Ben Monder (born May 24, 1962) is an American modern jazz guitarist.

Biography

Monder started playing guitar when he was eleven, after two years on violin. From 1979–84, he attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music, the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, and Queens College. One of his early jobs was in 1986 when he performed with Jack McDuff. In 1995 he recorded his debut album, ''Flux'', featuring drummer

Jim Black Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas. He attended Berklee College of Music. Career His band AlasNoAxis includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clari ...

and bassist

Drew Gress Drew Gress (born November 20, 1959) is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the Philadelphia area. Biography Gress studied at Towson State University and Manhattan School of Music. In the late ...

. This was followed by the trio recording

Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...

(1996) and the quartet recording Excavation (2000) which added vocalist

Theo Bleckmann Theodor Raoul Bleckmann (born 28 May 1966) is a German singer and composer. Biography Bleckmann was born in Dortmund, West Germany. He planned to be an ice skater before becoming a vocalist. In 1989 he moved to New York City and recorded his ...

. ''Bloom'', a 2001 recording (an improvisation recorded in a single day) with saxophone player

Bill McHenry Bill McHenry (born 1972) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the leader of the Bill McHenry Quartet and has released over a dozen albums under his own name, in addition to collaborating on many more. Early life McHenry was born i ...

, wasn't released until 2010. In between, he released ''Oceana'' (2005), a genre-bending solo album, and ''The Distance'' (2006), an album with pianist Chris Gestrin and drummer Dylan van der Schyff. In 2007, he recorded ''At Night'' with

and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. In 2013, Monder released ''Hydra'' on Sunnyside, featuring Bleckmann,

John Pattitucci John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer. Biography John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was 12, he bought his first bass and decided on his career. He listened to bass parts in R ...

Skúli Sverrisson Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an Icelandic composer and bass guitarist. He has worked with musicians Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey, Lou Reed, Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Arto Lindsay, and composers Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jóhan ...

, and Ted Poor. He made his debut on ECM Records as a leader with 2016's Amorphae, and played guitar on

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's final studio album, ''

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of '' ...

'' (2016). He has worked with Lee Konitz,

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the ...

Chris Cheek Christopher Carson Cheek (born September 16, 1968) is an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Cheek was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father was the director of a Junior high school band. Cheek began learning to play the alto saxophon ...

Tim Berne Tim Berne (born October 16, 1954) is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones. Biography Berne was born in Syracuse, New York, United States. He has said that ...

David Binney David Binney (born August 2, 1961) is an American alto saxophonist and composer. Early life Binney was born in Miami, Florida, and was raised in Carpinteria, California. From his parents, who loved music, he was exposed to albums by John C ...

George Garzone George Garzone (born September 23, 1950) is a saxophonist and jazz educator from Boston, Massachusetts. Biography Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti. The ...

, Jon Gordon, Julie Hardy, John Hollenbeck, Marc Johnson,

Frank Kimbrough Frank Kimbrough (November 2, 1956 – December 30, 2020) was an American post-bop jazz pianist. He was born and raised in Roxboro, North Carolina. He did some work at Chapel Hill before moving to Washington, D. C. in 1980 and then New York City ...

Guillermo Klein Guillermo Klein (born 1969) is an Argentine pianist and composer. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1994, and throughout the 1990s held a residency at Smalls, a jazz club in New York City. Known for his highly original harmonic and ...

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received ...

Michael Leonhart Michael Leonhart (born April 21, 1974) is an American jazz trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist. Solo career In 1992 Leonhart was honored with the first Grammy Award for outstanding high school musician in the US (he attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia ...

, Rebecca Martin,

Donny McCaslin Donald Paul McCaslin (born August 11, 1966) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has recorded over a dozen albums as a bandleader in addition to many sideman appearances, including on David Bowie's final studio album, '' Blackstar'' (2016). Early ...

, Charles Pillow,

Tim Ries Timothy M. Ries (born 15 August 1959) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate/conservatory level. Ries is in his year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Toronto. His un ...

, Pete Robbins,

Josh Roseman Josh Roseman (born 5 June 1967) is an American jazz trombonist. His nickname is "Mr. Bone". He studied in Newton North High School. Roseman was born in Boston, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Roseman toured Jamaica with The ...

