Ben, Harish, and Nate are long-time collaborators and friends. They have been together for a while and often find themselves alongside each other in other groups, most notably Kneebody with Shane Endsley, the trumpeter/composer. They have performed together with Chaka Khan and Greg Osby, Vijay Iyer (with Wayne Krantz), Wayne Krantz, Daedelus. Despite all the outside opportunities, Ben Harish, Nate and Harish feel a strong pull to perform and record together as this compelling trio. Wendel explains, “we’ve always had a great time as a trio and this group has always felt like the no pressure/just-for-the-fun-of-it project. We always hoped to document the group in the future after we had recorded our first album many years ago. It’s amazing to come back to this band and see how things have changed over time.” With the release ACT II, the trio has moved to the top of the list as one of most exciting bands in the world. Ben Wendel: Grammy-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel was born in Vancouver and raised in Los Angeles. He currently lives in Brooklyn. His varied career includes roles as a performer and composer, producer, conductor, and conductor. Many international and domestic tours have been highlights, including with Tigran Hamasyan and Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland and Taylor Eigsti. Ben is the founder of Kneebody, a Grammy-nominated band currently signed to Concord Records. He has been awarded an ASCAP Jazz Composer Award and the 2008 and 2011 Chamber Music America “New Works Grant”, and was most recently presented with the Victor Lynch-Staunton Award by The Canada Council For The Arts. He co-wrote the music for John Krasinski’s 2009 adaptation of David Foster Wallace’s “Brief Interviews With Hideous Men”. Ben was also honored to collaborate with Kent Nagano on a series concert series for the Festspiel Plus in Munich. He has been producing a series of multi-genre performances at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica since 2008. He was recently appointed head of the Jazz and Blues initiative. This will allow for more opportunities to perform these genres in Los Angeles. Ben was part of the creation of an artistic council that included luminaries such as Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert. Recent producer work by Ben includes the Grammy-nominated album Life Forum for pianist Gerald Clayton, Concord Records. Ben is a Sunnyside Records and Concord Records recording artist. He has two solo albums, Simple Song (2009), and Frame (2012). A duo project with Dan Tepfer, a French-American pianist, Small Constructions (2013), and numerous Kneebody albums, Ben is also a Sunnyside Records and Concord Records recording artist. 2015 will see the release of a third solo album. Ben is currently an Adjunct Professor at the New School in NYC and was previously Adjunct Professor at USC Jazz Studies. His career has included over 250 masterclasses at different colleges, universities, and high schools, as well as previous work with the LA Philharmonic Artist Program. Ben was honored to conduct a re-creation at Jazz At The Lincoln Center of “Bird With Strings”, with special guests Charles McPherson, and Wes “Warm Daddy” Anderson. Harish Raghavan Harish Rahavan was born in Northbrook, Illinois. He began to study Indian and Western percussion at age 8. At age 17, he switched to double bass. He was offered a double bass scholarship at the University of Southern California. He has become a rising star in his field since moving to New York City. About Nate Wood Grammy nominated Nate Wood is a drummer/multi-instrumentalist and mastering engineer based in New York City. He is the founding member of Grammy-nominated quintet Kneebody. They released their self-titled album on Greenleaf Music, trumpeter Dave Douglas’s label. Low Electrical Worker was released by Kneebody on Colortone Media in 2007. The group also released an album of Charles Ives arrangements with Theo Bleckmann. The recording 12 Songs of Charles Ives was nominated as a Grammy winner for Best Classical Crossover Album. The Line, Kneebody’s new album, was released by Concord Records in 2013. Nate also recorded or performed with many other artists, including Taylor Hawkins and Coattail Riders (Queen), Brian May and Roger Taylor (Queen), Chris Squire(Yes), Chaka Khan and Wayne Krantz, Billy Childs (The Cars), Tigran Hamasyan and Donny McCaslin. Nate was featured by Modern Drummer in March 2014 and was voted among the top five drummers in his section in the 2015 Modern Drummer Magazine readers’ poll. Nate is also a sideman and has released three albums with his own material. He performed, recorded, and mixed all the music himself. His latest album, Another Time, was released in July 2014. Nate is also a master recorder for artists around the globe. Gretsch Drums endorse Nate. from http://bluewhalemusic.com
