$15 at the door 7:30pm Show
Pawan Benjamin will be joined by Kavy Kaviraj on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, and Miguel Hurtado on drums. They will perform two sets of mostly original music spanning jazz, electronic, Indian classical, and hip-hop influences.
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Pawan Benjamin has made a global name for himself over the past 15 years. A veteran of the New York music scene, he has performed in traditional and modern settings as an in-demand saxophonist, bansuri flutist, and composer.
Pawan’s credits have spanned genres and settings from venues such as Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to festivals such as the Newport Festival and the Mondriaan Jazz Festival. In 2018, Pawan was awarded the prestigious Van Lier Foundation Award for Asian American artists in New York City, and he recorded his first record, “Tinte Baja,” as a homage to both traditions. Pawan has performed with artists such as Reggie Workman, Roscoe Mitchell, Marc Cary, Sameer Gupta, Rez Abassi, Shyam Nepali, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, the Temptations/Four Tops, and dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones.
Pawan has a unique voice as a woodwind player. Equally at home in jazz and Black American Music as well as South Asian traditional music, few others in the world have taken on both traditions with as much study and depth.
As a saxophonist, Pawan has studied with Hanah Jon Taylor, Roscoe Mitchell, Bob Mintzer, Steve Wilson, Steve Slagle, Donny McCaslin, and Dan Blake. As a bansuri player, Pawan learned under Steve Gorn, Prem Rana Autari, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Sri Jay Gandhi, and he learned Hindustani vocals under Samarth Nagarkar.
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Anthony Cox is an internationally renowned arranger, composer, performer, recording artist, and educator. His career has spanned over 30 years of music education, composition, and performance, encompassing an extensive list of collaborations, performances, and recordings with notable artists in the field of jazz. The list includes Sam Rivers, Joe Lovano, Geri Allen, Kenny Wheeler, Ed Blackwell, Billy Higgins, John Scofield, The NDR Big Band, Dino Saluzzi, and Henry Threadgill.
Miguel Hurtado is a professional drummer and educator based in the Midwest. Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, he started drumming at age 10 while attending Ramsey International Fine Arts Center. By age 14, he was playing gigs with youth jazz groups and local professional musicians. Miguel attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a BFA in jazz performance. Since returning to the Twin Cities, he has established himself as an important member of the rich hip-hop, jazz, and experimental music scenes. His musical versatility has allowed him to collaborate with artists across many genres of music, including West African, Latin, funk, pop, and gospel, as well as collaborations in the visual arts. Miguel can be seen playing at venues across the Midwest with such artists as Lady Midnight, the Ted Olsen Quartet, Your Smith, and the Minneapolis String Project.
Kavyesh Kaviraj is a critically acclaimed composer, arranger, and pianist living and working in Minnesota. The Twin Cities-based musician has worked with several internationally renowned artists, including Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Justin Robinson, Roosevelt Collier, and Steve Cole. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2018, with a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies and contemporary music. Beholden to a lifetime of invaluable musical experience, Kavyesh has followed in his parents’ footsteps to become a successful music educator.
