Ben Winkelman

Ben Winkelman is a New York based jazz pianist and composer whose music has been described by Downbeat as “one big, interconnected thing of beauty”. His freewheeling compositions draw on diverse interests, with an emphasis on rhythmic exploration, strong melodic lines and group interplay. He has released five albums of original compositions to wide acclaim, with a sixth due for release in September 2023.

Ben’s second album, The Spanish Tinge, won the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Award for Best Independent Jazz Album; his first album was nominated for an Australian Jazz Bell Award; and his third and fourth albums were nominated for AIR Awards. His work has been supported by grants from the Australia Council and other arts organizations, and he was a finalist in the Australian National Jazz Awards. He has toured in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Ben was born in Eugene, Oregon and grew up in Melbourne, Australia, a city with a diverse and vibrant music scene, where he was an active bandleader and in demand freelance musician for many years. With a view to expanding his musical horizons, he moved to New York in 2010, where he now lives with his wife and two small children.

**** "...this trio never misses a beat." - Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

**** "Three brilliant musicians fly through the music with faultless virtuosity." - Eric Myers, The Australian