Rob Bennion

Robot Dream

rob — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:40:16 +0000

This weekend Robot Dream (one of my projects) played at Gracie’s downtown, had a blast. We will probably be playing there each Thursday after the Twilight Concert Series July-August, but watch for more dates before and after. With 30-40,000 people in town for those free concerts we hope to have a lot of them at Gracie’s afterward!

Here are some songs from our set this weekend:

http://robbennion.com/mp3s/massive.mp3

http://robbennion.com/mp3s/breathe.mp3

Robot Dream is Bart Olson (drums/sample pad) and myself (dj/wind instruments/electronics). We combine dubstep, hip-hop, electronica, downtempo, and a hint of jazz . . . Bart and I began playing together in summer 1995 with “The Shriners” and have been creating music ever since.

Elephants aren’t that heavy

rob — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:03:28 +0000

Ravenberg Photography

rob — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:19:15 +0000

Thanks for the photos Becky! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ravenberg-Photography/177608952148

Salt Lake City Jazz Band

Salt Lake City Jazz BandSalt Lake City Jazz Band

Conn Curran and Rob Bennion “How Could I Have Known”

rob — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:20:01 +0000

Conn Currran and Rob Bennion

Conn and I recorded this song a few months back. This track has Conn singing over piano, the song of a crooner’s lost love.

http://robbennion.com/mp3s/how_could_I_know.mp3

John Coltrane and Duke Ellington

rob — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:44:02 +0000

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Two giants combining their talents . . . John Coltrane and Duke Ellington perform “In a Sentimental Mood”:

The future of music . . . integration of technology and live instruments.

rob — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:30:56 +0000

Break science, my favorite band, just released their new album . . . . Break science is a drummer/dj duo with some of the coolest and most innovative music I have ever heard. There are few groups I can listen to anymore, it seems like it’s all been done. Not these guys!

Popular wedding songs

rob — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:01:29 +0000

Salt Lake City Jazz Band

Some of the classic songs which we perform at weddings:

For sentimental Reasons

All of Me

Desafinado

Unforgettable

Always on my Mind

Fever

Girl From Ipanema

Fly Me to the Moon

I wanna hold your Hand

I’ll be There

Just the Two of us

Imagine

Lean on Me

Moondance

Nature Boy

Superstition

Sway

To Make You feel my Love

Under my Skin

Way you look tonight

Wonderful World

You and I

I left my Heart in San Francisco

Come Fly With Me

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Save the Last Dance

I’ve got the World on a string

Save Room

Everything

Can’t Help falling in Love

A Night in Tunisia

All Blues

All the Things You are

Take Five

Angel Eyes

Aint no Sunshine

Besame Mucho

Autumn Leaves

For Once in My Life

Georgia

How High the Moon

I just called to Say I love you

Misty

Moon River

My Favorite Things

My Funny Valentine

Naima

My One and Only Love

You are the Sunshine of my Life

Colette, my little baby girl, this is for you

rob — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:31:19 +0000

My daughter Colette sang on my song “Change” recorded back when she was 3. The song is about many things but she sings about how we went to the ocean for her birthday, talking about a trip the two of us took to Long Beach to see the aquarium and swim in the water that year. Here is the song, and some pictures from that trip, as I immerse myself in nostalgia today . . .

Rob Bennion \”Change\”

President’s Day and Cousin’s birthday at Grandma and Grandpa’s

rob — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:22:04 +0000

How much money do jazz musicians make?

rob — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:42:40 +0000

NPR has an interesting article tracking the amount of money a jazz musician makes in a typical year. One study shows the average being $23,300. http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2012/02/16/146946188/an-average-income-of-23-300

I also found this study which shows a higher average of $25-40k per year if they are music school grads. Notice on the chart below that only 20% of a jazz musician’s income is from live performances:

http://money.futureofmusic.org/going-to-music-school/

Since I no longer teach (I had 25 students at one time) and my jazz musician income is made solely from live performances, I find it interesting that I actually make much more money with live performances than the national average for jazz musicians across the country!

Thank you Salt Lake City, for appreciating jazz music and helping me feed my kids!

When I was in New York last summer performing with my friend Greg Diamond, he reminded me how great I have it out here in Salt Lake City . . . he said that the same jazz musicians are fighting for the same $50 gigs out in new york, jazz giants with multiple solo albums under their belts, great players who tour jazz festivals around the world. The world capital of Jazz, and musicians making so little that according to him most of the musicians are married to someone who pays the bills, many jazz musicians in “the city” are taken care of by their sugarmomma/daddies.