmine Caruso Trumpet Competition and was a 2014 finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.
Benack is a regular headliner at New York City’s most famed venues including Birdland, Mezzrow, The Django, Smalls Jazz Club, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He’s performed widely as a frontman for Postmodern Jukebox and worked with countless jazz artists including Ulysses Owens, Jr., Ann Hampton-Calloway, Joey DeFrancesco, Bria Skonberg, Emmet Cohen, and Christian McBride.
Benny tours extensively in the United States and around the World playing celebrated clubs and festivals. He’s played on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in the Late Show House Band and was the house-trumpet player for NBC's summer variety show, “Maya & Marty.”
In 2020, Benny released A Lot of Livin’ to Do featuring bassist Christian McBride, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., and Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano. He released his third studio album, Third Time's the Charm, in 2023. The album features stars such as Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, Bria Skonberg, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and more.
Benny is a sought-after educator, conducting masterclasses around the world, including the New York Youth Symphony and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People” program.
“A trumpeter, vocalist, writer and arranger with a swaggering soul and the chops to back up the panache.” —All About Jazz
“The vocalizing trumpeter is overloaded with talent, charm, and star quality.” —Broadway World
“Benny has an old soul, a quick mind and a big heart, and his music reflects both his love for the jazz tradition and his ear for the modern sound.” —JAZZIZ
2025 Spring Launch Tour Schedule
Featuring Benny Benack III Quartet. Participating clubs and educational institutions listed with primary contact.- 3/22 | Blue LLama Jazz Club — Ann Arbor, MI | Dave Sharp — [email protected]
- 3/25 | BOP STOP @ The Music Settlement — Cleveland, OH | Bryan Kennard — [email protected]
- 3/26 | BLU Jazz+ — Akron, OH | Michael Troppe — [email protected]
- 3/27 | Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge — Columbus, OH | Hayden Huffman — [email protected]
- 3/28 | University of Cincinnati (Masterclass) — Cincinnati, OH | Scott Belck — [email protected]
- 3/28 | Caffè Vivace — Cincinnati, OH | Brent Gallaher — [email protected]
- 3/29 | The Jazz Kitchen — Indianapolis, IN | David Allee — [email protected]
- 3/31 | Butler University (Masterclass) — Indianapolis, IN | Matthew Pivec — [email protected]
- 4/3 | We Always Swing — Columbia, MO | Jon Poses — [email protected]
- 4/4 | The Blue Room — Kansas City, MO | Gerald Dunn — [email protected]
- 4/5 | Noce Jazz & Cabaret — Des Moines, IA | Max Wellman — [email protected]
- 4/6 | Crooners Supper Club — Minneapolis, MN | Jennifer Grimm — [email protected]
- 4/7 | Café CODA — Madison, WI | Hanah Jon Taylor — [email protected]
- 4/8 | UW–Stevens Point (Masterclass) — Stevens Point, WI | Brent Turney — [email protected]
- 4/8 | Jazz Coterie — Stevens Point, WI | Kyle Knoke — [email protected]
- 4/9 | Lawrence University (Masterclass) — Appleton, WI | Josè Encarnacion — [email protected]
- 4/9 | Jazz Coterie — Menasha, WI | Kyle Knoke — [email protected]
- 4/10 | Winter’s Jazz Club — Chicago, IL — [email protected]
