Lakecia Benjamin, Th 02.07.2026, Gent Jazz Gent

When Lakecia Benjamin released her debut album "Retox” in 2012, there was consensus in the jazz world: this is a masterpiece by a promising jazz talent. Yet it took six years for the follow-up "Rise Up” to arrive. In the meantime, she toured the world and collaborated with artists such as Gregory Porter, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, The Roots and Santigold... Lakecia Benjamin is here to stay and was soon regarded as an established name in the jazz world.

In 2020, she released "Pursuance”, an album that was labelled a "chef d'oeuvre” by various media outlets. It was a release in which she paid tribute to the greats who once sparked her love for jazz. It is a movement that continues on "Phoenix” (2023). Not only is it a tribute to heroes such as the artist Basquiat, jazz legend John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter - her personal favourite - but she also collaborated with artists including Angela Davis, Dianne Reeves and Sonia Sanchez. "Phoenix" became a very personal album, written during the pandemic from a feeling that - just like a phoenix - we too will rise from the ashes. And new work is in the making. Later this year, Benjamin will release a brand new album!