Ben Allison

The Profile

Ben Allison is an American jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader known for innovative ensembles and melodic writing. He co-founded New York’s Jazz Composers Collective and has led projects such as Medicine Wheel, releasing acclaimed albums from the 1990s onward.

Founder of the Jazz Composers Collective; American jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader; active since the 1990s; has collaborated with musicians including Steve Cardenas, Ron Horton, Michael Sarin, Ted Nash, Frank Kimbrough, and Michael Blake; noted for blending jazz with global influences such as the kora.

Two reviews spotlight Ben Allison’s adventurous jazz. Peace Pipe is praised for its borderless blend of jazz and African kora. Cowboy Justice is lauded for a dry, hard-edged sound and unusual quartet lineup. The writings note Allison’s distinctive bass approach and his role in the Jazz Composers Collective. Overall tone: highly appreciative of his innovative, genre-blurring work.