Maria Schneider Maria Schneider may refer to: * Maria Schneider (politician) (born 1923), East German politician * Maria Schneider (actress) (1952–2011), French actress * Maria Schneider (musician) Maria Lynn Schneider (born November 27, 1960) is an Americ ...

Kendra Shank Kendra Shank is an American jazz vocalist. Career Shank's mother was an actress and playwright and her father was a playwright and teacher at the University of California. When she was five, she appeared onstage with her mother in ''Threepenny O ...

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

, Dan Willis,

Miguel Zenón Miguel Zenón (born December 30, 1976) is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator. He is a multiple Grammy Award nominee, and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. He als ...

, and

Patrick Zimmerli Patrick Zimmerli (born July 23, 1968) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and record producer. His work has been performed at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London and Salle Pleyel in Paris, as well as at ...

. From 2002–2005, he taught at the New England Conservatory. As of August, 2021 he is a member of the Minneapolis-based jazz quartet

The Bad Plus ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Flux'' (Songlines, 1995) * ''

'' (Arabesque, 1997) * '' Excavation'' (Arabesque, 2000) * ''Oceana'' (Sunnyside, 2005) * ''Hydra'' (Sunnyside, 2013) * '' Amorphae'' (ECM, 2016) * ''Day After Day'' (Sunnyside, 2019)

As co-leader

* ''No Boat'' with

(Songlines, 1997) * ''At Night'' with Theo Bleckmann (Songlines, 2007) * ''Bloom'' with

(Sunnyside, 2010)

As sideman

With

* ''Origami'' (Songlines, 2001) * ''Elegy'' (ECM, 2017) With

* ''Los Guachos II'' (Sunnyside, 1999) * ''Los Guachos III'' (Sunnyside, 2002) * ''Live In Bareclona'' (Fresh Sound, 2005) * ''Filtros'' (Sunnyside, 2008) * ''Carrera'' (Sunnyside, 2012) * ''Los Guachos V'' (Sunnyside, 2016) * ''Cristal'' (Sunnyside, 2019) With

* ''Seen from Above'' (Arabesque, 2000) * ''Soar'' (Sunnyside, 2006) * ''In Pursuit'' (Sunnyside, 2007) * ''Declaration'' (Sunnyside, 2009) * ''Blow'' (Motema, 2018) With

* ''Rest Stop'' (Fresh Sound, 1998) * ''Graphic'' (Fresh Sound, 1999) * ''Featuring Paul Motian'' (Fresh Sound, 2003) * ''Roses'' (Sunnyside, 2007) * ''Ghosts of the Sun'' (Sunnyside, 2011) With

* ''Europe'' (Winter & Winter, 2001) * ''Holiday for Strings'' (Winter & Winter, 2002) * ''Garden of Eden'' (ECM, 2006) With

Noah Preminger Noah Preminger (born ) is an American jazz saxophonist. Music career Born in 1986, Preminger grew up in Canton, Connecticut. While in high school, he studied with saxophonist Dave Liebman. He released his debut album, ''Dry Bridge Road'', a ...

* ''Dry Bridge Road'' (Nowt, 2008) * ''Haymaker'' (Palmetto, 2013) * ''Some Other Time'' (Newvelle, 2016) With

* ''Evanescence'' (Enja, 1994) * ''Coming About'' (Enja, 1996) * ''Allegresse'' (ArtistShare, 2000) * ''Days of Wine and Roses'' (ArtistShare, 2000) * ''Concert in the Garden'' (ArtistShare, 2004) * ''Sky Blue'' (ArtistShare, 2007) With

* ''Explosion'' (Songlines, 1997) * ''Expansion'' (Songlines, 2000) * ''The Book of Hours'' (Songlines, 2002) With others * Pablo Ablanedo, ''Alegria'' (Fresh Sound, 2003) * David Ake, ''Humanities'' (Posi-Tone, 2018) *

Reid Anderson Reid Anderson (born 15 October 1970) is a bassist and composer from Minnesota. He is a member of The Bad Plus with drummer Dave King, saxophonist Chris Speed, and guitarist Ben Monder. The original lineup of The Bad Plus first played together ...

