Benny Russell:
CLASS OF 1976
Patterson High SchoolClass of 1976
Baltimore, MD
Benny's Story
Benny is from Baltimore, Maryland. Benny's schools include Patterson High School 405. Benny later attended Morgan State University. Benny works(ed) at Founder And Director, Howard Community College, Harford Community College.
Music Benny likes includes Keith Kramer, Allan Harris, Damon Marks. Books Benny likes include The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Ways of White Folks, Miles an Autobiography. Movies Benny likes include Malcolm X, To Kill a Mockingbird, Legendary Directors. TV shows Benny likes include MASN Orioles, SportsCenter, The Twilight Zone.
More about Benny:"Please go to the Benny Russell Fan Page. We're full here!
In 1995 Russell chaired the jazz division at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, where he also taught jazz history. While working at the Conservatory, he was able to launch a string of other cultural activities that served Brooklyn, including a program of workshops for high school students in the Brooklyn public school system, the Charlie Parker Birthday Festival, and regular performances with the Next Legacy Orchestra. Next Legacy Orchestra is a big band for which Russell writes and arranges as co-director with saxophonist Jorge Sylvester. He first worked with this group when it was known as the David Murray Big Band. When Murray decided to move to Paris in '96, he asked Russell to take on the role ...Expand for more
of leader, the name was changed and the group got a home on the Conservatory's stage. After a recent performance there, the Next Legacy Orchestra was described by New York Times critic Ben Ratliff as "one of the best overlooked bands in the city."In February, 2002, Russell presented his work Langston Hughes: The Soul of His Words to a large audience at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The three-movement piece written for 19 piece Jazz orchestra and three actors was received with a standing ovation and a citation from the Borough President Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn, New York. In February 2004, the piece was extended to five movements and received equally as well at the St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York.In February 2005, Russell was commissioned to write a Jazz score for Zora Neale Hursonâs play Cold Keener and it was received well at Baltimoreâs Loyola College.In June 2004, Russell was hired to chair the Jazz department at the Maryland Conservatory of Music. Already he has produced a successful Count Basie 100th Birthday Celebration that featured the legendary Frank Foster and Grammy award winners Antonio Hart and Mark Gross. Presently, he is signed to Arabesque Records and is working on his second release entitled Miracles which features James Spaulding, Cecil Bridgewater and many other luminaries.".
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