Off Script, but In the Groove

Review: Marcus Benoit at Jazz on Jay; Thursday, June 18, 2026

“Just like we rehearsed it!” proclaimed Marcus Benoit with mock smugness after leading his quartet through “All Blues” at Jazz on Jay Thursday.

The truth/joke was; they hadn’t rehearsed it at all. Saxophonist/flute player and leader Benoit called it as an audible early in their 90-minute set, and later said they’d rehearsed mostly by phone. Nonetheless, their rendition never felt like a joke as they managed a mellow, smooth cruise through the Miles Davis classic.

Marcus Benoit Quartet, above: from left: Benoit, flute; Joe Finn, guitar; Mike Benedict, drums; Pete Toigo, bass

Below, from left: Joe Finn, guitar; Benoit, tenor saxophone; Mike Benedict, drums; Pete Toigo, bass

Stuffing their 90-minute show with tunes every jazz player has performed many, many times; rehearsal or no rehearsal, their challenge was to find something new to say. They mostly managed this, too, with veterans’ assurance and fresh invention well within the songs.

Benoit mostly played tenor saxophone, launching a vigorous run through “All the Things You Are” to start before going off-script (or set-list) into “All Blues,” his fleet flute leading. They mostly followed straightforward theme and variations development; guitarist Joe Finn sometimes setting the rhythm before drummer Mike Benedict and bassist Pete Toigo filled in the groove and Benoit climbed on board with a familiar statement of the head, then ran changes. While Benoit cued Benedict and Toigo to solo at times, mostly he and Finn led. Finn built single-note solos with flat-pick and comped chords under everything else with his thumb, unifying things.

While Benoit said he’d hit his speed limit in “All the Things,” he revved into pulsating velocity in “A Night In Tunisia.” Everybody plays this, but they refreshed it with Benedict’s hi-hat going double-time, Toigo ably having his say and Finn underlining everything, right up to a unison hard stop after Benoit built energy with repeating riffs.

“Watermelon Man” felt a bit less focused, its mid-tempo funk feel gaining momentum before Benoit simmered things down, like a studio fade. He returned to flute for “Killing Me Softly,” crisp and cool, before “Caravan” loosened things up as Benedict used mallets on his toms to push from the start.

Benoit took the mic to wind things down before Toigo reminded him the gig was 90 minutes, not 60; and the show took its second wind with John Coltrane’s “Equinox.” Here Finn echoed Benoit’s whirlwind runs, Benoit quoted “Eleanor Rigby” and its stop-and-go cadence built the energy. The soul groove of “Mercy Mercy Mercy” had a laid-back charm, Finn especially eloquent here. The samba “I Remember April” had good lift-off, flute flying over a solid groove.

They slowed for a fervent “What a Difference A Day Breaks,” Benoit name-checking Dinah Washington among the artists he’d heard and learned from over Radio Free Europe in his Army Brat youth in Germany. You could hear his reverence for her, and fondness for those formative years, in his tender phrasing.

Benoit had prematurely begun to intro their finale of Sonny Rollins’s playful calypso “St. Thomas” around the 60-minute mark, but used it to close with upbeat happy force, inventive peppy variations racing around before he brought it home with repeating riffs up high.

Thursday’s show was actually “Jazz Near Jay,” fleeing dire weather warnings into Proctors GE Theatre where some fans toted in their portable chairs. Good move: The place was dry, calm and cool, unlike the wet fury outside.

Jazz on Jay continues next Thursday, June 25, with the Ambrose, Hearn & Shoudy Trio featuring special guest Matt Steckler.

Jazz on Jay shows are presented free in Jay Square opposite Schenectady City Hall on Thursdays at noon. In wild weather, the customary rain site is Robb Alley at Proctors.