ben williams

In the beginning there was jazz. A deviation from the conservative pathway of European musical tropes, jazz was America’s original counterculture. Largely defined by the ingenuity of its artist, it found structure in a lack thereof, improvisation its blueprint. With such an inherent flexibility, jazz engaged many a strange bedfellow, …

Hear Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, Poncho Sanchez, Wallace Roney, Gregory Porter and Kenny Barron talk about what it takes to make in the music business.

When trumpeter Christian Scott was growing up in New Orleans in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, his grandfather gave him and his brother Kiel extra reading assignments each week as a supplement to their assigned schoolwork. If the young students failed to finish their books within the week, their …

Aruán Ortiz is a critically acclaimed Cuban pianist, an award-winning composer, and a solid producer and educator, not only on the New York City scene, but internationally as well.  Named “the latest Cuban wunderkind to arrive in the United States” by BET Jazz, this classically trained violist and pianist from …

In a music industry often rife with shameless self promotion and ambitious arrogance, humility is a characteristic that is found in minimal proportions. Contrary to popular thought, humility is not the meek position some may think. It is the quiet strength of the humble that does not step on others …

When bassist Ben Williams played in the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute competition, he performed in front of some of the world’s greatest bass players: Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Dave Holland and Charlie Hayden. The then 25-year-old proved he could handle the pressure, winning the coveted award, and becoming an instant …

  “You have to deal with your art. If you can go to bed at night and be happy with what you are doing, you’re on the right track.” – Ben Williams When the opportunity to play with a jazz legend was given to Ben Williams, he didn’t hesitate. The …