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BEN KONO'S OFFICIAL BIO

In 1999 woodwind performer Ben Kono moved to New York City after a four year tenure as lead alto saxophonist with the U.S. Army's premier touring jazz ensemble, The Jazz Ambassadors. Since then, he has been in demand as a performer on saxophones, flutes, clarinets, and the oboe and English horn. Recently he has added the Japanese shakuhachi flute to his arsenal of woodwinds, and can be heard performing this instrument with the composers collective Pulse, and on some documentary film scores. Equally versed in jazz and classical musical realms, Kono appears regularly with groups as diverse as the BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra; The Ed Palermo Big Band; the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; Numinous; Pulse; and has performed at New York City venues including The Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, The Jazz Standard, The Knitting Factory, and Lincoln Center. As a sideman he has performed and recorded with Billy Hart, Freddie Hubbard, Michael Brecker, David Liebman, Bob Berg, Joe Locke, John Hollenbeck, Manuel Valera, Tomas Ulrich, Henry Hey, Michel Legrand, Toots Thielmanns, Proteus 7, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Hugh Jackman, Deborah Gibson, and has appeared on 'Late Night with David Letterman', 'The Today Show' and 'The View'. A veteran of Broadway shows, he is currently a member of the Grammy and Tony Award winning Jersey Boys orchestra on Broadway. As an educator, he has held teaching positions at the University of North Texas, Morgan State University, CUNY Queens College, Queens College Jazz Camp, Packer Collegiate, and Rye Country Day School. Ben Kono has music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and University of North Texas, and began early musical training in his beautiful hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont, a continual source of inspiration in his compositional and improvisational processes.