Ben Allison is a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene, [and] has emerged as a rising star over the past decade” (JazzTimes). Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe, Ben has released eight albums of original music all of which showcase Ben’s forward-thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft.
Cited in the “Best Bassist” category of the 2007, 2006 and 2005 Downbeat Readers’ Poll, Ben’s work has not gone unnoticed by the press. Since 2003 Ben has been routinely listed in the Downbeat Critics Poll in an extremely wide variety of categories including “Bassist,” “Composer,” “Rising Star Bassist,” (ranking #1 in 2005, 2006 and 2007), “Rising Star Album,” “Rising Star Acoustic Group,” “Rising Star Arranger,” and “Rising Star Jazz Artist,” all of which is a testament to his dedication as a musician.
Born in 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed the world over with musicians ranging from oudist Ara Dinkjian to saxophonist Lee Konitz to legendary performance artist Joey Arias. He has appeared on over 40 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 listenership of over 1,000,000 people per week) and the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies. He was a featured artist with the Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra of Sao Paulo in 2005 and 2008