John Benitez

John Benitez is a Grammy-winning bassist and a central figure in New York's pan-American Latin jazz scene, working on both acoustic and electric bass. Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, he studied at the Escuela Libre de Musica, the University of Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, and by his late teens was a first-call bassist across San Juan's jazz and Latin music scenes. After moving to New York in 1993, he studied at the City College of New York with Ron Carter and later with Anthony Jackson, and went on to record and perform with Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, David Sanchez, Danilo Perez, and Roy Hargrove's Crisol, whose 1997 album Habana won the Grammy for best Latin jazz performance. He led his own trio on Descarga in New York, released in 2001 on Khaeon World Music, alongside pianist Luis Perdomo. Benitez has also served on the jazz bass faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.