Lakecia Benjamin’s new set, as the name suggests, is a live re-tooling of music from her much lauded, triple Grammy-nominated 2023 album Phoenix (Whirlwind Recordings). Riffing on the music from that set, she weaves in additional influences, brings on guests and offers a fascinating new angle on her recent work.
The alto saxophonist is joined by guitarist Zaccai Curtis on piano, Elias Bailey on bass, and EJ Strickland on drums. Renowned guitarist John Scofield, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and trumpeter Randy Brecker put in guest spots on the lively and thrilling rendition of the title cut from Phoenix.
The album was recorded ‘live-in-studio’ at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn in front of an audience, and aims to be a resetting, and a thrilling live rendition of Benjamin’s work. The intro cut features an enthused monologue from Benjamin, who intones: “We are celebrating joy tonight. We are celebrating love and light. And unity and peace. And power. And freedom for everybody” before running through the names of the players in her band and seamlessly moving into John Coltrane tribute and Phoenix highlight Trane.
The spoken intro, crowd noise and sheer force of the record’s opening set the tone for a perfectly paced live set. A record that could come across as a companion piece, mainly for die-hard fans in practice evolves into mesmerising set that captures the live power of this inspiring artist.
One key difference between Phoenix Reimagined and the original album is the presence of Benjamin’s voice. Alongside the cuts from the last record are a handful of new pieces – among them Let Go and Peace is Possible see Benjamin in full MC mode, spitting smooth flows over the backdrops laid down by her band. The former is a dreamy cut, where her MCing is augmented by soulful singing from Melodie Ray. The latter is a stark, short and punchy number with straight to the point lyrics from referencing racial injustices in America and calling for peace.
John Scofield puts in a stellar turn on Phoenix Reimagined, adding a memorable guitar solo to this gutsy rendition of the track. Elsewhere, a significantly shorter version of Phoenix album opener Amerikkan Skin, delivers punch and groove, and loses none of the impact of the original despite its brevity.
Phoenix Reimagined deftly delivers what it says on the tin. A reimagining and a live update to the material on the last record. And whereas albums like this can sometimes feel like filler between studio cycles, Phoenix Reimagined is far from that. It works as a standalone piece, as a document of a live performance and as a complement to the original record. This is not just one for completists. It leaves just one question: what will she do next?
