BB2 & BB3: Holiday Concert in Pittsburgh at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall

The Benacks are Back….
And They're Coming Together!
If your holiday plans are going to take you out of town, you may want to change them. World
class jazz musicians, Benny Benack II and Benny Benack III, are bringing their horns to
Carnegie Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, December 27!
The father and son Benacks hail from a Pittsburgh Jazz dynasty. Trumpet player Benny
Benack I (1921-1986) was known as the “King of Dixieland,” and played a key role in burnishing
Pittsburgh’s reputation as a great jazz town. He became a household name when his “Beat ‘em...

read more

The Benacks are Back….
And They're Coming Together!
If your holiday plans are going to take you out of town, you may want to change them. World
class jazz musicians, Benny Benack II and Benny Benack III, are bringing their horns to
Carnegie Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, December 27!
The father and son Benacks hail from a Pittsburgh Jazz dynasty. Trumpet player Benny
Benack I (1921-1986) was known as the “King of Dixieland,” and played a key role in burnishing
Pittsburgh’s reputation as a great jazz town. He became a household name when his “Beat ‘em
Bucs” accompanied the Pirates and Pittsburgh to a World Series victory in 1960.
It’s not always easy to get BB2 and his saxophone on the same stage with the peripatetic BB3
and his trumpet (and voice), but it’s worth the effort! Each has performed at the Carnegie
Carnegie before. BB3 headlined the fabulous Fly Us to the Moon benefit in 2022. BB2
performed to a sold-out house in the Studio last January, and followed up with another sold out
performance in May: Pete & Scott & Benny & Joe.
When Executive Director Maggie Forbes told them that a concert with both Benacks would be a
great send-off before her year-end retirement, Ben and Benny juggled their schedules to make it
so.
Just before New Year’s Eve timing gives this concert a “ring out the old, ring in the new” flavor
that resonates with Forbes. “Being part of the Library & Music Hall’s resurgence over the last 20
years has been beyond rewarding. That said, I know that the best is yet to come!”
As jazzmen, the Benacks will not commit to their program in advance. But Eric DeFade will add
another saxophone to the mix, and rumor has it that vocalist Claudia Benack can be persuaded
to make a show-stopping appearance.
The Board of Trustees is hosting a post- concert reception to celebrate Ms. Forbes’ tenure and
the great jazz that has become such an integral part of Carnegie Carnegie performances.

show less