Hello,
I'm Ben Somers, composer, musician and educator. I'm also visually impaired
You’re likely to catch me running the streets of London or the city you live in (literally!, it’s how I stay sane on the road and the best way to get my bearings on visiting somewhere new) or walking with a double bass or saxophone strapped to my back.
I enjoy getting out into the countryside but I have to admit to loving London for its diversity and odd balance of filth and opulence.
One of my favourite times of the day is wandering back from a gig through the city when there’s no one around.
In this age of virtual communication I feel very strongly about real, human communication so if you see me wandering around London, or your city please say hi.
I’m pretty hard to miss as it’s seldom I’m without an instrument stuck to me
BEN.
If you fancy reading more about my style and music...
My primary instruments are Double Bass, Saxophone and Voice. I play across the genres of Jazz, Folk and Roots music with specialist interests in Bluegrass, New Orleans Jazz, Old Time, Alpine Folk, Western Swing and Celtic Folk.
The commonalities between these musical styles are collaborative musicianship and community tradition. I am drawn to music that is both immediate and complex: joyful and compelling to audiences, without compromising on artistic expression and nuance. I have created four ensembles through which to explore my interests, composing original music for each as well as celebrating traditional repertoire.
My compositions require musicians to listen and interact closely with one another whilst bringing their own voice and influences the performance. As an educator, I aim to develop musicians as both sympathetic and individual; encouraging students to find their own unique sound as well as an understanding of how to sit and blend with their fellow players.
In the last few years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of my heroes such as Dr John, Dirk Powell, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, The Time-Jumpers and a few others, other credits include Taylor Swift, Seal, Jonathon Edwards and more. I’ve also developed some new heroes amongst my peers.
My main passion in life is to make music with others who take it as seriously and love it as much as I do.