BENJAMIN

all that — nearly dying — she was back on the road two weeks later at Pittsburgh Jazz Fest, playing with her jaw broken.

Coltranes, Benjamin not only made it through that pain but found herself emboldened to urgent create her

[I WANTED] TO DO LEGACY WORK, SOMETHING TO PASS DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS, MEANT FINDING SOMEONE THAT WHEN THEY SPEAK, WE LISTEN. WHO WAS AN ELDER THAT WOULD STOP OUR TRACKS AND BE GENDER- string trio on “Mercy”), poet Sonia Sanchez (on “Blast”), and – in one on his final performances – saxophone genius Wayne Shorter reading poetry on “Supernova.” next work — her epically noisy and nuanced fourth album, Phoenix , that touches on the necessity of ancestors and influences while reconfiguring them in a present-day and emotional (and often experimental) set of soundscapes. Co-produced with Terri Lyne Carrington, Benjamin’s Pursuance quartet — Victor Gould (piano, organ, Fender Rhodes), E.J. Strickland (drums), Ivan Taylor (basses) — is joined by legends such as pianist Patrice Rushen, activist Angela Davis, vocalist Dianne Reeves (and a

With all this and tracks dedicated to the Afro-Futurism of a “Trane” and a “Basquiat,” Phoenix is Benjamin’s most focused, finessed, and provocative recording. On top of Phoenix, Benjamin is part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour event on Saturday, April 8, at Verizon Hall.

How dedicated is Lakecia Benjamin to her craft? She phoned me from Poland just after she finished up the last notes of a concert where audiences were enthralled.

A.D. Amorosi: The first thing that I think of when I think of Lakecia Benjamin is hardcore evolution –and quickly – considering your move through the R&B of your first leader album, Retox, to your spaced-out soul work with pianist Georgia Anne Muldrow, to your spiritualized tribute to both Alice and John Coltrane on Pursuance, and now, where you are today on Phoenix, and its confident mix of angularity, chaos, and elegant melody. What does evolution mean to you?

Lakecia Benjamin: I don’t know what evolution is or what it means, but I always try to reflect on the times and the space I am in. Where the planets are, and how they line up. 2012 when I dropped my first album, is night and day different

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AT A TIME WHENBroadway and Off-Broadway are said to be plagued with early show closings and hard-to-fill theaters in a postpandemic, current recession economy, composer and creator Jonathan Hogue is an anomaly, an artist whose first show, Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical just got another of its extensions for an Off-Broadway run at Playhouse 46 — this time through April 30.

Why audiences are drawn to a satirical look at Netflix’s hit program, Stranger Things — itself, adarkly comic take on 80s sci-fi tropes and souped- up synthetic musical themes — captivates Hogue as much as it captures the public’s imagination.

“Several things are going on with our show that I am thrilled about,” said Hogue from a coffee shop near the St. Luke’s theater space at 308 W. 46th Street. “The first is that our show is built upon the biggest IT in television right now, so there is a lot of immediate recognition there. But, in addition, we are taking some- thing familiar, flipping it on its back, and doing something new with it. And audiences want to know what that might be or look like — it’s a level of curiosity that drives them.”

Not unlike a Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hogue also states that the crowd around Stranger Sings! has become something of a cult with audience members coming to see his show as often as 12 times — for now. “Because it is comedy and because of its improvisational manner, Stranger Sings! is never the same show twice. Every show that you see is a different experience.” Hogue points, too, to how Stranger Sings! Is performed in the round for four-sided, differing, audience-to-actor interaction.

What sort of actor does Hogue require for his Stranger Sings! cast and their takes on Stranger Things familiars such as Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Dustin, and, of course, Joyce? Definitely artists who can think on their feet and bring something new to each character every time out. “There is a direction that we have given to Nickolaus Colon (Hopper), Kyle Mangold (Steve/Jonathan), Jamir Brown (Lucas), Jeremiah

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