Ben Williams

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Review:

This is the thirty eight in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.

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Ben Williams is considered one of the top young acoustic bassists in jazz of the past decade.

He began playing bass when he was ten, earning a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at Juilliard and winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition in 2009.

Williams has since worked with Pat Metheny’s Unity Band, recorded with Stefon Harris and Steve Wilson and led three CDs of his own.

On this solo concert from May 19, 2020, Williams begins with a rhythmic piece that holds together quite well, building his improvisation off of the opening phrase.

For the second number he uses a quiet electronic pattern, sings a bit with his bass, and then takes an outstanding solo while the third and final original is a ballad in which he sings and interacts with his bass.

It is an impressive outing for the young bassist.

– Scott Yanow