https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Allison
Ben Allison (born November 17, 1966) is an American double bassist, composer, producer, bandleader, educator. In addition to his work as a performer, he co-founded the non-profit Jazz Composers Collective and served as its Artistic Director for twelve years. Allison is an adjunct professor at New School University and serves on the board of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, where he serves as President.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ben-allison-mn0000154091
Artist Biography by Alex Henderson
A versatile acoustic bassist/composer with an adventurous spirit, Ben Allison has often excelled in jazz settings but has leaned toward more eclectic rock- and funk-oriented sounds on his own albums. The East Coast native was only nine when he began studying music, and he was 22 when, in 1989, he graduated from New York University with a B.A. in jazz performance. In 1992, Allison founded the Jazz Composers Collective, a musician-run nonprofit organization that encouraged artists to take risks and didn't shy away from the avant-garde when presenting many concerts in New York. It was in 1994 that the Collective launched the Herbie Nichols Project, which Allison co-directed with pianist Frank Kimbrough. In addition to being employed on albums by Lee Konitz, Ted Nash, and Eddie Gale, the 1990s found Allison playing live with Gary Bartz, Kenny Werner, Dave Liebman, Judi Silvano, Michael Blake, and Clifford Jordan. Allison first recorded under his own name when he did Seven Arrows for Palmetto in 1996, and has also recorded for Palmetto with his group Medicine Wheel. Third Eye followed in 1999 and Riding the Nuclear Tiger appeared two years later. Peace Pipe was released in 2002, Buzz in 2004, and Cowboy Justice in 2006. Allison often utilizes his backup group Man Size Safe, consisting of Ron Horton (trumpet, flügelhorn), Steve Cardenas (electric guitar), and Michael Sarin (drums). Little Things Run the World, credited to Ben Allison & Man Size Safe, was released on January 22, 2008. Think Free, featuring a lineup that included violinist Jenny Scheinman and trumpeter Shane Endsley, followed in 2009. In 2011, Allison delivered the covers album Action-Refraction.
https://benallison.com/about
In a career that spans over 30 years, bassist/composer Ben Allison has developed his own instantly identifiable sound, solidifying an international reputation as one of the leading voices of his generation. 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 20th century classical and world music, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.
With his groups The Ben Allison Band, Think Free, The Easy Way Trio, Peace Pipe, and Medicine Wheel, Ben has toured extensively throughout the world, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.
Recent performance highlights include Carnegie Hall (New York City), Teatro Manzoni (Milan, Italy), Thatro Roberto Cantoral (Mexico City, Mexico), Central Park’s SummerStage (New York, NY), Auditório Ibirapuera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), The Capitol Theater (Salt Lake City, NV), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, CA) and Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, England).
In 2005, 2008 and 2013, Ben was a featured composer, arranger and performer with Jazz Sinfonica, an 80-piece orchestra based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The orchestra performed Ben’s compositions Little Things Run the World, Riding the Nuclear Tiger, Roll Credits, Green Al, and others from his various albums. Ben performed his Carnegie Hall debut as a leader in February 2012. A multi-part short documentary of Ben preparing for the concert was filmed.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed and collaborated with an extremely diverse range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano, Cambodian chapei master Kong Nay, legendary performance artist Joey Arias, tap dancers Jimmy Slide and Gregory Hines and US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. He has appeared on over 50 albums by various artists and has written music for film, television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listenership of over 2,000,000 people), the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies and the theme for The Conversation, a webcast talk show hosted by Pharrell Williams.
RECORDINGS
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 13 albums — Quiet Revolution (2018, Sonic Camera Records), Layers of the City (2017, Sonic Camera Records), The Stars Look Very Different Today (2013, Sonic Camera Records) and 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) on Palmetto Records — all of which showcase Ben’s forward-thinking vision as a bassist, composer, arranger, producer, and mixing engineer, as well as his hands-on approach to his craft.
7 of Ben’s albums have reached #1 on the CMJ national jazz radio charts, often remaining in the top 10 for many weeks, garnering him 8 SESAC National Performance Awards. His album Action-Refraction was named one of the Best Albums of 2011 (of any genre) by NPR and Time Out New York. His albums have consistently 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), Jazzit (Italy) and Jazz Review (UK), among many others.
ADVOCATE / AUTHOR / NON-PROFIT ARTS LEADERSHIP
Over the past two decades, Ben has solidified his reputation as a strong voice for artist empowerment and musician’s rights. 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 has served as a panelist and featured speaker at conferences led by the International Association of Jazz Educators, Chamber Music America, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, JazzTimes, the Doris Duke Foundation, the NY State Arts Presenters, the JazzConnect conference, and the Jazz Composers Collective (see below).
Ben served two terms as President of the Board of the New York chapter of the Recording Academy, and currently chairs the Advocacy Committee. He has also served two terms as Vice President and acted as an alternate National Trustee. He has met with state and federal Senators and Representatives on subjects ranging from intellectual property rights, to technology and arts funding. In June 2012, Ben testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in support of performing rights. His testimony was reported on by the BBC (here), Billboard (here, and here), Bloomberg and the New York Times (here) among many other national and international news outlets. In 2015, Ben organized and moderated the first ever Grammy Town Hall in NYC, which featured an expert panel and keynote address by legendary producer Tony Visconti. He has appeared on radio programs produced by WBGO and WNYC where he has discussed issues relating to music piracy and intellectual property rights and is an active member of the NY state coalition NY is Music.
