Euphonic Gumbo Julie Benko

• 1 Down in New Orleans Medley (Bourbon Street Parade/ Go To The Mardi Gras/ Basin Street Blues) 05:16
• 2 Ticklin' Time [Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)/ Tipitina] 03:52
• 3 The Lakes of Pontchartrain 04:09
• 4 Funky Fête (Iko Iko/ Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing) 03:06
• 5 Ma Belle Evangeline 03:19
• 6 Pretty Baby 02:44
• 7 Don't You Come Home, Bill Bailey! 02:43
• 8 St. James Infirmary 05:37
• 9 J'ai Passe Devant Ta Porte 03:07
• 10 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans (Live at Birdland) 04:39
• Total Runtime 38:32

Info zu Euphonic Gumbo

Joining Benko on her 11-track debut "Introducing Julie Benko" is co-producer, arranger, and frequent musical partner Jason Yeager on piano, Danny Weller on bass, and Jay Sawyer on drums. The album also features trumpeter Andy Warren, clarinetist Dan Levinson, trombonist Walter Harris, tenor saxophonist Andrew Mulherkar, guitarist Vinny Raniolo, violinist Jason Anick, bandoneónist JP Jofre, and cellist Alon Bisk. “Introducing Julie Benko” demonstrates that the young vocalist, composer, and producer offers many musical riches in the jazz idiom and beyond, in addition to her prowess as a Broadway performer.

Euphonic Gumbo is my love letter to the Crescent City. We stirred in a little of everything: the syncopated strut of early jazz, the spice of a Cajun fiddle, the echo of folk ballads, Jelly Roll Morton’s “Spanish tinge,” and, of course, nods to the great piano “professors” famous for making the ivories dance. It’s music that honors both life and death, mischief and memory, Disney dreams and Longfellow laments. ​

This album is a celebration, a second line, a reverent revelry. A party, plain and simple.

"Euphonic Gumbo brims with exuberance... Benko’s supple phrasing and actorly diction chart a path from gentle reminiscence to deep longing, like memories rising and receding... shifting effortlessly from brassy belt to intimate, conversational delivery and wordless improvisation. Fr listeners who can’t hop on a plane to New Orleans, but crave an uplifting escape, this recording offers a warmly transporting alternative." ​(NYC Jazz Record) ​

"Festive, generous, and unpretentious... Euphonic Gumbo stands as an inviting, carefully crafted work that a wide audience can enjoy." (Paris Move)

Julie Benko, vocals
Jason Yeager, piano, Hammond Organ (tracks 1, 2), Celeste (track 6)
John Manzari, vocals (track 8), tap dance (tracks 4, 8)
Andy Warren, trumpet, flugelhorn (track 3)
Linus Wyrsch, clarinet, tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 4)
Evan Arntzen, tenor saxophone (track 10)
Ron Wilkins, trombone
Michael O’Brien, acoustic bass, electric bass (tracks 2, 4)
Jay Sawyer, drums
Sasha Papernik, accordion (tracks 5, 9)
Gabe Terraciano, violin (track 9)
Justin Poindexter, guitar (track 9), banjo (track 9)
Jim Caruso, announcer (tracks 1, 10)

Tracks 1-9 recorded on June 12th, 2025 at Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, Astoria, NY
Recording Engineered by David Stoller
​Produced and Arranged by Julie Benko & Jason Yeager
Executive Producers: Mike and Julie Frakes

Julie Benko
is an actor, singer, and writer based in New York City. She is currently appearing as Emma Goldman in the Broadway revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center.

Benko joined the annals of theatrical legend for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, playing the role of Fanny Brice over 180 times (1 in every 3 shows!). For her performance, she earned Theatre World's Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre, was named the 2022 Breakout Star for Theater by the New York Times, included in Variety's 10 Broadway Stars to Watch in 2023, honored as one of 40 Under 40 for Crain's New York Business, profiled in numerous national media outlets such as the New York Times and Time, and even got a shoutout on The Simpsons. ​

Julie's other Broadway credits include originating the role of Ruth in Barry Manilow’s musical Harmony as well as appearing in revivals of Fiddler on the Roof and Les Miserables. She’s starred in regional productions across the country, including as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (opposite Raúl Esparza), the title role in Jane Eyre, Girl in Once, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. She recently made her film debut in the independent feature "Caravan." ​

Julie has released three albums—Christmas With You, Hand in Hand (both on Club44 Records) and Introducing Julie Benko—in collaboration with her pianist-composer husband, Jason Yeager. Her newest album, Euphonic Gumbo, drops this February!

She's played sold-out shows at NYC’s Café Carlyle, Birdland, and 54 Below, plus top venues around the U.S, and has performed as a guest soloist at Carnegie Hall and with orchestras nationwide. She’s a Gold Medalist and Johnny Mercer Award winner from the American Traditions Vocal Competition. She holds a BFA in Drama and an MFA in Acting (yes, both!) from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.​ ​

As a writer, Julie created the award-winning short "The Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy, and her first full-length play Down the Line—set in New Orleans’ red-light district pre-WWI—was a semifinalist at the 2022 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and is now in development. ​

When not performing, she’s usually making music with Jason, chasing a 1,800+ day Duolingo streak, strolling through the park with her daughter Lulu, or hanging with her rescue cat, Thelonious Monk (aka Monkey). And no, she’s never auditioned for Law & Order. Not even once! Is she even a real New York actor?

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet