Ben At The Yoshi's: The Kathryn Keats Show

Ben Babylon performed, credited as a special guest star, as part of The Kathryn Keats Show at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California on July 8. The show included some of the Bay Area’s most renowned musicians: master percussionist Joe Venegoni, Grammy-nominated bassist Michael Manring, guitar virtuoso Tom Lattanand, pianist Kelly Park, award-winning trumpeter Jeff Oster, and Brazilian-born drummer Celso Alberti.

Kathryn Keats was so pleased to introduce keyboardist, songwriter and singer Ben Babylon to her fans in the Bay Area. The young musician has been working under the tutelage of Elton John, who remains a close family friend.

During the show, Ben performed "Goodbye Superman," the stirring tribute to his late father, the legendary Guy Babylon, along with some of Kathryn's musicians. He did also play keyboards during at least one of Kathryn's songs in the show: “Ben Babylon is an amazing talent and we are thrilled that he will be performing with The Kathryn Keats Show” she says with satisfaction. “Ben is multi-talented. He is a fantastic songwriter and musician. Elton John's influence on him is clear."

She learned about Ben Babylon after seeing his song "Goodbye Superman" on the Internet, and decided to invite him: "My sons and I were watching Ben Babylon's video of 'Goodbye Superman' and it directly affected me. I lost my father, so I understood the power and the meaning of the song. It blew me away, to see how a 12-year-old could write such a song to honor his father in that way. It was impressive” she added.

Kathryn Keats is a soulful singer and prolific songwriter who specializes in pop, jazz and blues. She began working behind the scenes, packaging feature films, creating and producing shows for television and film and directing several bands and artists. Her work included projects for Herb Ritts, Wayne Masur, and Mary Ellen Mark. She quit singing in the early 1980's, and went into hiding, after her partner held her captive and tortured her for 54 days. She began performing again in 2005, after learning that her former abuser had died, and could no longer harm her. In addition to singing, she also speaks to nonprofit organizations and audiences about domestic violence.

Yoshi's is one of the most famous jazz clubs in the United States where many famous artists have performed including Betty Carter, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr. and Oscar Peterson. There are two locations: one in San Francisco, California, and one in Oakland, California. Ben will perform at Yoshi's Oakland.

Here is more information about the history of Yoshi's: http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/about

Sources from:
maine.broadwayworld.com