We begin with a question. When is the optimal time for a rising artist to invite a bevy of guests to perform on the album? For six-time Grammy-nominated alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, the choice to present her self-described “guest flair” came from practically the outset. Her third album, Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope, 2020), featured ten guests, including three NEA Jazz Masters. Her works since, have followed a similar approach in bringing in some of the greats of our time. Now, the first four tracks of her sixth, We Dream (ArtWork, 2026), feature three premier trumpeters. In so doing, it somewhat recalls the late Roy Hargrove’s album, With the Tenors of Our Time (Verve, 1994). But for the album, Benjamin goes much further than the sequence of Terence Blanchard, Sean Jones, and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. Her expansive cast also includes Hiromi, Chris Potter, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bilal, Tiaranna “Tank” Ball, The Roots’ Black Thought, and co-producer Kassa Overall. That is in addition to her regular touring collaborators of pianists Oscar Perez and Miki Hayama, bassist Elias Bailey, and drummer Jonathan Barber. Believe it or not, there are even more contributors than those too, but we’ll stop here for now.
But what makes We Dream most stand apart from Benjamin’s other works is primarily conceptual in nature. She felt a need to change her artistic narrative toward “being a bright light in a dark space.” Elaborating further, she notes that “Things feel really dark right now – everywhere” and that she artists are “trying to be [the] light.” While a guest-filled effort can often be regarded as unnecessary ornamentation, Benjamin selected each guest not merely for the notoriety they bring but instead primarily due to their capacity to evolve, innovate, and reshape musical language unbound to genre. In that sense, she makes a collective statement with this team she calls the “Avengers.” The album unfolds as a poem-driven journey that encompasses spoken word, groove-based compositions, and fierce improvisation. Stylistic ideas are borrowed from across jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and experimental music.
The opener, “First Light,” finds Benjamin’s spoken words enveloped in Terence Blanchard’s trumpet. It segues directly into the Coltrane-influenced “Beyond the Dawn,” where we hear her beaming alto intro, later followed in solos and accompaniment from both Blanchard and Jones, as Barber wields his mallets aggressively and pianist Perez solos brightly. “My Only,” featuring Jones, is an up-tempo burning statement about loneliness and endurance as both horns unleash customary fire. “Mi Gente” pairs Benjamin with trumpeters Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah and Lessie Vonner in a piece that morphs from its lilting opening to a high-powered, no-holds-barred steamer as Benjamin and Adjuah exchange solos behind a robust rhythm section with Perez’s forceful comping, Jerome Jennings’s drums, and Negah Santos’ percussion. Vonner stays aboard for “Ascension,” a track sharing a name with the legendary Coltrane composition but a piece fully Benjamin’s own.
The ever-energetic Chris Potter propels “Dream Breaker” forward alongside Jones, drummer Watts, and the core ensemble in straightforward, glorious post-bop. Those strains shift to a blend of R&B and hip-hop on the title track, where Ball takes both vocals and spoken word. Here, the combination of Perez on piano and Hayama on synths adds layers of depth over which Benjamin delivers a slightly tamped-down but bouncy solo as the sole horn. The funky, synth-imbued “Flame Keeper” bursts forth with Potter, and Hiromi as Perez shifts to Rhodes and Bailey to tuba. The explosive “Hiromi Jam,” which features the same charged-up cast sans the tubist. “Right Now”, co-written with Overall, presents yet a different set of sonics with avant-soul singer Bilal and rapper Overall joining a slightly different cast of backing musicians that includes Chris Rob on piano, organ, and synth with Jahmal Nichols on bass. The tune evolves from a busy mix to an unexpected soothing outro, beautifully setting up the lyrical, “New World.” The closer features Benjamin’s alto soaring above her all-acoustic quartet with Perez contributing sparkling piano.
Symbolically, We Dream is the light or peace Benjamin sought. It provides a strong resolution to her inventive exploration, with plenty of volcanic moments. That result is especially impressive given the sheer breadth – in both number and diversity- of the cast that contributes to it.
‘We Dream’ is out now on Artwork Records.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Leitzell
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