Benjamin Lee

New Video Honoring the work of John Coltrane


After working furiously on my recent electric bass solo repertoire, which you can check out here, it was high time I did the same for the upright! I have long been encouraged by the great trumpeter John Harrington to learn one of Coltrane's exceptional melodies, and I finally put in the work to get some takes of 26-2, originally recorded by Coltrane in 1960 - but released later in 1964. Needless to say. . . this kicked my butt from here to breakfast. But, as the quote from Ira Glass rings in my ear - "finished, not perfect" - I worked hard across several weeks of dedicated shedding and I am pleased with the result! Hopefully you will dig the vibe as well, and check back in for more additions to my solo repertoire videos. Remember, if you or someone you know has any bass needs, reach out

 


Teaching Staff at Oakland Public Conservatory

"OPC Music opens the world of music to all through access to affordable quality instruction in a nurturing environment. We value rigor, innovation and scholarship in our quest to preserve the musical traditions of Oakland." - OPC Mission Statement


I am so honored, and humbled, to have been chosen to join the teaching faculty of Oakland Public Conservatory. If you know all about them, then you know exactly why I am so excited! But if you don't, I highly recommend you check out all the wonderful work they have been doing in Oakland arts education since 2005. Under the leadership of Angela Wellman, and alongside a who's who cast of professional artists, their program is providing affordable conservatory level musical mentorship with a staff and student body that reflect Oakland. After a month of teaching, I am so excited to continue to grow within this organization, and be a part of all the wonderful things they are building!

 


The TOaG Quartet


For those of you who were at the live taping of our second album at Airship Laboratories, you know what a special night it was. And for those of you who weren't, we are getting closer and closer to announcing an album release date. We are so pleased to have the incredible Jessica Thompson now on our production team, working with Neil Godbole of Airship to master this beast of a record. Jessica brings a TON of experience - especially with live records - as well as a patient and responsive ear to everything that she does, and we are just ecstatic to have her on board.


The next big news will be the release of our first video single from that wonderful night!  The incredible Nino Fernandez has been working diligently on all of our video production needs, and his talented eye managed to capture every moment of excitement from the evening and we just cant wait to show it to you all! Don't forget to LIKE our facebook page so you can see the video as soon as it drops!
 


That's all for now. . . big news coming soon!
 

 

"Sound is ephemeral, fleeting, but some sort of a physical manifestation can help you hold on to it longer in time. I'm sure of this; I've always thought the sound that you make is just the tip of the iceberg, like the person that you see physically is just the tip of the iceberg as well."
-- Yo-Yo Ma



Benjamin Lee
Upright and Electric Bass.

RecordingPerformanceLessons

www.OfficiaLeeProductions.com

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