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 can exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. As the Artistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence of the Jazz Composers Collective, Ben has produced or co- produced 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 residency at 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.

Born in 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut, Ben has performed the world over with musicians ranging from oudist Ara Dinkjian to saxophonist Lee Konitz to legendary performance artist Joey Arias. He has appeared on over 40 albums by various artists and has written music for film, national television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show On the Media (which boasts a listernship of over 1,000,000 people per week) and the score for Two Days, a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donald Margulies. He was a featured artist with the Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra of Sao Paulo in 2005 and 2008. 

Jenny Scheinman, photo byMichael Willson

Guitarist Steve Cardenas is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and has been an integral part of the jazz community in New York City since 1995. He has performed and recorded with the Paul Motian Octet + 1, the Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, and Joey Baron's quartet Killer Joey, among many others. Steve has appeared on over 25 CDs by various artists and has released two recordings as a leader, Panoramic (2002) and Shebang (1999). In May 2010, Steve’s third CD will be released by Sunnyside Records. Steve teaches at New School University in New York City, where he leads the Thelonious Monk Ensemble and gives private lessons. In 2002, he collaborated with editor Don Sickler on The Thelonious Monk Fakebook (Hal Leonard Publishing), which marks the first time sheet music of all of Monk's compositions have been published in one volume, with many being printed for the first time.

Trumpeter Shane Endsley is originally from Denver, Colorado, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Downbeat Magazine named him as one of the "Top 25" trumpeters of his generation in 2007. He can be found on recordings ranging from modern instrumentalists Steve Coleman, Dave Binney, and Donny McCaslin, to folk and rock icons like Ani DiFranco, Erin McKeown, and Pearl Jam. Most often he is working with the electro- acoustic quintet Kneebody, whose next CD is set to be released in March 2010 on the Winter and Winter label. Shane has performed frequently with world music influenced bands such as the 10-piece Slavic Soul Party, Scott Kettner of Nation Beat Orchestra and Maracatu NY.

Drummer Rudy Royston, a native of Ft. Worth, Texas, was raised in Denver, Colorado. He grew up playing drums in church and began studying music in elementary school. As a sophomore in high school, Rudy attended the Telluride Jazz Camp on scholarship and then studied classical percussion and jazz performance at the University of Denver with his mentor, trumpeter Ron Miles. While in Denver, Rudy performed with local legends Dale Bruning, Fred Hess, Dotsero, Leslie Drayton, Joe Keel, Nelson Rangell, as well as internationally-renowned guitarist Bill Frisell, with whom he still plays. He taught music in the Denver public school system for 10 years before relocating to the East Coast in 2006 to pursue graduate studies in music at Rutgers University. Since moving to New Jersey, he has performed with artists such as Javon Jackson, Les McCann, JD Allen, Sean Jones, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jennifer Holiday, Jeremy Pelt, Bruce Barth, Don Byron, and Jason Moran.

The Green Mill is located at 4802 N. Broadway Ave in Chicago. Call 773-878-5552 or visit www.greenmilljazz.com for more information.