WATCH: Benny Benack III Shares “Gary, Indiana”

Jazzy take on The Music Man standard appears on new album Third Time’s The Charm

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023 Ron Hart 0 Comments Benny Benack, Benny Benack III, Claudia Benack, Emmet Cohen, Gary Indiana, Josh Groban, Jr, The Music Man, Third Time's The Charm

Benny Benack III (Image: La Reserve Records)

Third generation jazz musician Benny Benack III will release his latest album Third Time’s The Charm on June 30th via La Reserve Records / Bandstand Presents.

And on June 9th, the versatile hard bop trumpet player / vocalist will be unveiling the video for his incredible rendition of “Gary, Indiana” from the Tony Award-winning 1957 musical The Music Man to the public. But Rock & Roll Globe is honored to give our readers a sneak peek at the video two days early this afternoon on the site.

“‘Gary, Indiana’ is the first song I ever performed in my life as a professional,” says Benack. “My mom played piano with me, and I would be like eight years old, walking out onstage in the middle of my dad’s concert. My mom would hold my hand, and we’d go out and I’d sing ‘Gary, Indiana.’”

Benny Benack III Third Time’s The Charm, La Reserve Records/Bandstand Presents 2023

Benack comes from a formidable line of respected musicians on the Pittsburgh jazz scene, following in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather Benny Benack Sr., his saxophonist/clarinetist father Benny Benack Jr., and his mother Claudia Benack, a voice professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who’s instructed the likes of Josh Groban, Leslie Odom Jr., and many more. And his combination of Kenny Dorham-esque blowing and Sinatra-style crooning truly makes this updated rendition of “Gary, Indiana” such a treat.

“Releasing the very first song I ever performed in public as a child alongside one of my earliest musical collaborators in pianist Emmet Cohen feels like a musical homecoming a lifetime in the making,” Benack tells us. “It’s always a thrill for me to reinvigorate an old Broadway classic like “Gary, Indiana” and put a fresh spin on it!”

Watch the video below.