Exciting debut album of honest, straight-ahead jazz. a "live" recording featuring high energy swing, soulful ballads, hip-arrangements and great players.

9 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Mainstream Jazz, JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo



Details:
Ben Jansson is quickly becoming a highly sought after tenor saxophonist on the national and international jazz scene. As well as playing in numerous jazz festivals nationally and internationally such as, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague, Holland and the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival Ben has played gigs opening up for the Count Basie Orchestra, Eartha Kitt, Dave Brubeck and Ray Charles. Recently, Ben has played with vocal greats Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle and in September 2006 was a featured soloist for jazz great Diane Schuur along with the Wayne State University bigband at the Detroit International Jazz Festival. As a leader, the Ben Jansson Quintet recently recorded its first album at the Firefly Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Dec. 2006). The CD, Featuring New York guitarist Randy Napoleon, Piano great Rick Roe, bassist Paul keller, and drummer Pete Siers will be released in the spring (2007) on the PKO label. Ben's playing is Straight-ahead, a mix of fiery bebop and hard driving swing. Ballads and lyrical invention are also among Ben's strengths as a jazz musician. He has recorded several of his own compositions and arrangements and continues to compose and progress as a musician. A sound that is unique and which also recalls his influences and heroes: Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins. Originally, beginning on the Alto saxophone Ben switched over to tenor sax at the age of sixteen while attending Community High School in Ann Arbor, MI and studying with multi-instrumentalist and jazz educator Mike Grace. At this time Ben also began to study with Detroit's legendary saxophonist George Benson and while still in high school Mr. Benson invited Ben to sit in with his quartet at the Botsford Inn Jazz festival in Detroit. In 1996 Ben moved to Toronto, Canada to begin studying exclusively with renowned jazz saxophonist Pat Labarbera at Humber College. While in Toronto Ben played with many of Canada's finest jazz musicians including: Pat Labarbera, Don Thompson, Phil Dwyer, Jake Wilkinson, Josh Brown, Mike Murley, Kevin Turcotte, Alex Dean and Bernie Senensky. In 2003 Ben moved back to the Detroit area and has been steadily moving up in popularity and demand among musicians and audiences who like uncompromising, soulful, swinging music. Besides playing jazz Ben is also in demand in other genres, playing R&B gigs, blues, rock and bringing to it all the skills of a highly proficient musician. Some of the other great musicians in the Detroit area Ben is currently playing with are: Paul Keller, Pete Siers, Johnny Trudell, Rob Smith, Vincent Chandler, James Dapogny, Rick Roe, and Rodney Whitaker. Ben continues to impress audiences and musicians alike wherever he plays, bringing a warm, boisterous sound, lyrical flowing ideas and fluent technique to the forefront. Whether he is backing up a fabulous singer, a sideman on a big band gig or leading his own projects this immerging young saxophonist will surely be something you don't want to miss!