Ben Wendel (born February 20, 1976) is a Canadian-American jazz saxophonist, composer, bassoonist, and pianist. He is best known for being a founding member of the Grammy-nominated, eclectic jazz group Kneebody, but also has performed as a leader and with artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ignacio Berroa, Daedelus, Taylor Eigsti, and Tigran Hamasyan.
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Ben was born in Vancouver, and raised in Santa Monica, California by a musical family.[1] He studied at the Eastman School of Music, where he met other future members of Kneebody. After graduating, he returned to Los Angeles,[2] where he played with a variety of musicians while playing the first shows with Kneebody. Since then, he now lives in Brooklyn, New York. As a performer, he has released his own album on Sunnyside Records, and appeared on many others. He composes for film, and won an ASCAP Jazz Composer Award and received the New Works grant from Chamber Music America. As a producer, he worked with Kent Nagano to produce concerts for the Festpeil Plus in Munich, Germany, and produces a new performing arts series at The Edye in Santa Monica, California. He was an adjunct professor of jazz at the University of Southern California.[3]
With Kneebody
With Todd Sickafoose
With Tigran Hamasyan
With Taylor Eigsti
With Otmaro Ruiz
With Tony Scott
With Daedelus
With Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra
With Adam Rudolph
With Good Charlotte
With Marco Antonio Solis
With Michael Whittaker
With Atlantiquity
With Jason Mraz
