STREAM: Marco Benevento @ Megalomaniac’s Ball 2011 | The Howlin’ Wolf (Courtesy of LiveMusicNola)

May 4th was a damn fine night that bled well into Cinco de Mayo during midweek of this year’s Jazz Fest. Starting the night off at House of Blues for Gregg Allman followed by the late night Megalomaniac’s Ball over at The Howlin’ Wolf made for an incredible evening and I’ve been hoping a recording of Marco Benevento’s solo band show would surface. Marco’s set was every bit as good as the ridiculous Garage A Trois show that would follow and for better or worse, I’ve had the “red red/yellow yellow” voice from Marco’s “RISD” in my head ever since. Marco is one of the more learned, experimental musicians on the scene today and the sonic range he showed during this hour long set proves this notion well, some far out sounds were coming from stage right that night. Thanks to the good folks over at LiveMusicNola (similar name, different site), this show was captured for posterity. Sound quality is superb, check out the show and be sure to hop over to check out their site and check out more of their recordings (including a killer Dragonsmoke show).

Also, check out our Artist of the Month interview with Marco B. from back in May here.

Marco Benevento at Megalomaniac’s Ball 2011 by livemusicnola

Marco Benevento – Greenpoint

Here’s what LiveMusicNola had to say about the show:

Keyboardist and composer Marco Benevento is perhaps best known for his work with Garage a Trois and the Benevento/Russo duo. He has also shared the stage with a number of other luminaries in experimental jazz/rock music, including a few recent performances in New Orleans with drummer Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin, and Wood. Its appropriate that he played with Billy Martin because Marco is one of the few people alive that can be mentioned in the same sentence as keyboard legend John Medeski.

The Megalomaniac’s Ball is an annual event in New Orleans which takes place around the last week of April/beginning of May, when musicians from around the world gather in town for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. The show is a wild party that features the usual suspects of Skerik, Mike Dillon, Stanton Moore, James Singleton, and always some exciting special guests. This stunning recording captures Marco at his best, improvising with bassist Reed Mathis (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) and drummer John Speice (Hairy Apes BMX) to create a sound that is at all once soulful, funky, ethereal, and rocking.

About the author

Wesley grew up in coastal Georgia and is a former resident of The Music City and The Big Easy where he helped get LMB NOLA off-the-ground after launching in January 2011. Over the past few years, he has also contributed steadily to JamBase and Relix Magazine. Recently, Hodges moved on to L.A. where Abita Beer is hard to find, costs about $6 if located and impromptu parading in the streets will most likely get you arrested on the spot.

 

Tags: 2011, Garage A Trois, Jazz Fest, Marco Benevento, Megalomaniac's Ball, Mike Dillon, The Howlin Wolf