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A native of Oregon, Ben has been playing the saxophone since the age of 12. He studied Jazz and composition at Mount Hood Community College, under the direction of Dave Barduhn. Since then he's become well known in P-town for his soulfully influenced jazz style. Some of which comes from having spent his early childhood years in church singing hymns, and listening to those old gospel records.

Nominated as one of the top 10 up and coming artists in P-town (OurTown Magazine), Ben has matured into a talented writer/arranger and improviser. Blending both intelligent thought and vibrant emotion into his playing, Ben has become "a master at improvisational solos" (Ethan Machado, OurTown). In his playing you can hear murmurs of his influences: Kenny Garrett, Stanley Turrentine, Wayne Shorter, Johnny Hodges, David Sanborn, and Miles Davis.

Ben has played with: Jazz Explosion, Body & Soul, Shag, The Congregation, D.K. Stewart, Joey Porter, Andy Stokes, Ezra Weiss, Jay Koder, The Four Freshman, Pepe & the Bottle Blondes, Leroy Vinegar, Billy Hart, Tony Pacini, Derek Sims, Ramsey Embick, Mel Brown, Renato Caranto, Tall jazz, Randy Porter, Thara Memory, Gordon Lee, Chris Brown, Rob Scheps, Margo Tufo, Norman Sylvester, Geoff Byrd, Keith Shreiner.

Some info on the Ben Fowler Quintet's first and latest release, The Pilgrimage.

This isn't Modern jazz. Modern jazz makes you think, makes you close your eyes, makes your mind spin. This isn't traditional jazz. Traditional jazz veers away from anything unexpected.

"The idea for The Pilgrimage stems from the music in my childhood. We went to Church every Sunday, singing hymns and traditional gospel songs. When I started playing saxophone, I left that behind and modern jazz became my passion. This music integrates those experiences - the past and the present,"

Traditional jazz is well-permeated with the influence of blues and gospel Music. Modern jazz, with its heady melodies and more obtuse rhythms, has slowly distanced itself from its soulful roots. I am attempting to infuse my own modern jazz tendencies with the soul of gospel music."

Personnel for the Ben Fowler Quintet:
The effervescent Dan Gildea: Guitar (played w/ Stephanie Schneiderman, Mary Kadderly, Mel Brown)

The ultra-talented Dave Fleschner: B-3 Organ, Piano (played w/ Curtis Salgado, Mel Brown)

The simply irresistable Tyler Smith: Upright Bass (played w/ Dan Balmer, Kathy Walker)

The super heavy hitter, Ed Pierce: Drums (played w/ St. James/Woods Nonet, Paul DeLay, Renato Curanto)