Jimmy Bennington

James Arnold Bennington (born May 22, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American jazz drummer and avant-garde musician based in Chicago, Illinois.

Biography

Adopted at the age of two, Jimmy was raised in Detroit, Michigan until 1979 when his family moved to Houston, Texas. He began music studies on clarinet while attending MacGregor Elementary School, playing the instrument for three years. Switching to drums at age fourteen, Bennington's education has come from private study, marching and concert bands throughout Middle and High School, work as a sideman, and as a band leader with his group Colour and Sound.

A largely self-taught musician, early experiences include jazz and blues sessions in Texas that afforded him opportunities to learn from several veterans including Kinney Abair, Tex Allen, and G.T. Hogan. During this period, Billy Harper drummer Malcolm Pinson became a friend and mentor, eventually using Jimmy as a substitute when he was away. Bennington has also been privileged to learn from legendary John Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones. In addition to eight years of study with Jones beginning in 1995, Bennington served as band manager and drum tech, from 2000-2002, touring the U.S. and Europe.

Based in Chicago, after long residences in Texas (1990-1998) and the West Coast (1998-2006), Bennington performs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America. He has played and recorded with a diverse array of artists from the Jazz and Improvised music communities, including clarinetist Perry Robinson, pianists David Haney and Jim Baker, trombonists Julian Priester and Michael Vlatkovich, saxophonists Bert Wilson, John Gross, Fred Jackson, and Ed House (AACM), flutist Rob Piilonen, cornetist Josh Berman, vibraphonist Jim Cooper, guitarists John Stowell and Bill Horist, bassists Ed Schuller, Michael Bisio, Brian Sandstrom, and Sun Ra Arkestra electric bassist Rollo Radford.

In 2007, Bennington was included in the 'Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians' (compiled by Lewis Porter, Rutgers University).

In 2008, he was signed by Cadence Jazz Records and the CIMP label in New York.

Bennington is also a freelance writer and has been published in Modern Drummer Magazine (Oct. 05/ Dec. 06), Jazz Profile (2006-2008), and Cadence Jazz and Blues Review (2006-).

Recordings

*"Contemplation", (1998) Liner notes by Delfeayo Marsalis, ThatSwan! Records 1000
*"Midnight Choir", (2003) OA2 Records 22007
*"Our Dialogue, Live at the Tugboat, vol. V" (2004) - CD/DVD, ThatSwan! Records 1003
*"Another Friend; The Music Of Herbie Nichols" (2005) TBR
*"Jazz Kaleidocope; Live at On the House" Solo drums (2005) ThatSwan! Records 1004
*"Jimmy Bennington/ Julian Priester- Portraits and Silhouettes", (2007) ThatSwan! Records 1005

References

*Chris DeLaurenti "James Bennington", "The Stranger", Seattle, WA, Feb 9, 2006
*David Dupont "Jimmy Bennington - Our Dialogue + Midnight Choir", "One Final Note" Review, July 2005
*Jack Gold "Meet Drummer Jimmy Bennington", "All About Jazz", April, 2005
*"Jimmy Bennington/Julian Priester - Portraits and Silhouettes", "All About Jazz New York", October 2007
*Stuart Kremsky "Portraits and Silhouettes - Jimmy Bennington/ Julian Priester", "Cadence", April May June 2008
*Lewis Porter "Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians" compiled by at Rutgers University, 2007
*Howard Reich "Priester Returns to the South Side Full of Adventure", "Chicago Tribune", July 8, 2007

External links

* [http://www.benningtonjazz.com/ Artist's web site]
* [http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS/porter/b_list.html#Bennington Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians]
* [http://www.centerstagechicago.com/music/whoswho/JimmyBennington.html Who's Who Chicago]
* [http://www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/b/bennington-jimmy/our-dialogue.asp Midnight Choir / Our Dialogue Review]
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=17302 All About Jazz Interview with Jimmy Bennington]