Paris-based bassist, composer, vocalist, and bandleader
Michel Benita has been a figure on the international jazz scene since the late 1970s. Known for a nearly poetic light touch, melodic compositions, and exotic arrangements,
Benita is a noted experimentalist with a keen ear for rich, detailed harmony. Since beginning his professional career with Patrick Martin's band
Patric,
Benita has been a first-call studio and touring sideman. He has worked with a long list of bandleaders including
Horace Parlan,
Lee Konitz,
Archie Shepp,
Joe Lovano, and
Bobo Stenson.
Benita has led or co-led more than 25 albums including 1987's La Théorie Du Pilier with
Marc Ducret and 1999's
Lower the Walls. He worked for several years with
Erik Truffaz beginning with 2001's
Mantis and collaborated with
Peter Erskine and
Nguyên Lê on ELB in 2004. He made his
ECM recording debut as part of saxophonist
Andy Sheppard's group on the album
Trio Libero in 2012. His own leader debut for the label was
River Silver in 2016, leading the longstanding quintet project
Ethics.
Benita was born in Algeria and began his musical studies there. He was originally a guitarist inspired by
Bert Jansch, and he pursued folk music. He later swtiched to bass when jazz caught hold of him. His studio debut was as a member of the psychedelic jazz-rock and electronic outfit Patricon on their Betiari album in 1977. He remained with the quartet until 1979.
He emigrated to Paris in 1981 and began studio work almost immediately, playing on albums by
Doudou Gouirand,
Antoine Herve, and
Marc Ducret. In 1990, he made his leader debut with the album Preferences on Label Bleu. His supporting cast included saxophonist
Dewey Redman, pianist
Rita Marcotulli, and drummer
Aldo Romano. After collaborative albums with
Marcotulli,
Paolo Fresu, and others,
Benita issued his follow-up, Soul, in 1993. The album was noted in the jazz press for its wide-ranging musical landscape, and for its cover of
Gerry Goffin's and
Carole King's "Natural Woman."
Benita began his recording relationship with saxophonist
Andy Sheppard in 1999 on
Lower the Walls.
He started the 21st century as a member of experimental trumpeter and composer
Erik Truffaz's band. He played on
Mantis (2001),
Saloua (2005), and
Face-À-Face (2006), all issued by Blue Note.
Under his own name,
Benita issued Drastic in 2005. The album was the first to showcase his songwriting and singing. He played a wide variety of instruments, and was aided in part by oudist
Dhafer Youssef, trumpeter
Nils-Petter Molvær, and vocalist
Stephanie McKay.
While in
Truffaz's band,
Benita established a relationship with guitarist
Manu Codjia; the pair issued a duet album in 2008 entitled Ramblin'. That same year, he collaborated with
Peter Erskine,
Nguyên Lê, and
Stephane Guillaume on the ACT Records set
Dream Flight.
Benita founded the quintet
Ethics in 2010; its personnel included flügelhornist
Matthieu Michel, guitarist
Eivind Aarset, drummer
Philippe Garcia, and koto master
Mieko Miyazaki. The band made its recording debut for Zig Zag Territoires that year. In 2012,
Benita returned the favor and played sideman to
Sheppard on the saxophonist's
Trio Libero album with drummer
Sebastian Rochford. It marked the beginning of the bassist's relationship with
ECM Records.
Benita was also a member of
Sheppard's quartet for 2015's
Surrounded by the Sea, and in the touring group. That same year,
Ethics signed to
ECM and recorded
River Silver, its debut. Produced by
Manfred Eicher, it was issued by the label in early 2016.
In the late summer of 2020,
Benita returned to
ECM to release
Looking At Sounds with a new electro-acoustic quartet. Its members included flugelhornist Mattheiu Michel, Fender Rhodes pianist and electronicist Jozef Doumolin, and drummer /electronicist, Phillipe Garcia; in addition to his bass,
Benita also employed a laptop. The set was recorded in France in March of 2019 and produced by Steve Lake. ~ Thom Jurek