Ben markley biography

BenBen Markley is a pianist, composer, arranger, author, educator, and leader of the Ben Markley Big Band, a daring ensemble known for their creative takes.
BEN MARKLEY is an associate professor and the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wyoming.
Ben Markley is an associate professor and the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wyoming.

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Author: Ben Markley

Cedar: The Life and Music of Cedar Walton

— Vol. 18: of North Texas Lives of Musicians Series

Published: May, 2023 Pages: 400 Features: 55 b&w illus. Notes. Bib. Index.

Grammy Award–winning pianist, bandleader, and composer Cedar Walton (1934–2013) is a major figure in jazz, associated with a variety of styles from bebop to funk and famous for composing several standards. Born and raised in Dallas, Walton studied music in Denver, where he jammed with musicians such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. In 1955, Walton moved to New York, immediately gaining recognition from notable musicians and nightclub proprietors. When Walton returned to the U.S. after serving abroad in the Army, he joined Benny Golson and Art Farmer’s Jazztet. Later, he became both pianist and arranger for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Next, he worked as part of Prestige Records’s house rhythm section, recording with numerous greats and releasing his own albums.

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BenBen Markley is a pianist, composer, arranger, author, educator, and leader of the Ben Markley Big Band, a daring ensemble known for their creative takes on beloved modern and contemporary jazz classics. Fresh off the heels of Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton, Markley tackles his most ambitious project yet: Ari’s Funhouse, a big band album featuring the music of drummer Ari Hoenig, with Hoenig himself in the drum chair. The album received great critical acclaim and was selected as one of the best 4 star rated albums of 2022 by DownBeat magazine.

Markley is active as a composer and arranger with many big band and vocal jazz charts published through UNC Jazz Press as well as his own website. Recent arranging commissions include the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Wyoming Jazz Educators All-State Jazz Band.

In 2023 Markley published Cedar. The Life and Music of Cedar Walton (University of North Texas Press). Markley conducted more than seventy-five interviews with friends and family members, musicians who played with or were otherwise i

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Ben Markley – Tell The Truth

Ben Markley stands among those rare composers who have mastered both the art of orchestral composition and the subtle craft of arrangement. From the very first track—bearing the album’s title—the tone is unmistakably set. Markley’s works possess a cinematic and novelistic quality, evoking the shadowed alleyways and brooding atmospheres of 1950s film noir. One can almost imagine Bogart emerging from a street corner, his silhouette cutting through the mist, without the slightest hint of surprise.

In Markley’s musical writing, echoes of the past intertwine with a refined sense of melody, storytelling, and phrasing. Each piece unfolds as if guided by the hand of a masterful director. Over the years, Markley has performed alongside luminaries such as Greg Osby, Eddie Henderson, Terell Stafford, George Garzone, and John Fedchock. As an active composer and arranger, his big band and vocal jazz scores have been published by UNC Jazz Press. His first two albums garnered ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Awards, and he was selected to participate in the prestigious