Ben Allison

by Alex Henderson & William RuhlmannA versatile acoustic bassist with an adventurous spirit, Ben Allison has often excelled in avant-garde settings but has proven himself to be equally capable of playing hard bop. The East Coast native was only nine when he began studying music, and he was 22 when, in 1989, he graduated from New York University with a B.A. in jazz performance. In 1992, Allison founded the Jazz Composers Collective, a musician-run, nonprofit organization that encouraged artists to take risks and didn't shy away from the avant-garde when presenting many concerts in New York. It was in 1994 that the Collective launched the Herbie Nichols Project, which Allison co-directed with pianist Frank Kimbrough; it used concerts and CDs (including Love Is Proximity on Soul Note) to celebrate the music of the great but underexposed bebop pianist Herbie Nichols. In addition to being employed on albums by Lee Konitz, Ted Nash, and Eddie Gale, the 1990s found Allison playing live with Clark Terry, Gary Bartz, Jack Walrath, Kenny Werner, Dave Liebman, Judi Silvano, Michael Blake, and Clifford Jordan. Allison first recorded under his own name when he did Seven Arrows for Palmetto in 1996, and has also recorded for Palmetto with his adventurous group Medicine Wheel. Third Eye followed in 1999 and Riding the Nuclear Tiger appeared two years later. Peace Pipe was released in 2002, Buzz in 2004, and Cowboy Justice in 2006. After reading in The Washington Post that Vice President Dick Cheney kept a "man-size safe" in his office, Allison named his backup group, consisting of Ron Horton (trumpet, flügelhorn), Steve Cardenas (electric guitar), and Michael Sarin (drums), Man Size Safe. Little Things Run the World, credited to Ben Allison & Man Size Safe, was released on January 22, 2008.