Charles Benoit

An award-winning author and incurable beginner saxophonist, Charles Benoit is the creator and host of The Smart Set, Jazz 90.1’s weekly run-in with the Rochester swing scene.

Broadcasting live from Rochester’s heppest nightspots, The Smart Set lets listeners around the globe enjoy all the excitement of a big night out in the safety and comfort of their own homes. From its first broadcast in 2003, The Smart Set has generated a flood of letters, phone calls and emails, yet it’s back on the air each week anyway, taking you to the area’s hottest hot spots – Kow Tow Room high atop the Imperial Hotel, the Blue Buddha Lounge at the Tiki Village Motor Inn, the Boom Boom Room at La Maison Bastille, The Club Flamingo, the Golden Fleece Casino, and other clubs regularly featured on the 11 o’clock news. And the biggest names in swing are always on hand – including a special visit each week by Rochester’s own King of Hi De Ho, Cab Calloway. Yes, it’s all wild fun until someone get’s hurt. Then the party really gets started!

For reasons never fully explained, The Smart Set received the 2004 Communicator Award for Excellence in Writing, and remains the darling of fans and critics alike, several not at all related to the host.

You can contact Charles Benoit by e-mailing charles@jazz901.org.