Managed by Susan Bennett.
I would love to help make your special occasion the exceptional event you, friends, family and colleagues will remember as a highlight! A full-time professional musician, I love music, to share it with others, and it shows in my performance. Dependable, and responsible, courteous, I will treat your event with the professionalism, attention, and enthusiasm it deserves! I can in play many styles to provide an elegant background ambience or to rock out for dancing, and more! Styles include cocktail music, rock (including classic rock), jazz, pop, American Songbook standards, ragtime, boogie woogie, sing-alongs, Motown, and classical (including classic wedding music). I can also create arrangements for songs for which no sheet music exists and recreate arrangements of vintage music that sound the way they should.
Reviews
"I could listen to Will's playing all day." Bob Dennis, founder of the Disc Recording Studio in Detroit, who recorded Sly and The Family Stone and George Clinton and worked as an engineer at Motown recording The Supremes, amongst other luminaries.''
"Will did an amazing job as my wedding ceremony musician. He learned three songs for me and played a bunch of awesome, unexpected rock n roll during the prelude. All of our guests were blown away and were asking who he was and where I found him. He's the best." Danielle Liebowitz, San Diego, CA''
"Remarkable . . .EVERYONE LOVED YOU and your show! As usual, you exceeded our expectations and brought a fantastic show to our audience. Many thanks for bringing professionalism and polish to our
Music Under The Arch!" Paul and Becky Pazkowski, coordinators for Music Under the Arch Concert Series, Saline, MI
"Will was prompt and professional. He is a magnificent piano player - I would say he is a music maestro. I plan to hire Will for other events - personally and professionally and recommend him to all of my friends and colleagues. He exceeded my expectations." Kathy Munoz, Livonia, Michigan
Will's "songs come on like Ben Folds and Billy Joel taking turns. . . " Doug Coombe, Detroit Metro Times
"Will is the real deal." Jim King, of King's Keyboards in Ann Arbor.
"Will does a beautiful job and everyone loves him! His range of material is impressive. He is a pleasure to work with." Laura Gillis,
manager of Mix Marketplace, Ypsilanti, MI
"Will is talented, dedicated, professional and flexible - our wedding would not have been the same without him! He created exactly the ambiance we were hoping for (timeless, romantic) for the cocktail hour, dinner, and our special dances. As the night went on, he read the mood of our guests and could play everything we asked for. He had everyone out on the dance floor, singing along." Maria and Tom Glancy, West Branch, MI.
"Will Bennett played our private party, in our home, on our baby grand piano, he was awesome! He arrived on time, played the
music/songs we had requested, was very professional and a whole lot of fun! Our guests sang and enjoyed themselves as we all gathered around our piano with Will at the keys. We are already getting request to do it again, and I am sure we will! I highly recommend Will for any piano playing function. " Sherry Martin, Livonia
About Me
I have been playing piano professionally for over 12 years and currently regularly perform as a restaurant pianist in Ann Arbor. With over 15 years of classical, jazz and improvisational training, I have played at many venues in Southeast Michigan with my own compositions in rock band, The White Ravens, in a swing-duo, The Wine Bar Duo, and in jazz instrumental combos. Venues I have performed at include The Blind Pig, Baker's Keyboard Lounge (oldest jazz club in the world), The Jolly Pumpkin, Blue Tractor, Mash Bar, Woodruff's Pub 13, Temptations, Tin Fish in St. Clair shores, the Dakota Inn (the oldest singing piano bar in Detroit), Brewed Awakenings in Saline, the Java House Cafe in South Lyon, the Lampshade in Ypsilanti - the list goes on.
I have performed at ragtime festivals, including Ragfest in Fullerton, CA, the Greenfield Village Street Fair in Dearborn, MI, the Frakenmuth, MI ragtime festival, and competed twice in World Championship Old Time Piano Contest in Peoria.
I also compose and arrange music. My indie-pop rock band, The White Ravens, won Best USA/International Band for the 2010 Toronto Independent Music awards. Our 2nd and 3rd CDs were recorded with Liberty DeVitto, Billy Joel's drummer of 30 years. We have played live across Canada on Breakfast TV and one of our songs was been played live across the UK on BBC radio.
I will dress to match the ambience as per your input and am always polite, punctual, professional, and give full attention to every event.
Jazz group - I now also have a piano, drums, bass jazz group. the Will Bennett Band, performing professionally at venues including Cliff Bell's in Detroit. Contact me for more info.