, ''The Vastness of Space'' (Fresh Sound, 2000) *

, ''The Luxury of Guessing'' (AudioQuest, 1995) *

, ''

'' (Columbia, 2015) *

, ''A Girl Name Joe'' (Fresh Sound, 1998) * Gerald Cleaver, ''Adjust'' (Fresh Sound, 2001) * Dave's True Story, ''Sex Without Bodies'' (Chesky, 1998) *

Yelena Eckemoff Yelena Eckemoff is a Russian-born pianist, composer, poet, and visual artist. Her compositions blend classical music with jazz, and feature exploration and improvisation. Music career Eckemoff was born in Moscow, Russia, in the Soviet Union. He ...

, ''Better Than Gold and Silver'' (L&H, 2018) * Jon Gordon, ''Currents'' (Double-Time, 1998) *

, ''Heyday'' (Soul Note, 1998) * Nikolaj Hess, ''Global Motion +'' (Stunt, 2010) * John Hollenbeck, ''No Images'' (Composers Recordings, 2001) *

Ingrid Jensen Ingrid Jensen (born January 12, 1966) is a Canadian jazz trumpeter. Music career Jensen was born in North Vancouver and grew up in Nanaimo. She received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating from Berklee, she ...

, ''Infinitude'' (Whirlwind, 2016) * Marc Johnson, ''Right Brain Patrol'' (JMT, 1992) *

, ''Noumena'' (Soul Note, 2000) * Steve LaSpina, ''Distant Dream'' (Steeplechase, 1998) * Rebecca Martin, ''People Behave Like Ballads'' (Maxjazz, 2004) * Dan McCarthy, ''Epoch'' (Origin, 2019) *

Francisco Mela Francisco Jose Mela is a Cuban drummer and percussionist who has performed with a wide array of prominent international Latin and jazz artists including Kenny Barron, Gary Bartz, JoAnne Brackeen, Jane Bunnett, Regina Carter, Anat Cohen, Paquit ...

, ''Tree of Life'' (Half Note, 2011) * Andy Milne, ''Forward in All Directions'' (Contrology 2014) * Andy Milne, ''The Seasons of Being'' (Sunnyside, 2018) *

Dave Pietro Dave Pietro (born February 10, 1964) is a saxophonist, woodwind artist, bandleader, sideman, composer and educator. A native of Southboro, Massachusetts, he has been on the New York City music scene since 1987. From 1994–2003 Dave played le ...

, ''Forgotten Dreams'' (A Records, 1994) *

Mika Pohjola Mika Pohjola ( (born December 1, 1971) is a Finnish-born jazz pianist and composer who resides in Stockholm. He is one of the most prolific Scandinavian jazz musicians in his generation. Biography Childhood in Helsinki, Finland 1971-87 Mika ...

, ''Landmark'' (Abovoice, 2002) * Mika Pohjola, ''Northern Sunrise'' (BlueMusicGroup 2009) * Bruno Raberg, ''Lifelines'' (Orbis Music, 2008) *

, ''Alternate Side'' (Criss Cross, 2001) * Tim Ries, ''The Rolling Stones Project'' (Concord, 2005) * Pete Robbins, ''Do The Hate Laugh Shimmy'' (Fresh Sound, 2008) *

, ''Cherry'' (Enja, 2000) * Josh Roseman, ''Treats for the Nightwalker'' (Enja, 2003) *

, ''A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook'' (Challenge, 2006) * Kendra Shank, ''Mosaic'' (Challenge, 2009) *

Jeremy Udden Jeremy Udden (born April 29, 1978) is an American musician, composer, and educator. Proficient in both the Alto and Soprano Saxophone, Udden also composes songs for his groups, ''Plainville'' and ''Torchsongs Trio''. His most notable albums from t ...

, ''Torchsongs'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) * Andre White, ''Signal'' (Cornerstone, 2000) * Miguel Zenon, ''Looking Forward'' (Fresh Sound, 2001)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monder, Ben 1962 births Living people Guitarists from New York City University of Miami alumni American jazz guitarists Avant-garde jazz musicians Arabesque Records artists 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) Octurn members Sunnyside Records artists