Results for "Ben Allison"

Mondo Jazz Turns 100! Zeno De Rossi, Vincent Courtois, Tim Berne and New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 18, 2020

This week Mondo Jazz turns 100 episodes old. So we open with the uplifting “celebration" by South African pianist Bheki Mseleku before delving into what we like best, unearthing precious gems from around the world. In this segment we feature another great stack of new releases, including the upcoming The Fantastic Mrs. 10 by Tim Berne's ...

Antibalas, Oddjob, Pharoah Sanders, Greg Ward & Other New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 16, 2020

We start 2020 where we left off in 2019, exploring great new releases. In this segment we feature music ranging from the upcoming release of the Afrobeat ambassadors Antibalas, who are turning 20 this year, to a previously unreleased superb 1975 live performance by Pharoah Sanders. In the process we take a look at the vibrant ...

Jim Black, Danilo Gallo, Alabaster DePlume, Jeremy Cunningham & Other New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 14, 2020

In the second part of this week's exploration of new and upcoming release [for the first part click here] we focus, in particular, on the work of drummer Jim Black with his new trio and as a member of the outstanding band Dark Dry Tears led by Italian bassist Danilo Gallo, and on another batch of ...

2020 Winter JazzFest: New Projects and Out-of-Towners - Part II

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 12, 2020

Second part of Mondo Jazz's special edition dedicated to the 2020 Winter JazzFest. In this segment there's a special emphasis to musicians from the French and Italian scene, and yet-to-be released material courtesy of Wayne Horvitz, Jure Pukl and Angela Morris For the first part of this show click here. PlaylistBen Allison ...

2020 Winter JazzFest: New Projects and Out-of-Towners - Part I

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 11, 2020

The 2020 edition of the Winter JazzFest has just begun. This week we feature music by some of the most interesting bands from out of town who will be at the JazzFest, and new or unreleased material that will be on display on the stages of the JazzFest. Of special interest yet-unreleased material by Ted Poor, ...

Lisa Hoppe, Alexandra Grimal, Miles Okazaki, The Comet Is Coming & Other New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 9, 2020

The second part of this week's show focusing on newly released album features, in particular, large ensembles, electronically infused improvised music and the many recent collaborations of the Brazilian transplant in Paris, guitarist Nelson Veras. For the first part of the show click here Happy listening! Ben Allison ...

Ben Allison

Born: November 17, 1966

In a career that spans over 30 years, bassist/composer Ben Allison 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 20th century and a broad range of music from around the world, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.

With his small groups, Ben has toured extensively throughout the world building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.

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, to name a few. 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.

Antoine Berjeaut, Jeff Parker, Rita Marcotulli and More New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 4, 2020

Mondo Jazz's final stash of new releases of 2019 is the perfect way to end a year that has been generous and full of surprises. During this first hour we'll sample the music of many 'bands without borders' as well as tributes to Mose Allison, Dewey Redman and Bernard Herrmann. Happy listening!

A Herbie Nichols' Centennial - Part II

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 1, 2020

The second part of this week's tribute to Herbie Nichols focuses on the work of champions of his music like Roswell Rudd, Misha Mengelberg, Steve Lacy and, again, the Herbie Nichols Project with some never-heard-before live recordings from the vaults of the Jazz Composers Collective. For the first part of this Herbie Nichols special ...

A Herbie Nichols' Centennial - Part I

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 25, 2020

Herbie Nichols was a master of the piano which has inspired generations of musicians after his passing, despite the little commercial success that his albums obtained when first released. 2019 marks the centennial of his birth and to remedy the lack of retrospectives that his work should have, but hasn't received, this year, this ...