Ben Sidran
Ben Hirsh Sidran (born August 14, 1943) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the Steve Miller Band.
Ben Sidran | |
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Birth name | Ben Hirsh Sidran |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | August 14, 1943
Genres | Jazz, rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, label owner |
Instruments | Piano, organ, vocals |
Years active | 1944–present |
Labels | Blue Thumb, Arista, Windham Hill, Go Jazz, Nardis |
Associated acts | Steve Miller Band |
Website | bensidran |
Life and career
Sidran was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1961, where he became a member of The Ardells with Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs.[1] When Miller and Scaggs left Wisconsin for the West Coast, Sidran stayed behind to earn a degree in English literature. After graduating in 1966, he enrolled in the University of Sussex, England, to pursue a PhD. While in England, he was a session musician for Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, and Charlie Watts.
Sidran joined Steve Miller as keyboardist and songwriter on recording projects, appearing on the albums Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, and Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden. He produced Recall the Beginning and co-wrote the hit song "Space Cowboy." In 1988, he produced Miller's jazz album Born 2B Blue. He has also produced albums for Mose Allison Van Morrison Rickie Lee Jones and Diana Ross.[1]
Sidran returned to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1971 and has spent most of his life there. He taught courses at the university (on the business of music) and beginning in 1981 hosted jazz radio programs for NPR (including the Peabody Award-winning Jazz Alive series) and TV programs for VH1 (where his New Visions series in the early 1990s won the Ace Award).[2]
As a musician and a producer he has released over 35 solo recordings. His written works include the book Black Talk (on the sociology of black music in America), the memoir A Life in the Music, published in 2003 and detailing his musical career, </ref> Talking Jazz, a collection of his historic interviews with jazz musicians, There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream, a cultural history of the Jewish contribution to American popular music during the 20th century and a finalist for the 2012 National Jewish Book Award and The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma.
His 24 CD box set Talking Jazz includes an 80-page booklet with essays from writers, critics and musicians, classic photos from Lee Tanner, and 24 compact discs featuring conversations with 60 jazz musicians, recorded during a five-year period for Sidran's award-winning NPR program Sidran on Record. The 24 CDs orchestrated by Sidran document the speaking voice of jazz musicians, including Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and others.
Sidran has been referred to by the Chicago Sun Times as a "Renaissance man cast adrift in a modern world" and by The Times as "the first existential jazz rapper," in reference to his commentary while playing music.
A complete compendium of Sidran's work, live gigs, videos, productions, interviews and writings can be found at www.bensidran.com.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Ben Sidran among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[3]
Discography
Year | Album | Label | |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | Feel Your Groove (with Blue Mitchell) | Capitol ST-825 | |
1971 | I Lead a Life | Blue Thumb BTS-40 | |
1972 | Puttin' in Time on Planet Earth | Blue Thumb BTS-55 | |
1973 | Don't Let Go | Blue Thumb BTS-6012 | |
1975 | Free in America | Arista AL-4081 | |
1977 | The Doctor Is In | Arista AL-4131 | |
1978 | A Little Kiss in the Night | Arista AB-4178 | |
1978 | Live at Montreux (with Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker) | Arista AB-4218 | |
1979 | The Cat and the Hat | Horizon/A&M SP-741 | |
1981 | Old Songs for the New Depression | Baybridge ULS-6086-B; Antilles AN-1004; Go Jazz GO-6049 | |
1982 | Bop City | Baybridge KUX-179-B; Antilles AN-1012; Go Jazz GO-6048 | |
1983 | Get to the Point | Baybridge KUX-186-B | |
1985 | Live at the Elvehjem Art Museum (with Richard Davis) | Cryonic MAD-3018 | |
1985 | On the Cool Side (Heat Wave) | Magneta/Windham Hill MA-0204; Go Jazz GoJ-6009 | |
1986 | On the Live Side (A Good Travel Agent) | Magenta/Windham Hill MA-0206; Go Jazz GoJ-6008 | |
1988 | Too Hot to Touch | Windham Hill WH-0108 | |
1988 | That's Life I Guess (compilation of Arista material) | Bluebird/RCA 6575-2-RB | |
1988 | Spread Your Wings and Fly Now!! (with Clementine) | Little Orange Blue LOB-1001 | |
1989 | Have You Met...Barcelona? | Orange Blue OB-002 | |
1989 | Cool Paradise | Go Jazz GoJ-6001; Bluemoon/Rhino R2-79350 | |
1991 | Go Jazz All-Stars: Live in Japan | Go Jazz GoJ-6007 | |
1993 | Life's a Lesson | Go Jazz GoJ-6013 | |
1996 | Mr. P's Shuffle | Go Jazz GoJ-6019 | |
1997 | Live at the Celebrity Lounge | Go Jazz GO-6025 | |
1998 | The Concert for García Lorca | Go Jazz GO-6033 | |
2001 | Walk Pretty: The Songs of Alec Wilder | Go Jazz GO-6060 | |
2003 | Anthology (compilation) | Go Jazz GO-6066 | |
2003 | Nick's Bump | Go Jazz GO-6057; Nardis/Liquid8 LIQ-12139 | |
2004 | Bumpin' at the Sunside! | Nardis 788925200612 | |
2004 | Sentimental Journey (compilation) | Nardis/Bonsai 041103 | |
2005 | Live à fip | Nardis/Bonsai 051101 | |
2008 | Cien Noches (One Hundred Nights at the Cafe) | Nardis/Bonsai 081101 | |
2009 | Dylan Different | Nardis/Bonsai 091101 | |
2010 | Dylan Different: Live at the New Morning | Nardis/Bonsai 101002 | |
2012 | Don't Cry For No Hipster | Nardis/Bonsai 121101 | |
2014 | Blue Camus | Nardis/Bonsai 141001 | |
2017 | Picture Him Happy | Nardis/Bonsai 170301 | |
2018 | [[Ben There, Done That"] | Sunset Blvd. Records | –
References
External links |