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. As the Artistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence of the Collective, Ben produced or co-produced over 100 concerts and special events, including the Collective’s annual concert series (which ran for eleven seasons), national and international tours by Collective artists, an on-going Collective residency at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, NYC), and, in partnership with the United States Embassy, a series of concerts and educational activities in Sao Paulo and Campinas, Brazil. From 2001-2005 Ben organized an annual “Jazz Composers Collective Festival” at the Jazz Standard — which drew international attention as “..a mainstay of New York City’s cultural life” (New Yorker Magazine).
As an author, Ben has contributed music-related articles to magazines such as Downbeat, JazzTimes, Bass Player, Premiere Guitar, Bass World, Double Bassist and thetalkhouse.com. He co-wrote (with pianist Frank Kimbrough) the liner notes for the CD Herbie Nichols: The Complete Blue Note Recordings.
AWARDS / CITATIONS
In 2005, Ben received the Bird Award, Holland’s highest honor for jazz musicians. Previous recipients have included Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Pat Metheny, Stefano Bollani, Ray Brown, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Misha Mengelberg, and Han Bennick.
Ben has been cited in the Downbeat Critics Poll “Bassist” category (2010-2016), “Composer” category (2010-2018) and won the “Rising Star Bassist” category in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He’s also been cited in the “Rising Star Album,” “Rising Star Acoustic Group,” “Rising Star Arranger,” and “Rising Star Jazz Artist,” categories 2003-2015 as well as the “Bassist” category of the 2005-2014 Downbeat Readers Poll.
He has 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, The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum, among others.
EDUCATOR
Ben is currently on the faculty of the college of Contemporary & Performing Arts at New School University, where he teaches music business, entrepreneurship, and music production & technology. He has taught classes and led ensembles on subjects ranging from the music of Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Herbie Nichols and R&B to advanced concepts of improvisation and composition, as well as individual instruction bass performance and composition. In 2015, Ben began teaching a course of his own creation entitled Entrepreneurship in Music, a project-based class where students work collaboratively to create virtual companies, learn basic business practices and start to envision their professional careers in the music. From 2011-2015, Ben was a visiting artist and ensemble instructor at New York University’s Summer Jazz Workshop and has conducted clinics and residencies at over 100 universities and conservatories throughout the United States, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, the UK, Portugal, Denmark and Mexico. From 2009-2010 Ben was a Teaching Artist at the Weill Music Center at Carnegie Hall.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-cardenas-mn0000036384
Artist Biography by David R. Adler
Guitarist Steve Cardenas is following in the footsteps of contemporary stylists such as John Scofield and Pat Metheny. His warm, lyrical sound and frequently edgy improvisations put him in league with young, rock-influenced jazz players like Pete McCann and Ben Monder.
Originally from Kansas City, Cardenas is currently a busy sideman and leader in New York. He has performed and/or recorded with Steve Million, Maria Muldaur, Mark Isham, Paul McCandless, Jeff Beal, and pop/rock singer Tracy Bonham. He's also made a mark with several notable two-guitar ensembles, teaming up with Kurt Rosenwinkel in Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band as well as the live incarnation of Marc Johnson's Sound of Summer Running band, and with Brad Shepik in drummer Joey Baron's quartet Killer Joey.
Cardenas has also worked as a music educator at the New School in New York, Musician's Institute in Hollywood, Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camps, and the University of Missouri.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ted-nash-mn0001309085/biography
Taking after his father and uncle, Ted Nash has continued the family tradition as a jazz saxophonist.
Artist Biography by Alex Henderson
Not to be confused with the swing-playing uncle he was named after, the younger Ted Nash is a tenor and alto saxophonist who has played a lot of hard bop and post-bop but has also been comfortable in some more experimental avant-garde situations. Nash grew up in Los Angeles, where he was first exposed to jazz as a child thanks to his abovementioned uncle (a jazz reedman/studio player who was known for his associations with Les Brown in the 1940s and Henry Mancini in the 1960s) and his father, trombonist Dick Nash. Nash started playing piano at the age of seven before learning the clarinet at 12 and the alto sax at 13. As a high-school student, he studied jazz improvisation with vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake and got his first real break when, at 16, he was hired by Lionel Hampton for a one-week gig in Hawaii. By the time he reached 17, Nash had played lead alto for Quincy Jones' band and was performing regularly with the bands of Louie Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Don Ellis. After turning 18 in 1978, Nash recorded his first date as a leader, Conception, for Concord Jazz and made a permanent move to New York (where he soon became a member of the Gerry Mulligan Big Band). The saxman remained busy in the 1980s, when he was featured as a sideman on albums by Shoemake and Shelly Manne before joining the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and working as a both a soloist and arranger for that unit. The 1990s found him leading his own quartet and working as a sideman for Louie Bellson, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, and bassist Ben Allison. It was Allison who hired Nash for the Herbie Nichols Project, a band dedicated to interpreting the music of the great but underexposed bop pianist Herbie Nichols. In the 1990s, Nash recorded as a leader for Mapleshade and the French Elabeth label. After the turn of the millennium he has recorded as both a leader and sideman for Palmetto.
