eclectic pianist Marco Benevento brings his circuit-bent instruments to a cozy show in Portsmouth

In addition to his classic upright piano, Marco Benevento’s arsenal of instruments includes an array of pedals, guitar pick-ups, amplifiers, and assorted children’s toys electronically customized to make weird and wonderful sounds. Benevento spends hours tinkering with these toys until they make music.  “That’s what I’m constantly doing. I’m constantly searching for sounds from an old Casio keyboard or an old Speak & Spell that’s circuit bent and trying to create maybe an intro or a layer over a section or an outro or an ending,” Benevento said. “I’m always messing around with sound.”

The technique is evident throughout Benevento’s 2010 album “Between the Needles and Nightfall,” and it will be on full display on Friday, Feb. 18, when he plays a solo show at The Red Door in Portsmouth.

Local listeners might be familiar with Benevento from a number of contexts. He represents half of the Benevento/Russo Duo, his instrumental rock partnership with drummer Joe Russo. He’s a member of Garage A Trois with saxophonist Skerik and percussionists Stanton Moore and Mike Dillon. He’s also in the band Surprise Me Mr. Davis, as well as Bitches Brew Revisited, which covers tunes from Miles Davis’ seminal jazz fusion album. Benevento has appeared at The Stone Church in Newmarket in a trio format with Mike Dillon and bassist Reed Mathis.

Constantly working with different artists keeps this Brooklyn-based pianist creatively stimulated. He feeds off his bandmates’ musical input and is fascinated by the ways in which different instrumentalists respond to his ideas. Joe Russo might approach a tune with a completely different mindset than Stanton Moore, for example. Andrew Barr, who plays drums on “Between the Needles and Nightfall,” brings yet another musical outlook. The variety keeps Benevento on his toes.

“If you do the same thing too much you just naturally get a little antsy. You’re only getting one side of life, and there are like a million sides,” he said.

Benevento started playing piano when he was about 6 years old, taking traditional lessons after school. He began experimenting with keyboards and synthesizers when he was in middle school and made his first recordings with a 4-track. His interest in jazz and other experimental genres flourished in high school, spurring him to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he also studied upright bass and drums.

After graduating, Benevento moved to Brooklyn, where he reunited with his old friend Joe Russo. The two had known each other since childhood and had jammed on Zeppelin tunes in Russo’s basement when they were still “dorky, pre-pubescent” teens.

“It goes way back with Joe and I, so it was really cool to see that whole thing grow,” Benevento said.

The Benevento/Russo Duo released several albums between 2003 and 2006 and toured around the nation, showcasing an explosive jazz-rock sound filled with rampant improvisation. They drew the attention of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon and were pegged to back the pair on tour. Benevento and Russo both were Phish fans in high school and relished the large audiences.

“It was easy and fun and the touring was really great. We were playing in front of like 20,000 people every night, so that was really awesome,” Benevento said. “I really like the fact that they can embrace stupidity and sort of be goofy, but they also were really good at communicating live.” 

Benevento has been active in numerous projects over the last several years but has largely focused on his own solo work. “Between the Needles and Nightfall,” his third solo CD, was released last spring on his own label, The Royal Potato Family. It features Andrew Barr on drums and Reed Mathis, formerly of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, on bass.

Like much of his other work, the instrumental album features original songs with a searching, exploratory feel. Benevento often loops repetitive piano melodies and layers them with ornate sounds, introducing new instruments only to retract them moments later and replace them with all new sonic textures. The songs are like Christmas trees with glistening ornaments, twists of tinsel, and multi-colored lights constantly added and subtracted from the limbs. 

Contributing to the music’s prodding nature are Benevento’s many circuit bent toys, most of them modified by Chicago-based sound guru Tom Stevenson. Circuit bending (or hot rodding, as Benevento sometimes calls it) is a process of customizing electronic devices and adding switches to make new sounds.

Benevento has even considered offering his creations to the public, “possibly just releasing all these triggered samples from all these crazy lo-fi toys that I have and making a sound bank for people to use.” Benevento will be performing in a solo capacity without his bandmates in Portsmouth. But he’ll bring along plenty of electronic gadgets to create a virtual orchestra that’s sure to keep things interesting.

“I’m gonna be bringing my own piano. It’s a 61-note upright piano that’s been hot rodded by me, and it’s quite a beautiful thing to see. I’m also gonna have my looper and my computer, and I’ll have some other things going on. So there will be a lot of other sounds happening, as well. It’ll be exciting and experimental.”

As always, Benevento has several new projects underway, including new records with Garage A Trois, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, and his own trio. But he looks forward to playing a solo show on the Seacoast.

“Solo piano gigs are somewhat comforting, sort of like sitting in front of a fire,” he said. “For the most part, everybody’s pretty cozy, and I always have a pretty good time doing solo piano gigs.”

The show begins at 8 p.m. on Feb. 18 at The Red Door, 107 State St., Portsmouth, 603-373-6827. The door charge is $5.