Eli Bennett (born March 9, 1989) is a Canadian

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

-nominated

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist and Leo Award-winning film composer. He has composed more than twenty film scores and in 2018 received his first Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Documentary for the film ''Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas.'' He was also awarded the

Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

from the Premier of BC for his contribution to the arts in Canada. He is married to violinist and vocalist

Rosemary Siemens Rosemary Joy Siemens is a Canadian violinist and vocalist originally from Plum Coulee, Manitoba. She has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, three times at St. Peter's Basilica at The Vatican, four times at Carnegie Hall, for two U.S. presidents a ...

with whom he records and performs with their instrumental duo SaxAndViolin and in 2019 they performed together at The Vatican.

Biography

Early life

Bennett was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada as the firstborn son of Canadian composer, cellist, and Powder Blues Band drummer

Daryl Bennett Daryl Bennett (born May 27, 1948) is a retired Canadian politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was twice-elected as the mayor of Peterborough, having won the position in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. In October 2018, councillor D ...

. Bennett grew up listening to his father's film scores in his studio and was introduced to the alto saxophone through his father at age 11. At age 13, Bennett switched to the

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

and began accompanying his father on gigs at Vancouver's iconic blues bar The Yale, where he shared the stage every Monday night with local blues musicians.

Career

In 2006, Bennett was selected as a member of the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Band and performed at

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

events in Los Angeles such as the Grammy Nominee Celebration, Grammy Celebration After Party and the Grammy Salute to Jazz where he performed with

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, Barry Harris and

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

. He was selected again in 2007 as a member of the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Combo and shared the stage with Phil Woods and James Moody at the Grammy Salute to Jazz. In 2006, Bennett opened for

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

at the

Telluride Jazz Festival Located in the legendary outdoor venue in the mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, the 42nd Telluride Jazz Festival, August 3–5, 2018, celebrates the cultural tradition, modern styles and cutting edge progression of the American Jazz art for ...

and for McCoy Tyner at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival where he was awarded the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award. In 2007, Bennett was awarded a full scholarship to study music at

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

in Toronto where he studied with saxophonists Pat LaBarbara, Kirk McDonald and shared the stage with Chris Potter,

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed ...

, Mike Stern, Kurt Elling and Dave Grusin. After graduating from Humber College in 2011, Bennett returned to Vancouver to apprentice with his father as a film composer. Alongside his father, he composed additional music for the films ''Nash'', ''The Exhibition'', and co-composed the score for ''Take Back Your Power,'' and '' Human Harvest.'' His original score for ''Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas'' won a 2018 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Documentary as well as a

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

Foundation Award. He also composed and performed music on an episode of the TV show ''

Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman ''Through the Wormhole'' is an American science documentary television series narrated and hosted by American actor Morgan Freeman. It began airing on Science Channel in the United States on June 9, 2010. The series concluded its run on May 16 ...

.'' Bennett released his debut album ''Breakthrough'' in 2014 on Addo Records (distributed by

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

) and re-released independently in 2016. The album was named No. 4 Top debut album by the

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

and received a

Western Canadian Music Award The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) are an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Br ...

nomination for Best Jazz Album. In 2015, Bennett was nominated for the TD Grand Jazz Award by the Montreal International Jazz Festival where he performed with his quartet as part of his Canadian Breakthrough Tour. He also performed at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Calgary Jazz Festival, Medicine Hat Jazz Festival,

Ottawa Jazz Festival The Ottawa Jazz Festival is an annual music festival located in Ottawa, Canada. Lineups 2019 2019 event was held from June 21 to July 1 in Marion Dewar Plaza due to the Confederation Park's renovation. 2020 It was cancelled due to COVID-19 pa ...

and

Toronto Jazz Festival The Toronto Jazz Festival is a jazz event in Toronto which takes place for 10 days in late June through early July. Unlike the Beaches International Jazz Festival, most of the events are indoors and located throughout the downtown core. The hub of t ...

. The album received significant international radio play, including regular play on

CBC Radio Canada CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

, Stingray Music, and

JAZZ.FM91 CJRT-FM (91.1 Hertz, MHz) is a Canadian public radio station and charitable arts organization in Toronto, Ontario, known as JAZZ.FM91. The studios are on Pardee Avenue in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto. The station describes itself ...

. In 2017, Bennett was named 35 best Canadian jazz artists under 35 by

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

and described as "...one of the most underrated instrumentalists in jazz today. The greatest aspect of this virtuoso musician is his chameleon-like ability to master funk, soulful music, bebop, modal jazz and all styles in between while keeping his distinctive sound." In 2018, he earned a

nomination alongside Five Alarm Funk for his work on the album ''Sweat''.

SaxAndViolin

Bennett's instrumental duo SaxAndViolin, featuring Bennett on saxophone and his wife

on violin, released their debut album on Valentine's Day, 2020, entitled '' Can't Help Falling in Love (Instrumental Love Songs), Vol. 1'' featuring instrumental love songs that inspired their love story. The album charted No. 3 on the Canadian iTunes Pop Chart and their cover of Lauren Daigle's song "

You Say "You Say" is a song by American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Lauren Daigle. It is the lead single from her third studio album, ''Look Up Child''. Written by Daigle, alongside producers Paul Mabury and Jason Ingram, it was r ...

