Ben Jones and Laurence Hobgood
Ben Jones was most recently seen Off-Broadway in productions of Lissa Levin and Ron Abel’s Twist of Fate and Ray Roderick and Joseph Baker’s Brooklyn’s Bridge. An alumnus of both Chanticleer and Beach Blanket Babylon, Jones is an award-winning actor, singer, comedian and storyteller who has performed leading roles in over 20 productions, including Show Boat, The Soldier’s Tale, The Pajama Game, Tommy, Chicago and Sweeney Todd. He trained in acting, dance and music at the University of Illinois before completing graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a soloist, Ben has shared the stage with Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica Von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. His versatile voice has been featured on A Prairie Home Companion, on video games including Halo and Civilization, and on Carnegie Hall’s 2021 Voices of Hope Festival. With his one-man shows, Ben has headlined at clubs around the globe.
“One of the most unbelievable vocal instruments in the industry today.”
— BroadwayWorld
Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, Yamaha artist and Grammy Award-winner Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a 30+year career, including three consecutive Fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival (1990 – 92), being chosen as a 1995 Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts, a 2003 Deems Taylor Award given by ASCAP for the year’s outstanding music journalism, multiple Grammy Award nominations and a 2010 Grammy Award win. He’s played at many of the world’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the White House, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl, and the Sydney Opera House. For almost 20 years he served as pianist/arranger/collaborator/co-producer for singer Kurt Elling during which time he wrote virtually all of the material on Elling’s first ten albums, all of which received Grammy Award nominations.
“One of the finest pianists out there. Period.”
— Jazz Times
