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Originally a native of Vancouver, Ben Henriques made his way to Montreal in 2001 to study Jazz at McGill University where he earned his Bachelor's in Jazz Performance. Since then he has made a name for himself on the Montreal Jazz scene as a musician, bandleader, recording engineer and an educator. He has shared the stage with many Jazz greats including Joe Lovano, John Taylor, Phil Dwyer, Ben Monder, Jim McNeely, Tim Ries, Dave Liebman, Kevin Dean, Andre White and many more. His first record as a leader "The Responsibility Club" (RBR) rose to #1 on the airwaves in February 2009 and was also selected as #2 jazz album of 2009 by Radio Jazz Plus. Ben completed his Masters in Jazz Performance at McGill's Schulich School of Music in 2012 and released his second album, "Captain Awesome" (Chronograph Records) in early October 2013. Ben is currently teaching saxophone and flute at Vancouver Island University and working as a freelance musician and teacher in Vancouver.

Through 'Captain Awesome' we see one of Canada's rising talents share his own personal journey through his music. Accompanying Ben on this album is a group of musicians considered by all to be jazz masters. Josh Rager on piano, Kenny Bibace on guitar, Fraser Hollins on bass and Dave Laing on drums. Together they create a sympathetic vibe to Ben's tunes and take the listener on a musical journey with elements of the Jazz tradition, modified with Ben's compositional flair.

Thematically, all of these compositions share a common thread; they each represent ideas, notions and works of art that were important to Ben as a child and remain important to him today. Play was on his mind when composing these pieces. Ben chose comics, movies and imaginary worlds that inspire him. "Grown-ups" dont spend a lot of focus on the things they liked as a child, because theyre too busy being adults. Often they don't like what they do, but still do it because it's the easier choice in our society where if you have money, which often means stability and less opportunity for play, you're happy. It seems while it's not always the easiest choice to be a musician, those that keep doing it have placed a priority on playing, and play.

TRACK LISTING:
1 Captain Awesome
2 Fortress of Solitude
3 Paranoia is a Flower
4 Marshland
5 Soulianis and Rahm
6 Cloud City
7 Sweet Lovely
8 Beneath My Smile

Track Listing