Ben Hirsh Sidran (born August 14, 1943) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

and is the father of Grammy-nominated musician, composer and performer

Leo Sidran Leo Sidran is an American Grammy-nominated musician, composer, performer, and producer whose credits include co-producing the Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" for the soundtrack to the movie '' The Motorcycle Diaries''. Sidran began ...

Life and career

He was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. Sidran was raised in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

, and attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

in 1961, where he became a member of

The Ardells There have been several bands called The Ardells. Steve Miller's Band The Ardells was a band started by Steve Miller in 1961 when he attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In the fall of 1962, Steve lived in a rooming house at 515 North ...

with Steve Miller and

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until h ...

. When Miller and Scaggs left Wisconsin for the West Coast, Sidran stayed behind to earn a degree in English literature. After graduating in 1966, he enrolled in the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

, England, to pursue a PhD. While in England, he was a session musician for

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...

, and Charlie Watts. Sidran joined Steve Miller as keyboardist and songwriter on recording projects, appearing on the albums ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

'', '' Your Saving Grace'', '' Number 5'', and '' Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden''. He produced ''Recall the Beginning'' and co-wrote the hit song "Space Cowboy." In 1988, he produced Miller's jazz album ''Born 2B Blue''. He has also produced albums for

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two ...

, and Diana Ross. Sidran returned to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, in 1971 and has spent most of his life there. He taught courses at the university (on the business of music) and beginning in 1981 hosted jazz radio programs for NPR (including the

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

-winning ''Jazz Alive'' series) and TV programs for VH1 (where his ''New Visions'' series in the early 1990s won the Ace Award). While hosting that series, Sidran frequently expressed his desire to "demystify the world of jazz; jazz musicians are just like the rest of us, only more so." As a musician and a producer he has released over 35 solo recordings. His written works include the book ''Black Talk'' on the sociology of black music in America; the memoir ''A Life in the Music'', published in 2003 and detailing his musical career ;''Talking Jazz'', a collection of his historic interviews with jazz musicians; ''There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream'', a cultural history of the Jewish contribution to American popular music during the 20th century and a finalist for the 2012

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.Tommy LiPuma Tommy LiPuma (July 5, 1936 – March 13, 2017) was an American music producer. He received 33 Grammy nominations, 5 Grammy wins, and his productions sold over 75 million albums. LiPuma worked with many musicians, including Barbra Streisand, Miles ...

. His 24-CD box set ''Talking Jazz'' includes an 80-page booklet with essays from writers, critics and musicians, classic photos from

Lee Tanner Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

, and 24 compact discs featuring conversations with 60 jazz musicians, recorded during a five-year period for Sidran's award-winning NPR program ''Sidran on Record''. The 24 CDs orchestrated by Sidran document the speaking voice of jazz musicians, including

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

, and others. Sidran has been referred to by the ''

Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' as a "Renaissance man cast adrift in a modern world" and by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' as "the first existential jazz rapper," in reference to his commentary while playing music. A complete compendium of Sidran's work, live gigs, videos, productions, interviews and writings can be found online.

Discography

As leader

* ''Feel Your Groove'' (Capitol, 1970) * ''I Lead a Life'' (Blue Thumb, 1971) * ''Puttin' in Time on Planet Earth'' (Blue Thumb, 1972) * '' Don't Let Go'' (Blue Thumb, 1974) * ''Free in America'' (Arista, 1975) * ''The Doctor Is in'' (Arista, 1977) * ''A Little Kiss in the Night'' (Arista, 1978) * ''Live at Montreux'' (Arista, 1978) * ''The Cat and the Hat'' (Horizon/A&M, 1979) * ''New Wave Bebop'' (Baybridge, 1981) * ''Old Songs for the New Depression'' (Antilles, 1982) * ''Bop City'' (Antilles, 1982) * ''Get to the Point'' (Baybridge, 1983) * '' On the Cool Side'' (Magenta/Windham Hill, 1985) * ''On the Live Side'' (Magenta/Windham Hill, 1986) * ''Too Hot to Touch'' (Windham Hill, 1988) * ''Have You Met... Barcelona?'' (Orange Blue, 1989) * '' Cool Paradise'' (Go Jazz, 1990) * ''Life's a Lesson'' (Go Jazz, 1993) * ''Mr. P's Shuffle'' (Go Jazz, 1995) * ''Live at the Celebrity Lounge'' (Go Jazz, 1997) * ''The Concert for Garcia Lorca'' (Go Jazz, 1998) * ''Walk Pretty: The Songs of Alec Wilder'' (Go Jazz, 2002) * ''

Nick's Bump ''Nick's Bump'' is a smooth jazz album by American keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 2004. It is Sidran's twenty sixth album, and his first release by his independent label Nardis Records. Background Although Sidran's reputat ...

