Bassist/composer Ben Allison is one of a few band leaders working in jazz today who has developed his own instantlyidentifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk
to classical and world music, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.
With his groups The Ben Allison Band, Man Size Safe, Peace Pipe, and Medicine Wheel, Ben has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Brazil, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.
Recent performance highlights with his groups include Carnegie Hall (New York City), Teatro Manzoni (Milan, Italy), Central Park’s SummerStage (New York City), Auditório Ibirapuera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), The Capitol Theater (Salt Lake City, NV) Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, England) and Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral (Mexico City, Mexico).
Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe and a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene” by JazzTimes, Ben has released eleven CDs of original music — The Stars Look Very Different Today (on his own Sonic Camera Records, 2013), and 10 albums for Palmetto Records, Action-Refraction (2011),Think Free (2009), Little Things Run the World (2008), Cowboy Justice (2006), Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999), Medicine Wheel (1998) and Seven Arrows (1996) — all of which showcase Ben’s forward thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft.
Ben’s album Action-Refraction, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and remained in the top 20 for over three months, making it one of the most-played CDs of 2011. Action-Refraction was named one of the Best Albums of 2011 (of any genre) by NPR and Time Out New York. His previous six albums also climbed to the #1 spot on US radio, garnering him 8 SESAC National Performance Awards. His albums have been named as among the best of the year by publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Jazz Times, Jazz Journalists Association, Downbeat Critics Poll, All About Jazz, Coda (Canada), and Jazz Review (UK), among many others.
Ben has been cited in the Downbeat Critics Poll “Bassist” category (2010-2013), “Composer” category (2010-2012) and won the “Rising Star Bassist” category in 2005, 2006 and again in 2007. He’s also been cited in the “Rising Star Album,” “Rising Star Acoustic Group,” “Rising Star Arranger,” and “Rising Star Jazz Artist,” categories since 2003 as well as the “Bassist” category of the 2005-2010 Downbeat Readers Poll, all of which is a testament to his dedication as a musician.
As an arts advocate, Ben has been active as well. In 2001 he served as an advisor to the Doris Duke Foundation, helping to establish Chamber Music America’s New Works - Creation and Presentation program. He currently serves on the board of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and chairs the Advocacy Committee. In 2012, Allison testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on issues relating to musician’s performing rights. His appearance on the front page of the New York Times business section, subsequent appearances on NPR stations and as a panelist at many music conferences, as well as his posts on benallison.com/blog have solidified his reputation as a strong voice for artist empowerment.
At the age of twenty-five, Ben formed the Jazz Composers Collective — a musician-run, non-profit organization based in New York City that was dedicated to constructing an environment where artists could exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. From 1992 until the Collective’s dissolution in 2005, Ben served as the organization’s Artistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence, during which time he produced or co- produced over 100 concerts and special events, including the Collective’s annual concert series, national and international tours by Collective artists, an on-going Collective residency at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, NYC), and an annual “Jazz Composers Collective Festival” at the Jazz Standard — which drew international attention as a mainstay of New York City’s cultural life. As a member of the Collective, Ben received commissioning, performing, and recording grants from Chamber Music America, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aaron Copland Foundation, Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum. The Collective celebrated the 20th
anniversary of its first concert in the fall of 2012 with a 6-night stint at the Jazz Standard in NYC.
Born in 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed the world over with a very wide range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, Cambodain chapei master Kong Nay, legendary performance artist Joey Arias and US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. He has appeared on over 50 albums by various artists and has written music for film, national television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listernship of over 2,000,000 people per week) and the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies. He was a featured composer and performer with the Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2005, 2008 and 2013 and performed his Carnegie Hall debut in February, 2012.
Ben Allison Bassist • Composer • Band Leader • Educator • Advocate
www.benallison.com • twitter: @benallisonmusic
to classical and world music, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.
With his groups The Ben Allison Band, Man Size Safe, Peace Pipe, and Medicine Wheel, Ben has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Brazil, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.
Recent performance highlights with his groups include Carnegie Hall (New York City), Teatro Manzoni (Milan, Italy), Central Park’s SummerStage (New York City), Auditório Ibirapuera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), The Capitol Theater (Salt Lake City, NV) Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, England) and Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral (Mexico City, Mexico).
Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe and a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene” by JazzTimes, Ben has released eleven CDs of original music — The Stars Look Very Different Today (on his own Sonic Camera Records, 2013), and 10 albums for Palmetto Records, Action-Refraction (2011),Think Free (2009), Little Things Run the World (2008), Cowboy Justice (2006), Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999), Medicine Wheel (1998) and Seven Arrows (1996) — all of which showcase Ben’s forward thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft.
Ben’s album Action-Refraction, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and remained in the top 20 for over three months, making it one of the most-played CDs of 2011. Action-Refraction was named one of the Best Albums of 2011 (of any genre) by NPR and Time Out New York. His previous six albums also climbed to the #1 spot on US radio, garnering him 8 SESAC National Performance Awards. His albums have been named as among the best of the year by publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Jazz Times, Jazz Journalists Association, Downbeat Critics Poll, All About Jazz, Coda (Canada), and Jazz Review (UK), among many others.
Ben has been cited in the Downbeat Critics Poll “Bassist” category (2010-2013), “Composer” category (2010-2012) and won the “Rising Star Bassist” category in 2005, 2006 and again in 2007. He’s also been cited in the “Rising Star Album,” “Rising Star Acoustic Group,” “Rising Star Arranger,” and “Rising Star Jazz Artist,” categories since 2003 as well as the “Bassist” category of the 2005-2010 Downbeat Readers Poll, all of which is a testament to his dedication as a musician.
As an arts advocate, Ben has been active as well. In 2001 he served as an advisor to the Doris Duke Foundation, helping to establish Chamber Music America’s New Works - Creation and Presentation program. He currently serves on the board of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and chairs the Advocacy Committee. In 2012, Allison testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on issues relating to musician’s performing rights. His appearance on the front page of the New York Times business section, subsequent appearances on NPR stations and as a panelist at many music conferences, as well as his posts on benallison.com/blog have solidified his reputation as a strong voice for artist empowerment.
At the age of twenty-five, Ben formed the Jazz Composers Collective — a musician-run, non-profit organization based in New York City that was dedicated to constructing an environment where artists could exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. From 1992 until the Collective’s dissolution in 2005, Ben served as the organization’s Artistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence, during which time he produced or co- produced over 100 concerts and special events, including the Collective’s annual concert series, national and international tours by Collective artists, an on-going Collective residency at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, NYC), and an annual “Jazz Composers Collective Festival” at the Jazz Standard — which drew international attention as a mainstay of New York City’s cultural life. As a member of the Collective, Ben received commissioning, performing, and recording grants from Chamber Music America, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aaron Copland Foundation, Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum. The Collective celebrated the 20th
anniversary of its first concert in the fall of 2012 with a 6-night stint at the Jazz Standard in NYC.
Born in 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed the world over with a very wide range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, Cambodain chapei master Kong Nay, legendary performance artist Joey Arias and US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. He has appeared on over 50 albums by various artists and has written music for film, national television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listernship of over 2,000,000 people per week) and the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies. He was a featured composer and performer with the Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2005, 2008 and 2013 and performed his Carnegie Hall debut in February, 2012.
Ben Allison Bassist • Composer • Band Leader • Educator • Advocate
www.benallison.com • twitter: @benallisonmusic