Duane
Ben-Jamin' Duane Benjamin is a multi-facetted musician who plays trombone, and electric bass. Ben-jamin’, as he is affectionately known in the music industry is also an accomplished composer, ochestrater, music and vocal arranger. As a trombonist, Ben-jamin’ has performed with some real industry legends. Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, are some of the Motown Legends Ben-jamin’ has performed for. Ben-jamin’ has also performed and recorded with some of the current artists of today such as Kirk Franklin, Envogue, Vanessa Williams, and Jamiraqua just to name few. Ben-jamin’s orchestration skills have been influenced by many, but he gives most of the credit to Motown arranger Gil Askey (Music Director for Diana Ross and partly responsible for the Motown Sound), Grammy award winning R&B arranger Benjamin Wright (Composer of the hit song “Find 100 Ways” and String and horn arranger for Outkast to name a few) and Famed jazz composer John Clayton (Co-leader of the famous “Clayton Hamilton Big Band Orchestra”). Ben-jamin’s musical composition for the short film “The Negro Entertainer” won an NAACP award for best musical score for a short film. Some of Ben-jamin’s other music credits include; Musical Director and Composer for the off Broadway musical “Madame Lilly” starring Gladys Knight, performing on the “Tonight Show” and the “BET Gospel Fest” with Grammy winning Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, performing the duties of music supervisor” West Coast Music” (a Special Event Corporation), Musical Director and arranger for the “Durell Coleman Band” and Trombonist/Composer and member of the Bayou Brass Band. Ben-jamin studied music at Cal State University Long Beach, and has been performing in the music business for over twenty-five years.. |