Season 5 Episode 10 Ben Wolfe

All That's Jazz

The style of the undeniably talented bassist and composer, Ben Wolfe, is truly unique.

His approach to music and performance has led to a path of development and success that can be attributed to collaborations with the likes of Harry Connick JR, Diana Krall and Wynton Marsalis. Ben also distinguished himself through a significant catalogue of original music, including well over a hundred songs across ten albums as a leader.

With his 11th release titled “The Understated”, Ben presents a collection of new original compositions paired with the re-imaginings of some of his classic material. This album, with a particular emphasis on the ballad song-form, is a reflection of his philosophy that music is all about the sound of the band as ensemble players.

In this episode, our conversation explores Ben’s musical journey, from a serendipitous experience of becoming a member of his school band playing tuba and trombone, to being a current faculty member at The Juilliard School of Music, an award-winning composer and critically acclaimed musician.