//HEYO! Now on Orenda Records//

Great news this week!  I’ve teamed up with my close friend, Dan Rosenboom at Orenda Records to re-release my debut album, HEYO!. Press Release is here

//featuring//

Peter Epstein – Alto Saxophone

Mitch Marcus – Tenor Saxophone

Mark Furber – Drums

Sam – Bass, Compositions

Also, as part of Orenda’s 3rd Anniversary, we’ve lined up the new DR. MiNT record, Voices in the Void, to be released the same weekend.  The record is out now and we are incredibly proud of it.  ‘Voices in the Void’ can be bought here or digitally in all the usual spots.

//featuring//

Daniel Rosenboom – trumpets

Gavin Templeton – woodwinds

Alex Noice – electric guitar and FX

Caleb Dolister – drums and FX

Sam Minaie – electric bass and FX

Spent a in week in LA recording with my old friends Dr. MiNT, can’t wait for the record to be finished, it’s epic!  Videos coming soon of that stuff…   Now off on tour with Melody for a little over a month, tour dates on the show page.  Also, if you have a sec, check out the new No Biggity videos on the media page!  This band is Perry Smith’s creation featuring Caleb Dolister on drums.  We play covers of 90’s songs, it’s fun as hell.

I’ll be in Europe for the next few months with some great musicians, leaving tomorrow for Germany with the Clemens Orth Trio with Ross Pederson playing drums.  Then off with Melody Gardot for 5 weeks!  Please check the show page for a complete list, looking forward to seeing some old friends!!!

Really exciting week coming up! First and foremost, please come out to Ochion Jewell’s VOLK release party on Wed, Sept. 23rd at Cornelia Street Cafe.  The group – featuring Ochion, myself, Amino Belyamani and Qasim Naqvi – has been together since our days at CalArts and we’re really happy to present and celebrate this latest release.  Please come by, and if you can’t, the record is available here.  We made 4 promo videos and they are viewable in the media section.

Also, on Thursday the 24th, I’ll be playing with Donny McCaslin’s band at the 55 Bar.  This band is with Donny, Jason Lindner, and Mark Guiliana.

Here’s a pic from the last night of touring with Kneebody opening up for the Bad Plus Joshua Redman… Pretty surreal playing with and opening up for my two favorite bands growing up.  Not to mention the hang was just as great!

A photo posted by Ben Wendel (@benwendel) on

Here is a great video shot in Normandie, France last week with Tigran and Arthur.

Stoked for the month of March!  First some fun shows around home in NYC, then off to Canada with trumpeter and composer Stephanie Richards for the new incarnation of the Font Festival up there.  After that, subbing for one of my favorite bassists, Kaveh Rastegar, in Kneebody for 5 shows in the midwest.  A lot of music to learn!!

February US Tour dates are up, it’s going to be a fun month running around with Dave Scott Quintet and Tigran Hamasyan’s first Nonesuch release tour.  The record is called Mockroot and we’re all pretty stoked on it.