Buzz Blog

André Benjamin brought his New Blue Sun world tour to the Eccles Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 16, and his intent was clear; a real artist is always on the move. André is clued in, and not just in terms of music. His awareness is so on point. “Big-name” musicians take fewer and fewer risks these days, and while “risk” is probably the wrong word in this case—as the LP New Blue Sun is clearly a passion project—the sentiment remains. The world would be a duller place without these sorts of things.

Opening the evening was Serpentwithfeet, a Baltimore-born R&B singer who absolutely had those in attendance eating out of his hands. I mean, extra extra hands, as he was sporting a jacket with additional arms attached to it. His set was far too brief, but memorable. He even offered a very polite “bless you” to an attendee after they sneezed—and he did this mid-song. Very impressive.

André took the stage next with his collective. He surrounded himself with a few of the key musicians from the album: percussionist and producer Carlos Niño, who assisted with coordinating the ensemble; keyboardist Surya Botofasina; and rhythmist Deantoni Parks. Hearing André’s voice in real life after so many years of listening to past projects was inspiring.

The man has a real aura, and it was clear from him speaking halfway through that he’s in a good place and is loving every second of the new musical chapter. There was even a moment during the set where he laced the crowd with a spoken-word interlude of a made-up language. He is definitely having the most fun.

André chose to utilize many woodwind instruments of varying sizes through the performance, revolving through a new one every few minutes and tweaking the sounds with a bank of pedals. I’ve never heard anything like it. It was rather unique, and I got the feeling that all the musicians were happily soaking up energy and influences for the individuals in the crowd as well as the beautiful surroundings of the Salty City. This is music by the people, for the people, which in my experience is what a lot of improvisational compositions are usually about.

I really enjoyed the entirety of it, and it really was a singular experience that I’m still thinking about today. I appreciate the fact that Andre is breaking down audience expectations and bringing them into something adjacent to jazz, ambient, free improvisation, etc. There are generations of musicians who live and breathe this way of playing, and hopefully he converts some of this vast audience so they will then seek out other artists to listen to. It’s great to see a creator like André follow their dreams. Why stay tied to one pathway when you can explore many? Fly free, indeed.