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Jazz bassist
Ben Williams is a forward-thinking musician who crosses easily between straight-ahead, funk, and gospel-influenced jazz. A native of Washington, D.C.,
Williams graduated from the
Duke Ellington School of Music before studying with renowned bassist
Rodney Whitaker while earning a B.A. in jazz studies at Michigan State University. He is an in-demand sideman and has performed with a veritable who's who of jazz, including
Wynton Marsalis,
Roy Hargrove,
Mulgrew Miller,
Terence Blanchard, and others.
Williams is also a regular member of
Stefon Harris' hip-hop-influenced
Blackout ensemble and leads his own group. In 2009
Williams won the prestigious
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and subsequently signed a recording deal with Concord Records. Two years later, he released his debut solo album,
State of Art. In 2015,
Williams delivered his sophomore full-length album,
Coming of Age, which featured a '70s fusion and R&B influence and included guest appearances from trumpeter
Christian Scott and vocalist
Goapele. ~ Matt Collar