Saxophonist and band leader Daniel Bennett is at home on the stage. He has performed in the dimly lit jazz clubs of New Orleans. He's composed and performed the scores for off-Broadway theater productions in New York City. His quartet has played in the cramped studios of NPR. And now they are taking the stage in a setting known more for the smell of old books than the aroma of craft bourbon. The Daniel Bennett Group is playing at a library near you - and the musicians have been assured no one will shush them.
Actually, Daniel Bennett said, many libraries these days afford a perfect spot for a concert. He's performed in more than 40 public libraries across the country over the last three years, but rarely against a backdrop of book stacks.
"Most libraries now have meeting rooms or a mixed-use space, and some even have auditoriums," he said.
That's the case for the three Hampton Roads libraries on the group's schedule.
The band played the Mary D. Pretlow Anchor Branch library in the Ocean View section of Norfolk on Thursday night, and will continue the tour at the Slover library in downtown Norfolk today at noon and the Portsmouth Public Library Churchland Branch this evening at 7.
Bennett said libraries offer several advantages.
"The public libraries have great funding for these concerts. It's really nice to tap into that," he said. The band gets a flat fee, the concerts are often free, as the ones in Hampton Roads are, and the band isn't entirely dependent on ticket sales or cover charges.
"They have large mailing lists of people who attend these concerts," he said. "That definitely takes the pressure off of us. We perform hundreds of club dates each year. There is much more pressure for us to drive our own ticket sales with club bookings.
"We have a very active and committed following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This helps a lot with promotion."
Bennett said he also likes that libraries are becoming community centers rather than simply places to check out a book or read a newspaper. Library patrons are likely to come out even if they aren't familiar with his work, which helps him expand his music to new audiences.
"People at libraries typically show up expecting straight ahead jazz, but we've got '80s pop references in the music, classical minimalism, and a lot of improvisation where the musicians can play off one another. When we were interviewed by NPR, they even heard hip-hop references in our music. People hear different things, and I don't want to restrict that," he said. "The goal for us is to find what sets us apart. I'd say it's pop synth meets modern jazz."
Bennett promises jazz fans who may be a little leery about spending an evening at the library that they will quickly forget they're in a place known for quiet.
"Every gig is the same for us," he said. "We go out and play a show. If we're playing a library, we play that library exactly like it was a club."
If you go
What: Daniel Bennett Group
When: Noon to 2 p.m. today at Slover Public Library, Norfolk; and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Portsmouth Public Library Churchland Branch
Tickets: Free