Dr. Ben Markley
Department of Music | Jazz Area
Department Head, Associate Professor, Jazz Studies, Jazz Piano
Ben Markley, a jazz pianist, has performed with Brian Lynch, Ron McClure, and George Garzone. Markley's Debut album entitled 'Spealio' features tenor saxophone great George Garzone. 'Second Introduction' (OA2 records) is Markley's latest recording as a leader and features trumpeter Greg Gisbert. Recent performance credits include Eddie Henderson, Jerry Hahn, and Jeff Coffin.
Markley was part of a trio that won the Promising Artists of the Twenty-First Century competition at New York University. This group toured and gave master classes in Costa Rica.
Compositions from each of Markley's two albums have earned him ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Awards for 2007 and 2008. In 2008 Markley was selected to participate in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program held at the Kennedy Center. Markley co-leads the band Raincheck who recently released a recording on the Dazzle Recordings label.
