Bassist/composer Ben Allison is one of a few band leaders
working in jazz today who has developed his own instantly
identifiable 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, and
seamlessly blends 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.
Ben’s album Think Free, 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 2009. His previous five albums, achieved similar radio success,
garnering him 6 SESAC National Performance Awards, and 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.
At the age of twenty-five, Ben formed the Jazz Composers Collective — a musician-run, non-profit organization based
in New York City that is dedicated to constructing an environment where artists can 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 Jazz Composers Collective, Ben has 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 an annual “Jazz Composers Collective
Festival” at the Jazz Standard — which has drawn international attention as a mainstay of New York City’s musical
life. As a member of the Collective Ben 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,
Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum.
