Carles Benavent was born in Poble Sec (Barcelona) the first of March of 1954.
At age of 13 he co-founded the band “crack” (blues, jazz, rock) with Salvador Font and Emili Baleriola.
1969: “crack” becomes the band “maquina!” a band that was a historical milestone in Spanish rock bands.
1973/74: plays with jazz and brasilian bands
1975:, Co-founds the group “Música Urbana”, with Joan Albert Amargos, Salvador Font, Jaume Cortadellas, Jordi Bonell and Matthew Simon
1979; Plays in different Jazz bands with musicians such as Kitflus, Tito Duarte etc…
Plays with the Max Sunyer Trio, with Salvador Niebla.
1980: Begins playing with the Paco de Lucia band,(Jorge Pardo, Rubem Dantas, Ramon de Algeciras…) touring Europe, America and Japan. This collaboration will continue until 2001.
1981:Plays in different flamenco recording sessions… Especially important are the recordings with Camaron de la Isla and Paco de Lucia.
1982: Meets Chick Corea, records two albums and does two world tours
1983: Records his first album as a leader “Carles Benavent”. Debuts with his own band at Madrid Jazz Festival and …
1985: “Dos de Copas” a duo album with Joan Albert Amargos is edited
Plays at the Estambul and Cork festivals with Jorge Pardo
1986: Plays at Grenoble festival with Jorge Pardo…he receives the “premio especial de la crítica”, given out by RNE, RTVE and the jazz magazine “Quártica Jazz”.
1987/88: Still touring with Paco de Lucia sextet, he also plays with the bands of Didier Lockwood and Bernard Lubat in France
1989: Plays in New York with Michel Camilo and Paquito de Rivera with the “Flamenco Fusion project”
Edits his second album with Joan Albert Amargos “colors”with musicians such as Didier Lockwood, …
1990: Plays in a special concert for Switzerland TV with Jorge Pardo, Gil Goldstein, Don Alias and Alex Acuna. Because of this event the band plays in New York and records the album “Zebra Coast” (Blue Note records)
1991: Plays in a special concert featuring the music of Gil Evans, with Miles Davis among others and an orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz festival which is recorded and edited as “Miles Davis and Quincy Jones Live at Montreux”(Warner Bros.)
1992: Plays at New York’s Town Hall with Jorge Pardo, invited by the New Music Seminar.
Records “Jazzpana” with the WDR Big Band from Colonia, Germany, arranged and conducted by Ariff Mardin and Vince Mendoza.
1994: Receives the “Best Jazz Musician of the Year” award, given out by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
1995: Edits his 4th album as a leader, “Aguita que corre” (Nuevos Medios)
Suffers a car accident which will keep him off the stages during a year.
1996: One year after the accident he returns to the scene touring with Paco de Lucia and plays again with his own band (Jorge Pardo, J.A. Amargos, Rubem Dantas, Tino di Geraldo, Gil Goldstein and special guest Othello Molineaux) at the Getxo Jazz Festival, recording a new album: “Fénix” (Nuevos Medios)
1998/99: Co-founds the flamenco-jazz trio “Benavent-Di Geraldo-Pardo” editing one live album called “El Concierto de Sevilla” (Nuevos Medios)
2000: Tours England with Don Alias, Alex Acuna, Jovanny Hidalgo, Steve Barrios, Michel & Randy Brecker and Gil Goldstein for the tour called “Don Alias 60th Birthday”.
2002: Edits his seventh album “Aigua” (Nuevos Medios). It was awarded jazz album of the year by the SGAE
2003: Forms a new trio with Jordi Bonell (guitar) and Roger Blavia (drums), which plays at the Vitoria Jazz Festival with Jorge Pardo, Tino di Geraldo, Gil Goldstein and Pat Metheny.
2004: Tours again with Chic Corea with “Chic Corea and Touchstone”.
Plays in Barcelona with the special show “Benavent 3 trios” (Bonell-Blavia/Di Geraldo –Pardo/Goldstein-Rossi and Othello Molineaux)
Records with Jorge and Tino a new album called “Sin Precedentes”.
2005: Records “The Ultimate Adventure” by Chic Corea with: Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colayuta, Hubert Laws, Airto Moreira, Hossam Ramzy, Tim Garland and is still touring with the “Touchstone Band” throughout the USA, Europe and South America.