Richard Benitez III is ready to introduce himself.
The Concord-raised trumpeter has become one of the region’s busier freelancers in recent years, answering regular calls for gigs with an impressive roster of R&B, jazz and hip-hop acts.
Pianist and rapper Kev Choice has been hiring him for a wide array of situations for the past few years, including his arrangement for the chart-topping track “Pressha” from Grammy Award-winning soul star Jill Scott’s recent album “To Whom It May Concern.”
“He’s been a humongous help in my career,” Benitez said. “Kev opened a lot of doors I never even knew were there.”
Along the way Benitez has played shows under his own name, but when he checks into San Francisco’s Black Cat Wednesday June 17, it will still be a different story.
“It’s the first time I’m doing a show with my vision,” he said.
He’s calling the night “A Bay Area Love Story,” and it’s something like a self-directed rite of passage. Taking stock of his musical roots and the treasure trove of experience he’s gained, Benitez feels he’s “entering a new stage of life,” he said.
“I’m not the new kid on the block anymore. I’ve played with a lot of great artists, Bay Area legends, and I’m saying thank you for everything you’ve taught me. I’ve come into my own and now I’m going to use all of that.”
He’s assembled a group of close friends for the show, with bassist Isaac Coyle, pianist and keyboardist Kevin Person Jr., and drummer Jaycie Grady. A new friend, the gospel-steeped Joshua Carter, is handling the vocals.
As the title suggests, the repertoire focuses on uplifting anthems and love-powered ballads, as well as some originals. The 26-year-old horn player is bringing a Gen Z sensibility to the music of West Coast icons like Frankie Beverly & Maze, Sly and the Family Stone, Earth Wind & Fire, and Roy Ayers.
The Black Cat show doesn’t mean he’s easing off of sideman work. Benitez joins the Kev Choice Ensemble at Yoshi’s on June 26 as part of a powerhouse horn section with 19-year-old Oakland tenor saxophonist Ayo Brame, who’s sold out a series of his own shows at the Jack London Square club. Choice prides himself on keeping an eye out for rising young players, and he noted Benitez “showing up in a lot of different situations.”
Recognizing his flexibility, Choice started hiring Benitez for all kinds of gigs, including Yoshi’s shows, community events, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Super Bowl pop-up show with Goapele and Ruby Ibarra (who won NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest).
“I could tell his dedication to jazz and newer styles, soul and hip-hop,” Choice said. “We’ve done a lot of things. He and Ayo are my young-lion horn section who go from Miles Davis to OutKast.”
Growing up in Concord, Benitez attended Ygnacio Valley High School, and felt he had to seek musical sustenance elsewhere. He played in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District High School Honor Band, and gained invaluable experience in SFJAZZ’s education program.
He rehearsed weekly with SFJAZZ’s Monday Night Band, which was founded by Jazz Mafia trombonist Adam Theis. “That was one of the big stepping stones,” Benitez said. “I was playing in the Jazz Mafia right out of high school.”
After several semesters at Diablo Valley College he transferred to the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, where he studied with trumpeter Erik Jekabson. He also worked closely with tenor saxophonist Dann Zinn and trombonist John Gove, who hired him for several gigs.
“I was in one of his classes where I wasn’t doing well, and after a gig he said, ‘Great job! You filled in perfectly, but you’ve still got to turn in those assignments on Monday,’” Benitez recalled. “I ended up leaving the CJC to take more gigs.”
One of those opportunities was bringing new energy to the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra with Willy Jordan. He’s performing with the horn-powered combo at Keys Jazz Bistro in North Beach on Saturday, June 13, and makes his first trip to Europe in July when the orchestra returns to Italy for its annual residency at the Umbria Jazz Festival.
“I find a lot of horn players hold jazz up as the Holy Grail and have a condescending attitude toward blues and soul. Richard isn’t like that,” said Paule, the guitarist who founded the group in 2007. “He has a deep appreciation for the blues and soul music. He’s a hotshot and loves to play some high notes, but he fits right in with the section.”
Contact Andrew Gilbert at jazzscribe@aol.com.
RICHARD BENITEZ III
With Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra: 9 p.m. Saturday at Keys Jazz Bistro, San Francisco; $40; keysjazzbistro.com
Presents “A Bay Area Love Story: 7 p.m. June 17 at Black Cat, San Francisco; $20-$50; blackcatsf.com
With Kev Choice Ensemble: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. June 26 at Yoshi’s, Oakland; $43.10-$86.10; www.yoshis.com