Ben grew up in Miami in the 1970s, a cauldron of Latin jazz and Caribbean fusion. He moved to New York in 1990, shelving his metal mouthpiece and plastic reed to pursue post-bop, spiritual, and free jazz. At Cornell University under the direction of John LaBarbera and Karlton Hester, he performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Donald Byrd, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Victor Goines, Cecil Taylor, and Jaki Byard. He spent fifteen years studying with renowned educator and multi-instrumentalist Tim Price. Ben has written extensively about jazz, music education, and the arts. His work has been featured in Jazziz Magazine, NPR, The Bookpress, Orlando Weekly, and Create Magazine.
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