Watson Benny

AN AMAZING WEDDING!
I wanted a musician for the wedding of my son. I was given some sage advice… It costs no more to hire a good musician than one with limitations. I had seen Benny accompanying a vocalist at a restaurant a few months before and I had liked his playing very much. He plays a synthesizer which I usually don’t like, but he doesn’t indulge in the novelty of the instrument. His playing is surprisingly warm and subtle. He also sings jazz and standards, but his is highly sought after by vocalists.
I just searched the web for his contact info and called him cold. It
turned out that he has done quiet a few weddings, corporate gigs and even the Fairmont Hotel. He knew all about the processional, recessional and other wedding music. His price was reasonable w/​no overtime penalty, I signed him up.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that he got to the venue before me and was all set up, dressed in a dark suit. The wedding theme was simple elegance with formal dress and gold and white Calla Lilly’s And when Benny began playing, it just lent the courtyard such class. Most of the guest were in their early twenties and they thought this was the height of elegance. The processional was Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D Major’ and the recessional was ‘All you need is love’. He really did a great job on the classical piece and he got everyone singing on the Beatles tune as the newlyweds walked out.
One of the guests, whom I had not met, was a pop singer from Sweden,
we found out, her real love is Jazz and Cabaret songs. As no singer can resist Benny’s playing, she went over and Benny gave her the mic. She began singing standards. They sounded great together and Benny was able to handle her every request, no matter what key. What a champagne reception!
It was getting towards the end of the two hours and I paid Benny and told him he could go. But then everyone streamed back in from the photography session, so Benny said he would play some more. The last song was «Over the Rainbow» and Benny and the singer, who he had never met or played with, sounded fantastic! Benny played so warmly and picked up on the singer’s phrasing and nuances perfectly. It was such a beautiful way to end the ceremony that some people began crying.
Later I remarked to the Swedish singer that I thought she sang pop and she said, «Yah, it ess because vee don’t have any keyboard player like zat in Svenden!» Well, we only have one in the USA!