Ben Allison is one of those folks that Joel Dorn used to call "one of a kind motherf***ers" He is a composer, bassist and bar owner. At the age of twenty-five, Ben formed the Jazz Composers Collective — a musician-run, non-profit organization based in New York City that is dedicated to constructing an environment where artists canexercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. As theArtistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence of the Jazz Composers Collective, Ben has produced or coproduced over 100 concerts and special events, including the Collective's annual concert series (which ran for eleven seasons), national and international tours by Collective artists, an on-going Collective residencyat the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, NYC), and an annual "Jazz Composers Collective Festival" at the Jazz Standard — which has drawn international attention as a mainstay of New York City's musical life. As a member of the Collective Ben has received commissioning, performing, and recording grants from Chamber Music America, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aaron Copland Foundation, Meet the Composer, and the American Composers Forum. His music is Jazz for folks who don't think they like Jazz. Think Ellington through Neil Young. He has just released a great new record.Check it out if you can. Shot at Kush in Bowery NYC.

In the Portaits of Genius photo essay.