november 13, 2026friday
7:00pm
9:00pm
november 14, 2026saturday
7:00pm
9:00pm
Grammy nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel was born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He is an incisive improviser whose wit permeates all of the various genres he plays, a rare attribute for a saxophonist of his breadth.
Currently living in Brooklyn, NY, he has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, composer and producer. Highlights include tours, performances and/or recordings with artists such as Tigran Hamasyan, Bill Frisell, Terence Blanchard, Antonio Sanchez, Gerald Clayton, Taylor Eigsti, Linda May Han Oh, Moonchild, Louis Cole, Daedelus, Snoop Dogg and the artist formerly known as Prince. Ben is a founding member of the Grammy nominated group Kneebody.
As a composer, he has received an ASCAP Jazz Composer Award, the 2008, 2011 and 2017 Chamber Music America “New Works Grant” and was awarded the Victor Lynch-Staunton award by the Canada Council for the Arts. He has also co-written multiple scores for film, television and animated shorts.
He leads a band with three like-minded musicians, Taylor Eigsti (Sting, John Mayer, Esperanza Spalding), Vicente Archer (Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, John Scofield) and Obed Calvaire (Wynton Marsalis, SFJAZZ Collective, Mary J Blige, Seal)