Ben Wendel: Assembling the Mallet Avengers

Today we put The Tonearm's needle on Ben Wendel.Ben is a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer, and co-founder of Kneebody, with a discography that covers post-bop, chamber jazz, and electronic music. He's worked with Bill Frisell, Tigran Hamasyan, Terence Blanchard, and yes, Prince.His new album BaRcoDe just dropped on Edition Records. It's built around a concept that's hard to pull off: four of the most in-demand vibraphonists working today—Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Patricia Brennan, and Juan Diego Villalobos—surrounding one saxophonist. The group developed the music across two residencies at The Jazz Gallery in New York City, and the result is something that sits between chamber music and jazz improvisation, with electronics running through all of it.Ben's here to walk us through how this project came together and what it took to write for an ensemble like this.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Ben Wendel's album BaRcoDe)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Ben Wendel at benwendel.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase Ben Wendel's BaRcoDe from Edition Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.BaRcoDe — Postgenre reviewBaRcoDe — PopMatters reviewKneebody — Ben Wendel's long-running band; Reach (2025) includes "Repeat After Me," also recorded on BaRcoDeThe Jazz GalleryThe Jazz Gallery — the New York venue where BaRcoDe was commissioned and developed across two residencies (2023 and 2025)Ensemble MembersJoel Ross — iplayvibes.com | Blue Note Records pageSimon Moullier — simonmoullier.comPatricia Brennan — patriciabrennanvibes.com | The Tonearm InterviewJuan Diego Villalobos — juandiegovibes.comMusical Influences and ReferencesSō Percussion — the Grammy-winning new-music percussion quartet whose members came up with Wendel at the Eastman School of Music; a key inspiration for BaRcoDeAntônio Carlos Jobim — "Olha Maria" — one of Wendel's favorite compositions of all time; the sole non-original on the albumKit Downes — British pianist and organist on ECM Records; a loose inspiration for "Birds Ascend"Aidan O'Rourke — Scottish fiddle player and composer; also a loose inspiration for "Birds Ascend"The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin — Wendel paraphrases a line from this book when discussing the title BaRcoDeLos Angeles ConnectionsThe World Stage — performance and education space in Leimert Park Village, Los Angeles; co-founded by drummer Billy Higgins; a formative venue for WendelTerrace Martin — Wendel's high school friend and collaborator; hip-hop producer for Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg (verify URL before publishing)Billy Higgins — legendary jazz drummer and World Stage co-founder; an early mentor whose spirit Wendel also invokes when describing the Village VanguardFurther Reading / ListeningJohn Patitucci — bassist scheduled to guest with Wendel at the Village Vanguard in JulyUnderstory: Live at the Village Vanguard — Ben Wendel (Edition, 2024)All One — Ben Wendel (Edition, 2023) — Grammy-nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.