" won a 2020

Covenant Award The Covenant Awards are awarded to the Canadian gospel music industry by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music in Ca ...

for Instrumental Song of the Year.

Leo Awards Musical Director

In 2017, the Leo Awards announced that Bennett would replace Hal Beckett as

Musical Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

for the Leo Awards. Each year, Bennett directs the live band for the Leo Awards show including the show's opening production and in-show music. Bennett is a Leo Award winner and a five-time nominee for his work as a composer.

Instruments

Bennett has played a

Selmer Mark VI The Selmer Mark VI is a saxophone produced from 1954 to 1981. Production shifted to the Mark VII for the tenor and alto in the mid-1970s (see discussion of serial numbers below), and to the Super Action 80 for the soprano and baritone saxophone ...

exclusively since 2007 along with D'Addario Woodwinds Royal reeds since 2004.

Publications

In 2012, Bennett created his own publishing company, Eli Bennett Publishing, and released his first transcription

eBook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

entitled ''Chris Potter Plays Acapella Solo Standards.'' The eBook featured eleven solos over jazz standards performed by award-winning jazz saxophonist Chris Potter.

Personal life

On March 18, 2017, while on separate Canadian tours, Bennett proposed to his girlfriend, violinist Rosemary Siemens, by interrupting her concert in Gretna, Manitoba, by entering through the back of Buhler Hall, playing

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's " Can't Help Falling in Love" on his saxophone. Once on stage, Bennett got down on one knee and proposed to Siemens in front of the entire audience. She said yes, and the couple were wed later that year on August 20, 2017, in a public wedding ceremony in

Plum Coulee Plum Coulee is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Rhineland within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It is west of Altona, Manitoba, Altona, ...

, Manitoba. In September 2018, the couple welcomed their first son, Theodore Parker Bennett, into the world after keeping the pregnancy a secret. They announced the birth through a YouTube video featuring a song Siemens wrote and Bennett produced entitled "You and Me".

Awards and nominations

* 2006 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award from the Ottawa International Jazz Festival * 2007 Yamaha Kando Award from

MusicFest Canada MusicFest Canada, originally established as the Canadian Stage Band Festival (CSBF), is a national educational music festival in Canada. It was founded in 1972 by Robert Richmond (the founding president), Gary Wadsworth, and Paul Miner. The CSB ...

* 2007 Oscar Peterson Grant for Jazz Performance from The Hnatyshyn Foundation * 2008 Oscar Peterson Prize from

* 2009 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Canadian National Jazz Awards * 2010 Rising Star Award from the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival * 2012 Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Music as Emerging Artist * 2012 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Documentary Program or Series (''Nash'', nominee) * 2013

* 2013 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Short Drama (''Reset'', nominee) * 2013 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Short Drama (''Escape Act'', nominee) * 2014 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in an Animation Program or Series (''Remedy'', nominee) * 2015 SOCAN Foundation Award for Best Musical Score Non-Fiction (''Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas,'' Second prize) * 2015 SOCAN Foundation Award for Best Musical Score Fiction (''Jobless'', Second prize) * 2015 Julian Jazz Award for Best Jazz Album from CJSF 90.1 FM * 2015 TD Grand Jazz Award from the Montreal International Jazz Festival (nominee) * 2016 Global Music Award for Jazz Album (Silver Medal) * 2016 Fraser Valley Music Award for Best Jazz Album (''Breakthrough'', winner) * 2018 Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Documentary (''Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas'', winner) * 2018

for Instrumental Album of the Year (Five Alarm Funk, nominee) * 2020

for Instrumental Song of the Year ( SaxAndViolin, ''You Say'', winner) * 2020 Canadian Digital Influencer Award (Entertainment category, nominee)

Selected discography

As leader or co-leader

* 2014: ''Breakthrough'' * 2016: ''Breakthrough'' (re-release) * 2020: '' Can't Help Falling in Love (Instrumental Love Songs), Vol. 1'' with SaxAndViolin

As a sideman

* 2006: ''Five Alarm Funk'' – Five Alarm Funk * 2011: ''In Transit'' – Paul Morrison * 2012: ''Once Upon a Dream -'' Roy & Rosemary * 2015: ''Footsteps'' – Gray Matter * 2016: ''Eternally Grateful'' – Warren Dean Flandez * 2016: ''Plum Coulee, My Home'' – Rosemary Siemens & The Sweet Sound Revival * 2017: ''Sweat'' – Five Alarm Funk * 2018: ''Violet, Gold + Rose'' – David Ward * 2018: ''Suite for Hard Rubber Orchestra'' – Hard Rubber Orchestra

References

External links

Official website

Eli Bennett discography
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Eli Canadian saxophonists Male saxophonists Jazz-funk saxophonists Mainstream jazz saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists Canadian male jazz musicians Jazz tenor saxophonists Male film score composers 1989 births Living people Canadian jazz saxophonists 21st-century Canadian male musicians Musicians from Vancouver Jazz saxophonists Canadian film score composers Canadian television composers Male television composers