ABOUT BEN

Raised in the musical hub of Seattle, Ben plays tenor, alto, baritone, and soprano saxophones, as well as flute and clarinet.  He attended Garfield High School, internationally renowned for its jazz band, with whom he traveled nationally to perform at Essentially Ellington, Monterey Jazz Festival, Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, Reno Jazz Festival, and internationally at Jazz à Vienne, Montreux Jazz Festival, Alba Jazz Festival, and the Umbria Jazz Festival.    

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Ben completed his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from USC Thornton in Los Angeles in 2021 where he studied under Bob Mintzer, Vince Mendoza, and Bob Sheppard. When at Thornton, he was a member of the 2019 Downbeat Award-winning Thornton Jazz Orchestra, the Pop Music Ensemble, and performed alongside Peter Erskine, Patrice Rushen, Geoffrey Keezer, The Yellowjackets, Vince Mendoza, Luciana Souza, and the New York Voices. Upon graduation Ben was awarded the USC Discovery Scholar Award for composition and recently finished his Master of Music in Jazz Arranging/Composition at William Paterson University, where he studied under Cecil Bridgewater and Ed Neumeister and was given the "Outstanding Graduate Performer" award by the department. He currently lives in the New York Metro area where he attends the prestigious BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop with Alan Ferber and Andy Farber.

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Ben regularly performs and records in a variety of styles including Jazz, R&B/Soul, Afro-Cuban, and Rock.  He has recorded on numerous graduate student film projects for the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and co-wrote and recorded the score to Anthony Bourdain's Emmy Award-winning miniseries, Little Los Angeles.