Ben Markley - Pianist, Composer/Arranger, Educator

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Ben

Clockwise the Music of Cedar Walton - Jazz Week Radio Charts and New Review 

Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton has been in the top 50 for radio play for the last 3 weeks. This week(week of March 20) it climbed 16 spots to #23. http://www.jazzweek.com/charts/

The album was also reviewed by the Brazilian website Na Mira do Groove. http://namiradogroove.com.br/blog/jazz/10-discos-jazz-fevereiro-2017

The Ben Markley Big Band featuring Terell Stafford will perform at the UW Jazz Festival on Friday, March 24 and Dazzle Jazz on Saturday, March 25 (sets at 7pm and 9pm).

Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton - Release Countdown Day 1 RELEASE DAY, Trumpet Section: Terell Stafford 

RELEASE DAY! CLOCKWISE: THE MUSIC OF CEDAR WALTON NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE!

Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Terell is one of the busiest people in the business. He leads his own quintet and works regularly with the: Clayton Brothers, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Watson and Horizon, Dizzy Gillespie All Stars, Arts & Crafts,Tim Warfield Group, Dana Hall Group, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Trumpet Summit featuring Jon Faddis and Sean Jones, and Jimmy Heath Big Band. He is the Director of Jazz Studies, Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University and is the Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia. 

I first worked Terell three years ago working in Josh Quinlan's band. We played a series of gigs in Wyoming and Colorado. The next year we did some more gigs and also did a live recording. Things have continued from there. The day after we played our first gig together, I drove him from Laramie to Denver. It was during that car ride that I asked him about all the world class pianists he had played with. McCoy, Mulgrew, Cedar etc. It was a conversation I will never forget. He was so willing to talk about his experiences with each of them. Although we had only played once together, I knew I needed play and hang with him as much as I could. Mentorship is not the same as it used to be in jazz. Terell is someone who still does it (with me and many others).

When I started to assemble the personnel together for this project, I wanted to feature a guest artist who had ties to Cedar. Terell has worked with Cedar Walton in different groups including the Trumpet Summit Band. When I called Terell to do this recording I asked him if he would like to to solo on a few tracks. He asked about the dates and told me he was good for the whole thing AND he would play in the section too! For me, that set the vibe of the whole session. Terell was just one of the guys when we did the rehearsal, gig, and session. A genuinely good human being and world class musician.

Terell solos on Cedar's Blues, Hindsight, Black, and Holy Land on Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton and they are all out of sight! It was an honor and joy to have him part of this project.

This project was two years in the making there are so many people who helped it succeed. Thank you: Abby Markley Wyoming Arts Council, Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wil Swindler, Terell Stafford, Colin Bricker, Theresa Bogard, Trish Schumacher, Michael Peterson, Martha Sammaciccia, Adam MacBlane, St. Louis Music, P. Mauriat, John Bishop, and the band!



 

Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton - Release Countdown Day 2, Trumpet Section: John Lake 

John Lake was a finalist for the 2011 Carmine Caruso Competition. He holds degrees from University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music and the University of Colorado. He works frequently as both a jazz and lead player. Since moving to New York, he has worked with groups like the David Berger Jazz Orchestra, The Stan Rubin Orchestra, and Charlie Rosen’s Broadway Big Band. In the world of musical theater, he has recently backed such luminaries as Jon Lithgow, Marin Mazzie, Kristin Chenoweth, and David Hyde Pierce.
 
John is an outstanding composer and arranger. He leads the John Lake Ensemble which is a modern hard-bop septet that features his arrangements of standards as well as his compositions. His compositions and arrangements have been featured by the ensembles of New York University, Ithaca College, and The University of Colorado at Boulder. John also leads an experimental jazz-rock collective called Shirley. This group has recorded two albums - From a Bright Clearing and Different-Sized Cages.

I met John while we were attending school at the University of Colorado. We quickly became friends and started hanging and playing a lot. I love talking music with John. He is a very thoughtful person who enjoys as a very eclectic perspective on music and life. While I was sad to see him leave Colorado, I was happy he was moving to NYC. He is a fantastic trumpet player and has quickly established himself in many circles in NYC (not an easy task!). John plays one of my favorite solos on the album on the tune Clockwise. Check him out!
 

https://johnlakejazz.com/home


Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton available everywhere February 17.





Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton - Release Countdown Day 3, Trumpet Section: Greg Gisbert 

Greg Gisbert is yet another world class musician in the trumpet section for Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton. His resume reads like a dream. Greg attended Berklee College of Music for a year before being offered a spot in Buddy Rich's band. After playing with Rich from 1985-1986, we went on to work with Woody Herman's Big band under Frank Tiberi's direction (1987 - 1989), John Fedchock and Maria Schneider, Gary Burton (1989), Lew Anderson (1989) and Toshiko Akiyoshi (1989 and subsequently). In the 1990's, he played with Mingus Epitaph (1990 - 1992), Frank Wess, Clark Terry, Mickey Tucker and Buck Clayton (1991), Danny D'Imperio (1991) Norman Simmons (1992), John Hicks (1992). More recent recordings and performances include Roy Hargrove, Maria Schneider, and Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis. Greg has three albums as a leader on the Criss Cross label. 

Greg is someone who is equally adept as a lead player and improviser. His impressive discography a reflects this. It was a stroke of good luck for me (and all musicians) to have Greg living in Denver when I moved to town. I tried to hear him as much as I could. I have a lot of fond memories of watching him play at Herbs with Pat Bianchi. Greg is also a great mentor. He hired me to play a weekly session that he hosted at El Chapultepec Too. I learned so much playing with him. He was patient, instructive, and always willing to play and to teach. Greg was also kind enough to play on one my small group recordings Second Introduction OA2 Records. On Clockwise, Greg plays two stunning solos on Fiesta Español and Black (which has some incredible trading with Terell Stafford). 
 

http://www.trumpetplayersdirectory.com/greggisberttrumpet.html



Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton - Release Countdown Day 4, Trumpet Section: Peter Olstad 

When I take a moment to think about the careers of the members in the trumpet section for this recording, I'm floored. It all starts with world-class lead trumpet player Peter Olstad. Peter went to school at Berklee and finished up at the University of Northern Colorado. In 1981 he joined Buddy Rich's band and spent most of the decade touring with Buddy Morrow and the Tommy Dorsey band, Glenn Miller for a brief tour of Japan, and the Russ Morgan Band under the direction of Jack Morgan. In the late 80s he was part of the trumpet section that toured for Maynard Ferguson's 60th birthday. The other section members included Wayne Bergeron and Roger Ingram (WOW!). From there Maynard asked Peter to join his Big-Bop Noveau band - a gig that lasted two and half years. Peter has also worked for extended periods with Tom Jones and Latin pop star Luis Miguel. 

I first got to play with Peter at Ace Gillett's in Fort Collins. While the playing was great, I vividly remember talking with him on the breaks. He was incredibly humble and open to talking about his life in music. Each year there are fewer musicians who actually make their living solely from playing. Peter has been doing it his whole life (a testament to his excellent playing!). Shortly after we played at Ace, Peter called me for a gig. I learned about this great sense of humor on this gig. After the first set, he came up to the band and in complete deadpan says "Uh, hey guys, I've been getting some complaints about your playing." - and then walked away! He let things sit for a few minutes, and finally I caught a glimpse of a smirk. We all had a healthy laugh. It's an honor to play with Pete and I am very grateful he played on the record. While writing these charts, it was very comforting knowing a world-class lead player would be playing. Some highlights of his playing on the record are Cedar's Blues, Fiesta Español and Bolivia. 

http://www.trumpetplayersdirectory.com/trumpetplayerpeterolstad.html 

Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton available everywhere Friday, February 17.


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Dazzle @ Bauers, 1512 Curtis St., Denver

Wil Swindler – alto/soprano saxophones Peter Sommer – tenor saxophone April Johannesen – bass clarinet Tom Myer – flute/alto flute Dawn Kramer – trumpet/flugelhorn Gabe Mervine – trumpet/flugelhorn Darren Kramer – trombone Susan McCullough – horn Ben Markley – piano Matt Smiley – bass Dru Heller – drums