Ben Basile Serves Up Some Tasty Ska Jazz
Hudson Valley bassist blends the genres in debut album
Hudson Valley bassist Ben Basile’s debut album Benergy combines his artistry in the jazz and ska genres (photo courtesy Ben Basile)
Were we to play a quick round of musical word association, the first word most likely to come to mind with “ska” would be “reggae.” The two Jamaican genres are almost always billed as inseparable siblings.
But there is also an underappreciated match with ska – jazz. The ska jazz genre may fly under most jazz fans’ radar, but it has a long lineage; indeed, ska’s origins came from American jazz and rhythm and blues and Jamaican calypso. And Hudson Valley-based bassist Ben Basile is more than prepared to help guide us through those complementary sounds.
Ben’s first solo album, Benergy, drops Friday, and it is the culmination of more than a decade of laying the musical and logistical groundwork of a thriving career with one foot in each genre. Best known among ska and punk fans as the longtime bass player for Boston-based Big D and the Kids Table, he is also a linchpin in keeping the Hudson Valley jazz scene thriving though his longtime stewardship of the Poughkeepsie Jazz Project’s weekly Tuesday jam sessions.
Ben also credits a non-musical part of his life as being absolutely crucial in establishing his career – his time in the Boy Scouts (now known as Scouting America). It was while studying for his jazz studies degree at the State University of New York’s New Paltz campus Ben realized his affiliation with scouting would be a definite asset in making it in music.
“The other musicians in college are your peers, your classmates, and also a little bit of your competition,” Ben told 8495Jazz. “While I was there it became apparent to me I had skills my classmates didn’t have. Before I went to college I was in the Boy Scouts – my twin brother and I are both Eagle Scouts. So before I even turned 18, I had learned how to manage people, to communicate, plan and organize, negotiate – all those sort of peoples skills I had and had acquired at a very young age. Managing six or seven boys in a Boy Scout patrol is not that different from managing six or seven musicians in some ways.”
Ben also made the calculated decision to return to his childhood home for several years after his 2011 college graduation while carefully building the foundations of his career, which includes both playing and teaching.
“It took a long time to build any sort of network and career – and I’ve had a wonderful career and been able to sustain myself. It took a while but I definitely got there. And I am very grateful for that time, because had I moved out and had to pay rent immediately, it would have taken me away from the music I was trying to do and grow and foster.”
And, with foundation firmly in place, Benergy is his landmark statement combining his jazz and ska sides.
“At home in the Hudson Valley I’m mostly known as a jazz musician because I run the Poughkeepsie Jazz Project and I play jazz in the area, but nationally and in the ska scene I am known through Big D and the Kids Table. With the record I am finally marrying those two sides of me – Hudson Valley folks who know me as a jazz musician will get introduced to my ska side, and the ska punk fans are hearing this softer ska jazz and instrumental reggae side. And it is great to marry and share those two sides of me that haven’t really met each other yet.”
There are ample examples of bands that have combined the genres, with jazz standards galore that can serve as introductions to ska jazz – the Toasters’ “Tunisia,” a ska’ed up cover of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunisia,” and the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble’s covers of Charles Mingus’s “Boogie Stop Shuffle” and Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” will get one well on their way (and if you’re of a mind to count the beats, turning “Take Five’s” original 5/4 meter into a ska 4/4 is quite the lesson).
“Jazz is a very broad genre, almost an umbrella term nowadays,” Ben said, “and ska is specifically just a rhythm. Essentially, you’re changing the swing eighth notes and playing them a little more straight to make it ska and reggae. So if you take those other aspects of jazz – improv and melody, for instance – it’s ska jazz, because the rhythm is the ska but all the other aspects of jazz are there.”
Ben will be supporting the album with shows in Newark, NJ (June 5), Boston (June 7), Westfield, MA (June 8), and a hometown show at Poughkeepsie’s Reason & Ruckus June 6, and would like to be able to play that style in new venues.
“I’m not sure how much I plan to push and play this record down the line from here,” he said. “I’d like to do some shows where I’m playing ska jazz and reggae occasionally, and would like to break into more jazz clubs with this.
“This will be the thing that kind of defines who I am as a musician. And I think every musician has to just put that record out, to put them on the map and give people a sense of who you are. And for me that’s Benergy.”
“74 Leonard Street,” from Benergy, is Ben Basile’s tribute to the former site of the Knitting Factory, the New York City club where he first saw ska jazz artists like the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble.
Farewell to the Cheef
The weekly newsletter from Uncle Cheef in Brewster this week brought some very disappointing news – the club will be shutting down.
“Due to circumstances beyond, Uncle Cheef will be shutting down after May 10th,” owner Ian Hendrickson-Smith wrote. “That will be our last day open to the public. This is not the future Jenny Cheef and I envisioned. We dreamed of building something that would last a lifetime—an oasis for music, food, and togetherness. But this is how the chips have fallen.”
The club’s location right off of I-84 in Brewster may have been an incongruous spot for a top-flight nightclub, but Ian and Jenny added a touch of class to the region’s venue offerings. The 8495Jazz staff saw numerous acts there, from trumpeter Benny Benack III to blues artist Kevin Burt to organist Akiko Tsuruga and her quartet. It was a real Village vibe in the Brewster ‘burbs, and we are very sorry to hear this news.
Newport news
Tickets for the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival (Aug. 1-3) are selling briskly – VIP Jazz Lounge and student tickets are already sold out, and the festival organizers say the three-day passes are “running low.”
The lineup does its usual job of combining stars like Christian McBride, Esperanza Spalding, Ron Carter and Emmet Cohen with up-and-comers like Kokoroko and LA neo-soul acolytes Thee Sacred Souls.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
To alleviate confusion, ticket prices quoted now mention service fees as included or as additional; if fees are not mentioned, there are none to our knowledge. Because fees differ according to ticket type, service fee amounts are not included here but are available on venue web sites.
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT
28th Annual Jazz Fest featuring WCSU Jazz Orchestra and Jeremy Pelt, Friday, May 2, 7 pm. GA $17.85, including service fee.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT, Baby Grand Jazz Series
Chembo Corniel Quintet (percussion, combo), 3 pm. Free.
Other Shows This Week
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
David Morgan (piano, combo), Thursday, May 1, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. 7:30 show $20.76 adult, $15.76 students, 8:45 show $10.76.
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra w/Ali Ryerson (flute), Monday, April 28, 7:30 pm. Free.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Tal Yahalom Qunitet (guitar, combo), Friday, May 2, 8:30 pm ($20) and 10 pm ($15).
Scullers, Boston, MA
Marion Meadows (sax, combo), Friday, May 2, 7 and 9 pm. $48.05 - $70.45 inlcuding service fee.
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Paquito Rivera Quintet (sax, combo), Friday, May 2 and Saturday May 3, 7 and 9:30 pm. GA $53.50 including service fee.
The Kate, Old Saybrook, CT
John Pizzarelli Trio (guitar, combo), Saturday, May 3, 8 pm. GA $69 including service fee.
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
Camille Thurman w/Darrell Green Quartet (sax, vocals, combo), today, 7:30 pm. $30 suggested donation.
Rockwell Theater, Bristol, CT
Nicole Zuraitis (vocals), Saturday, May 3, 7 pm. $42 including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project Jam, every Tuesday, 7 pm.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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