A MUSICIAN IN THE NEW YORK CITY AREA FOR OVER 30 YEARS, BEN MONDER HAS PERFORMED WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF ARTISTS, INCLUDING JACK MCDUFF, MARC JOHNSON, LEE KONITZ, BILLY CHILDS, ANDREW CYRILLE, GEORGE GARZONE, PAUL MOTIAN, MARIA SCHNEIDER, LOUIS COLE, MARSHALL CRENSHAW AND JANDEK. HE ALSO CONTRIBUTED GUITAR PARTS TO THE LAST DAVID BOWIE ALBUM, “BLACKSTAR”. BEN CONDUCTS CLINICS AND WORKSHOPS AROUND THE WORLD, AND HAS SERVED ON THE FACULTIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY AND THE NEW SCHOOL. HE WAS THE RECIPIENT OF A DORIS DUKE IMPACT AWARD IN 2014, AND A SHIFTING FOUNDATION GRANT IN 2013. BEN CONTINUES TO PERFORM ORIGINAL MUSIC INTERNATIONALLY IN SOLO AND TRIO SETTINGS, AND IN A LONG STANDING DUO PROJECT WITH VOCALIST THEO BLECKMANN. HE HAS APPEARED ON OVER 200 CDS AS A SIDEMAN, AND HAS RELEASED 7 AS A LEADER: DAY AFTER DAY (SUNNYSIDE, 2019) AMORPHAE (ECM, 2015), HYDRA (SUNNYSIDE, 2013), OCEANA (SUNNYSIDE, 2005), EXCAVATION (ARABESQUE, 2000), DUST (ARABESQUE, 1997), AND FLUX (SONGLINES,1995).
HAILED BY DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE FOR HIS “ADROIT LYRICISM AND GIFT FOR COMPLEX, IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITION,” TAYLOR HASKINS IS A MUSICAL ARTIST WHO HAS DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS A LEADER OF GROUNDBREAKING ENSEMBLES AS WELL AS A VENTURESOME COMPOSER AND PRODUCER OF SOUNDTRACKS FOR FILM AND TELEVISION. EARLY IN HIS CAREER TAYLOR WAS MENTORED BY THE GREAT CLARK TERRY, TOURED BRIEFLY WITH TRUMPET HERO MAYNARD FERGUSON, AND IN 2005 HE WON A GRAMMY™ AWARD PLAYING LEAD TRUMPET WITH ONE OF HIS EARLIEST MUSICAL INSPIRATIONS, BASSIST DAVE HOLLAND (ON OVERTIME IN 2005). TAYLOR HAS ALSO PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN WILCO GUITARIST NELS CLINE’S LOVERS ORCHESTRA, THE GRAMMY-NOMINATED ALAN FERBER ORCHESTRA, THE MICHAEL LEONHART ORCHESTRA, AND MANY OTHERS. HE INSPIRED INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES FOR YEARS WHILE TOURING THE GLOBE EXTENSIVELY WITH THE DYNAMIC RICHARD BONA GROUP, AND HAS BEEN A MEMBER GUILLERMO KLEIN’S LOS GUACHOS FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
BEN AND TAYLOR HAVE PLAYED MUSIC TOGETHER IN VARIOUS SETTINGS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. WITH MANY OVERLAPPING INTERESTS, THEY SHARE A DEEP MUSICAL CONNECTION. FOR THIS EVENT THEY WILL A CREATE SINGULAR, UNIQUE LISTENING EXPERIENCE BY IMPROVISING THE ENTIRE CONCERT ‘FROM SCRATCH’.
