BEN GERSTEIN was born and raised into a musical-artistic family in Santa Barbara, California, November 7, 1977. He began performing on the trombone by the age of 12, receiving awards and recognition as a soloist in festivals and competitions around the country throughout his teens. He attended the Manhattan School of Music on full scholarship from 1995-99 as a jazz major and has lived in New York City ever since. Since 2000, he has been involved in numerous collaborations and groups which tend to focus primarily on free-improvisation as the means of style, composition and general creative-spiritual unpredictability. "A conscious means to the subconscious..." (Stanislavski). Recently he as played a regular part in bands led by, among others, Tyshawn Sorey, Tony Malaby and Mat Maneri. Ben also works part-time as an executive and editorial assistant at The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music and teaches chess and piano privately.

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