BEN BYNUM
Drummer/Percussionist/Producer
Drummer/Percussionist/Producer
drummer/percussionist/educator
Biography
Born in New Hampshire and raised in Long Island, percussionist Benjamin Bynum became involved with music at a young age. He briefly studied
violin and piano early on, but at age 10 discovered his love for the
drums.
He quickly began playing with local rock groups and subbed for wedding bands. By the age of 14 he was also playing percussion with local orchestras. At 17 he had his first performance in Carnegie Hall as the principal timpanist of the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra. Around this time Bynum also attended the Juilliard School preparatory division, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the New York All-State Symphony Orchestra.
After high school, Ben continued his classical percussion studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he was a scholarship student of Will Hudgins. The following year he transferred to SUNY Stony Brook where, in addition to percussion, he minored in piano and studied conducting. It was at this time that he also became more active in the New York scene as a jazz and studio drummer. Upon graduation he was awarded the Maresca Prize for Distinction in Music Performance.
In 2005 Bynum moved to New York City and has since performed with artists including Sharon Jones, Santessa, Lonnie Plaxico, Bakithi Kumalo, Ray Anderson, and Glenn Drewes. He is currently the percussionist with Nellie McKay and can be heard on her latest album, "Home Sweet Mobile Home" (Verve). He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Monterey Jazz Festival, and many more. His personal mentors include Jack Snyder, Paul Vaillancourt, Jeff Milarsky, and Ari Hoenig. His parents aren't too bad either.
He quickly began playing with local rock groups and subbed for wedding bands. By the age of 14 he was also playing percussion with local orchestras. At 17 he had his first performance in Carnegie Hall as the principal timpanist of the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra. Around this time Bynum also attended the Juilliard School preparatory division, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the New York All-State Symphony Orchestra.
After high school, Ben continued his classical percussion studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he was a scholarship student of Will Hudgins. The following year he transferred to SUNY Stony Brook where, in addition to percussion, he minored in piano and studied conducting. It was at this time that he also became more active in the New York scene as a jazz and studio drummer. Upon graduation he was awarded the Maresca Prize for Distinction in Music Performance.
In 2005 Bynum moved to New York City and has since performed with artists including Sharon Jones, Santessa, Lonnie Plaxico, Bakithi Kumalo, Ray Anderson, and Glenn Drewes. He is currently the percussionist with Nellie McKay and can be heard on her latest album, "Home Sweet Mobile Home" (Verve). He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Monterey Jazz Festival, and many more. His personal mentors include Jack Snyder, Paul Vaillancourt, Jeff Milarsky, and Ari Hoenig. His parents aren't too bad either.