Ben Powell
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Music
Press
“Ben Powell is an extraordinary young jazz violinist who has grown by
leaps and bounds over the last few years into one of the finest jazz
violinists in the world. He has absorbed much of the sound and approach
of the great Stephane Grappelli and combined it with his own deep
musicianship and contemporary attitude to produce jazz violin playing
that is both technically scintillating and musically gratifying.”
Matt Glaser
String Department Chair
Berklee College of Music
- Matt Glaser, String Dept Chair, Berklee College of Music
“Following in the footsteps of the great Stephane Grapppelli, Ben Powell has developed a very personal inspired voice on the violin. His ideas flow freely with expression in every kind of music he’s exploring….. It has been a pleasure working with him over the last few years and I look forward to hearing him more in the future. Bravo.”
Joe Lovano
Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance
Berklee College of Music
- Joe Lovano, Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance, Berklee College of Music
“Ben, you’ve got it, you’ve got the touch, this little….”je ne sais quoi”. Man, you are up there with the very good ones.”
Gilles Apap
- Gilles Apap
Sept 10, 2009
With a lovely tone, sophisticated lyricism, and a wonderful sense of swing on classics like “Opportunity,” “Tournesol”, “I Won’t Dance” and the original “Light” from his CD of the same name, Ben Powell plays swing through modern ears, relishishing the genre he “self-discovered” after solid training in classical violin. Enlisting a solid rhythm section – veteran bassist Bruno Raberg, fellow Berklee alumnus Cedric Hanriot on piano, and drummer Devin Drobka, Powell has put his considerable technique to work in his improvisations on uptempo tunes and in ballads like “Andre.” Powell chose his sidemen wisely for the Tanglewood date. Raberg, an experienced hand in laying down a walk, a pocket, or a groove, rounded and underscored the sound, building a smart solo around the melody line of “I Won’t Dance.” Adding spice and snap with Rhodes and polyrhythms on acoustic piano, and swagger to a more conventional conception of jazz violin, Cedric Hanriot enhanced the group’s sound, with Drobka’s tasteful rhythmic underpinnings. Powell’s set was very satisfying listening, and it will be interesting to hear how his music develops.
by Roanna Forman - Jazz.com
This assured debut recording, producing a number of dates last year with two different line-ups, blends standards from the American songbook with music by leading contemporary jazz violinist Florin Niculescu and, inevitably, Stephane Grappelli. It is immediately clear that Powell has a firm grasp of the Grappelli idiom, and of the post-bop jazz language more generally. His nifty improvisations swing well and fluently, while in the two grappelli numbers, Tournesol and Light, a more languid, rubato-tinged style, reminiscent of European salon music, holds sway. His soupy, jazz ballad version of Danny Boy might be a little hard to swallow for those accustomed to more plaintive interpretations, although it is done with conviction and a variety of decoration. Elsewhere, his penchant for scooped and bent notes sits more easily and is effected naturally, adding to the impression of a man at ease with both instrument and music. This is a fine album and promises much to come from Powell in the future, especially if he moves beyond the standards and records his own music.
– The Strad Magazine - Strad Magazine
Discography
Debut CD "Light"
Photos
Bio
Following in the footsteps of the great Stephane Grappelli, Ben Powell has developed a very personal inspired voice on the violin. His ideas flow freely with expression in every kind of music hes exploring .. It has been a pleasure working with him over the last few years and I look forward to hearing him more in the future. Bravo.- Joe Lovano
The past year has been an exciting one for 22 year old Ben Powell. It has seen the release of his debut record Light to national critical acclaim, resulting in performances at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and on National Public Radio, among many others. Ben also graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Jazz Composition. The national spotlight has allowed many more listeners to become accustomed to Powell, a Cheltenham, England native.
Born into a musical family, Ben eagerly started the violin at the age of two. Talent eminent from a very young age resulted in an invitation to solo at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan as part of an International Suzuki celebration. Ben not only developed a strong interest in jazz early on, but also the versatility to be able to play swinging improvisations. As a young teenager, he was introduced to Stephane Grappellis music. I had solid oral training on the violin for six or seven years, so I was open to jazz and improvising. I was able to relate to Stephanes playing quite quickly. My classical training gave me the technique in order to express myself in jazz and improvisation. In jazz, whatever I feel comes out. I do not have to change my sound or technical approach at all.
From his 2001 invitation to masterclass with jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker as part of the Cheltenham International Jazz festival, Ben has since shared the stage with greats such as Herbie Hancock, Steve Gadd, Gary Burton, Joe Lovano, Gloria Estefan, Paul Simon, Abe Laboriel, Stevie Winwood and Philip Bailey. A brilliant young violinist, Ben Powells recent debut CD Light shows what a creative, mature and swinging jazz violinist he has become.
Light showcases the Ben Powell quartet, including world-class musicians pianist Cedric Hanriot, bassist Aaron Darrell and drummer Devin Drobka, With the addition of vibraphonist Richard Greenblatt, guitarist Jon Sosin and bassist Dave Hollender, Light showcases Bens beautiful tone and prowess on the violin. Among the many highlights are a swinging How High The Moon, an emotional Danny Boy which really puts the spotlight on his beautiful tone, the bop standard Half Nelson, plus two songs apiece by Stephane Grappelli and Florin Niculescu. Im a big believer in getting a beautiful sound, good intonation and clear articulation. There is no excuse for sacrificing the essential components to good violin playing just because one plays jazz.
Ben is currently working on a new project in addition to performing the repertoire from Light. I have taken a handful of beautiful songs and tunes from the French Jazz repertoire between the years 1930-50. The challenge is to reinterpret this music in the contemporary setting using my Organ Trio and Quartet. Powell recently performed much of this repertoire at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival to high acclaim With a lovely tone, sophisticated lyricism, and a wonderful sense of swing on classics like Opportunity, Tournesol, I Wont Dance and Light, from his CD of the same name, Ben Powell plays swing through modern ears, relishing the genre he self-discovered after solid training in classical violin. (jazz.com)
Recent performances have seen Ben at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, with Dr. Magpie, an acoustic string sextet he founded while at Berklee. Notably, The BPQ looks forward to performing at the 2009 NPR Toast of the Nation annual concert, held at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. The BPQ wll perform alongside multi-reed instrumentalist Anat Cohen and her band.
An utterly unique performer, Bens musicianship, technical brilliance, mature, intuitive style and delivery inevitably brings audiences to their feet. The violinist-composer-bandleader is a significant new voice in the jazz world and stands in the midst of a select few jazz stars of the future.
For more information, please visit - www.ben-powell.com
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