{"id":2950,"date":"2014-09-02T17:15:05","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T00:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elibennett.com\/?page_id=2950"},"modified":"2024-04-04T11:55:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T18:55:07","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elibennett.com\/about","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eli Bennett<\/strong><\/h3>

Award-Winning Saxophonist<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Award-winning saxophonist Eli Bennett has performed twice at the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles and shared the stage with the likes of Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones, Barry Harris, Terence Blanchard, Dave Holland, and the Neville Brothers. He is a two-time-recipient of the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award from the National Jazz Awards and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, was awarded the Vancouver Mayor\u2019s Arts Award for music in 2012, is a D\u2019Addario Woodwinds Artist, a Selmer-Paris Endorsing Artist, a Yamaha Young Performing Artist, an AMT Performing Artist, and in 2013 was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Premier of BC.<\/p>\n

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, and actively performing in Vancouver and Toronto since 2007, Eli has not only frequented jazz clubs such as Cory Weed\u2019s Cellar Jazz Club and The Rex Hotel as a leader and sideman, but was also recently featured on an episode of the popular Science Channel TV show Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman<\/em>. In addition to performing at the Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, All-Canadian, and Prince Edward County jazz festivals, he has also performed regularly for dignitaries at the Queen\u2019s Park Ontario Legislature, the Netherlands Consulate in Toronto for Queen Beatrix\u2019s official birthday celebration, and the Ontario Premier\u2019s Awards.<\/p>\n

Other notable awards include the Jazz.FM91\/Mary Elizabeth Stuart Award (Toronto International Jazz Festival), the Fred Sherratt Award (MusiCounts\/CARAS), two DownBeat Awards for jazz composition, and the Oscar Peterson Grant for Jazz Performance from the Hnatyshyn Foundation. TV and radio appearances include Canada AM, ET Canada, CTV BC, CBC Radio\u2019s Hot Air, JazzFM91, and articles in The Province, The Georgia Straight, and DownBeat Magazine.<\/p>\n

As a film composer with over thirty credits, his musical scores have premiered at the world\u2019s most prestigious film festivals, including Festival de Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2012, he earned a Leo-Nomination for additional music in the film Nash \u2013 The Documentary<\/em> (Alliance), and in 2013 received two Leo-Nominations for his work on short films Reset<\/em> and Escape Act<\/em>. In 2014 he earned another Leo-Nomination for \u201cBest Musical Score in an Animation Program or Series\u201d for the animated short-film Remedy<\/em>, and was also the co-composer for Take Back Your Power,<\/em> which won the Leo for \u201cBest Documentary\u201d. In 2015, Bennett was awarded two SOCAN Foundation Awards for \u201cBest Film Score in a Fiction Film\u201d and \u201cBest Film Score in a Non-Fiction Film\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bennett\u2019s debut jazz album, Breakthrough<\/em>, released September, 2016, has received extensive international attention, ranking in the top ten on the Canadian and U.S. Jazz Radio Charts, while being featured on the homepage of iTunes Canada Jazz for two months as one of the top Canadian jazz albums. In addition to major international radio play in North America, Europe, and Asia, the Ottawa Citizen<\/em> named Breakthrough<\/em> the \u201c#4 Best Jazz Debut Album\u201d for the previous year, while All About Jazz<\/em>, Earshot Magazine<\/em> and Wholenote Magazine <\/em>echoed similar critical acclaim for the debut. Shortly after its release,\u00a0Breakthrough<\/em> won the Julian Jazz Award for \u2018Best Canadian Jazz Album by an Emerging Artist\u2019, as well as a nomination for \u2018Jazz Recording of the Year\u2019 at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Breakthrough<\/em> was also named the \u201c#4 Best Canadian Release\u201d of the year by JAZZ.FM91, North America\u2019s top jazz radio station, and was awarded the Silver Medal for \u201cBest Jazz Album\u201d at the Global Music Awards in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n

In support of Breakthrough\u2019s pre-<\/em>release, Bennett embarked on Breakthrough Tour 2015<\/em>, a 10\u2013day, 10\u2013show cross\u2013Canada Jazz Festival tour with his quartet that saw him perform sold\u2013out concerts at Canada\u2019s major jazz festivals including Vancouver, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, where he was featured prime\u2013time main stage for over ten thousand people after receiving the nomination for the TD Grand Jazz Award from the festival.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>
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Artist Endorsements:<\/h3>
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