'' (Nardis, 2003) * ''Bumpin' at the Sunside'' (Nardis, 2005) * ''Cien Noches'' (Nardis, 2008) * ''

Dylan Different ''Dylan Different'' is a smooth jazz album by keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 2009. It is Sidran's thirty-sixth album, and his fourth release with his independent label Nardis Records. Background A tribute to Bob Dylan, ...

'' (Nardis, 2009) * ''

Don't Cry For No Hipster ''Don't Cry For No Hipster'' is a jazz album by keyboardist and vocalist Ben Sidran. It was recorded in July 2012, and released in 2013 under Sidran's label Nardis Records in the United States, and Bonsaï Music in France. It was Sidran's 35th ...

'' (Nardis, 2012) * ''Blue Camus'' (Nardis, 2014) * ''Picture Him Happy'' (Nardis, 2017) * ''Swing State'' (Nardis, 2022)

As sideman

With Steve Miller * ''Children of the Future'' (Capitol, 1968) * ''Brave New World'' (Capitol, 1969) * ''Your Saving Grace'' (Capitol, 1969) * ''Number 5'' (Capitol, 1970) * ''Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden'' (Capitol, 1972) * ''Born 2B Blue'' (Capitol, 1988) * ''Wide River'' (Polydor, 1993) With others * Gene Clark, ''White Light'' (A&M, 1971) *

Clementine A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who fir ...

, ''Clementine & Ben Sidran'' (Sony, 2011) * Richie Cole, ''Popbop'' (Milestone, 1987) * Richie Cole, ''Signature'' (Milestone, 1988) * Jesse Davis, ''Jesse Davis'' (Atco, 1970) * Tim Davis, ''Take Me As I Am'' (Metromedia, 1972) * Jorge Drexler, ''Eco2'' (Gasa, 2005) * Jorge Drexler, ''Amar La Trama'' (WEA, 2010) *

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

, ''Cool Cat Blues'' (Go Jazz, 1991) * Georgie Fame, ''The Blues and Me'' (Go Jazz, 1992) *

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

, ''Tell Me the Truth'' (Arista, 1975) *

Joy and the Boy Joy and the Boy is an American musical duo consisting of singer-songwriter Joy Dragland and musician/producer Leo Sidran (son of Ben Sidran). Their first performance as a duo was in Madison, Wisconsin at a 2000 political rally at the Wisconsin ...

, ''Paradise'' (Go Jazz, 2001) *

Marlango Marlango is a Spanish music band deeply influenced by Tom Waits. The members of the band are Leonor Watling, Alejandro Pelayo and Óscar Ybarra. Discography References External links Official site
{{Authority control Spanish musical gro ...

, ''Life in the Treehouse'' (Universal, 2010) *

Aya Matsuura is a Japanese actress and pop singer, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. Career 2000–2009: Hello! Project Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part o ...

, ''Click You Link Me'' (Zetima, 2010) * Sarah Jane Morris, ''Sarah Jane Morris'' (Jive, 1989) *

, ''Tell Me Something - The songs of

'' (Verve, 1996) *

Paul Pena Paul Jerrod Pena (January 26, 1950 – October 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist of Cape Verdean descent. His music from the first half of his career touched on Delta blues, jazz, morna, flamenco, folk and rock and r ...

, ''New Train'' (Hybrid, 2000) *

Bob Rockwell Bob Rockwell (born May 1945 in Miami, Oklahoma) is a jazz saxophonist. He was born in the U.S. but emigrated to Denmark in 1983. Biography Rockwell was raised in Minneapolis, and in his early career he toured the U.S. in rock and rhythm and blu ...

, ''Bob's Ben Webster'' (Stunt, 2004) *

Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for composing his film scores with his collaborator and acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, which composed the ...

, ''The Motorcycle Diaries'' (Edge Music, 2004) *

, ''Moments'' (Columbia, 1971) *

, ''L. Sid'' (Go Pop, 1999) *

Phil Upchurch Philip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, an ...

, ''Darkness, Darkness'' (Blue Thumb, 1972) * Phil Upchurch, ''Whatever Happened to the Blues'' (Go Jazz, 1992)

References

External links

AllaboutjazzEmbrace your inner hipster , Ben Sidran , TEDxMadison
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidran, Ben 1943 births Living people 20th-century American Jews American jazz pianists American male pianists American session musicians Musicians from Chicago Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin Musicians from Racine, Wisconsin Antilles Records artists Arista Records artists Capitol Records artists Atlantic Records artists Windham Hill Records artists Blue Thumb Records artists University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Steve Miller Band members 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Illinois 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians VH1 people 21st-century American Jews