Over the past ten years or so, a circle of musicians has coalesced in New York, and they are making some of the most refreshing music in what is already an incredibly fertile period in jazz. This crew, which rapper Mos Def has deftly incorporated into his hip-hop explorations, includes artists like keyboardists Robert Glasper and Marc Carey, and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Their music is rooted in the traditions of African-American jazz, but incorporate more contemporary soul and R&B rhythms, as well as textural synthesizer sounds and electronics.

All of these artists have come through the District in the past year, and they share a common thread, saxophonist Casey Benjamin. A truly unique player and composer, Benjamin will be leading his own group on Friday and Saturday at the historic Bohemian Caverns.

“We had this attitude like we really don’t care,” said Benjamin during a recent interview with DCist. “We’re going to express the music of our generation, but respect the heritage while doing it.”

“Textural” is a good word to describe Benjamin’s playing. Rather than having a more driving sound, Benjamin adds color to the music. He expands his palette by employing a vocoder during performance, which he began toying with after hearing the 70s-era electronic device used on a Herbie Hancock recording. The overall result of this approach is a listening experience that is purely emotional and visceral, rather than cerebral.

“I’ve been really checking out a lot of Radiohead, a lot of early Robert Palmer, Herbie Hancock, and a lot of more textural sort of music,” Benjamin said, describing his eclectic taste.