BENJI KAPLAN
biography
An award-winning guitarist, composer, arranger, multi-lingual vocalist and educator, Benji Kaplan has performed in venues alongside world-renowned ar:sts such as Junior Mance, Bernard Purdie, Earth Wind & Fire, Seu Jorge and Kassin. The son of a percussionist father and a visual artist mother, Kaplan made multiple excursions to Brazil as a teenager and an adult, and he offers a unique look at jazz and classical music informed by his vast musical experiences performing, wri:ng, studying and playing with master Brazilian composers/performers since the age of 18. Guinga, the most recognized composer from Brazil aSer Jobim, has stated: “I think he is the greatest composer of Brazilian music to come from the United States... He is a genius.” Although Kaplan’s composi:ons are deeply informed harmonically, melodically and linguistically by Brazilian popular music and its vast stories, folklore and rhythms, he is also heavily influenced by music from the Middle East, Argentina, Cuba and Africa. From the full gamut of his musical understanding, he expresses his unique vision with ensembles ranging from string quartets to wind ensembles of varying shapes and sizes.
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One of Benji's greatest passions and missions is to bridge the gap between Brazilian music and the american songbook. Having spent much of his late teens in various regions of Brazil up until the present, through concerts and workshops, he Invites audiences around the globe to gain greater insight and appreciation in to the interconnectedness of musical culture in both places. He transmits this insight through performances and lectures, comparing styles, techniques and harmonic approaches from various composers both from the past and present times in Brazil, U.S. and Europe.
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" I think Benji is the greatest composer of Brazilian music to come from the United States" - Guinga (most recognized composer post-Jobim from Brazil)
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Photo by Rita Figueiredo
Photo by Rita Figueiredo
With 6 critically acclaimed albums to date, Benji first released;
(“Meditações no Violão”) (Guitar Meditations)
Original pieces for solo guitar in 2011 - ,
“…a collection of poetic and refined compositions played with a perfect balance of intellect and emotion” JazzTimes
His 2nd release (“Reveries em Som”) in 2015 - Featured Anne Drummond,
…”a deep conversation between the flute and guitar weaving melodies and harmonies together that are both lyrical and unpredictable. Lush Brazilian Jazz mixed with classical and World music elements, equally suitable for the old soul or the contemporary listeners ears!"
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And following his 2nd album, released (“Uai Sô”) in 2016
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“Kaplan’s idiosyncratic and exploratory style, thematically challenging and boldly expressive.This is actually a bigger deal than could ever be imagined or expressed in a five-hundred-or-so (word) review”
-Raul da Gama/World Music Report
“Uai Sô" is so unexpected that it cannot be pigeonholed. Not at all.The music flows beautifully and oscillates between Brazilian song and new classical so rapidly as to truly meld together as one unprecedented newness” - Gapplegate Music Review
“Sophisticated yet sensuous”
- Jazz Weekly
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On his 4th venture, "Chorando Sete Cores" (2017) Kaplan paired up his melodiously lyrical guitar compositions with a wind quintet. "This is as close as you’ll get to musical champagne and I have a feeling that Nazareth, Villa-Lobos, Baden Powell and Guinga would (have) whole heartedly approved" - Raul da Gama
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While building up a fast growing catalogue of records as a solo artist, it soon became apparent there was a void that needed to be filled, and sure enough that was the 5th album, entitled "Benji & Rita" (2019) with his longtime partner in life and in music Rita Figueiredo! “A freewheeling, gorgeously orchestrated whirlwind through the many facets of Brazilian music (samba, baiao, waltzes, pop)…whimsical, deeply romantic sonic images of New York and Brazil by the dynamic husband and wife team of Benji Kaplan (composer, arranger, producer, guitar, vocals) and Brazilian born singer-songwriter Rita Figueiredo.”Jonathan Widran (L.A. Times)
In 2020, as the whole world starts collapsing in to a global pandemic, lot's of introspective, composing, and musings take place at Benji's home. This is where his 6th album comes in to play. In 2022, "Something Here Inside" is born!
"A warm love letter to the Great American Songbook” - The Big Takeover
“…Kaplan knows this repertoire of standards inside-out, allowing him to give even the overly familiar melodies fresh depths via unusual arrangements, imaginative counterpoint and complex internal voicings. “
“…skillfully, thoughtfully and freshly realized.”
Howard Mandel - (DownBeat Magazine)
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“Imaginative nylon string explorations, nothing short of miraculous.”
- Acoustic Guitar Magazine
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- Benji & Guinga circa 2010
