Dancing About Architecture with Ben Black
The Seattle-based singer and composer reflects on familial influences, spiritual connections through music, and the transformative power of performance, while championing diversity in classical and contemporary spaces.
With a rich multicultural background and early exposure to diverse musical styles, Ben Black developed a broad appreciation for various types of music. They have released multiple albums, including their debut on Origin Records in 2001 titled Remembered Faces/Private Places, and have collaborated with notable artists such as Jay Clayton and the Fischer Ensemble. Beyond their music career, which spans jazz, opera, cabaret, and African drumming, Ben actively volunteers in the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Lawrence Peryer: What is your first memory of music?
Ben Black: On a pre-verbal level, the heartbeat of my mother as I bathed in her womb. Coming out of that, it was the piano in our home. My mom was a wonderful piano player.
Lawrence: You want someone to understand you. What song or album do you give them?
Ben: I would give them a copy of my newest album, Mystery and Wonder. It's a journey of healing and awakening.
Lawrence: What instrument(s) can you play?
Ben: Piano, shruti box, African drum.
Lawrence: What song, album, or artist never gets old for you?
Ben: Sarah Vaughan. In my opinion, she is one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Her voice was a wondrous gift, and she truly channeled divinity. That's why they called her The Divine One. She was also an incredible pianist. And I love a lot of pop and house music from the '80s.
Lawrence: What music do you and your significant other disagree about?
Ben: That's a good question. I have currently been single for a while. When I was partnered, we didn't have disagreements over music. My partners were Latino, and we often shared the same tastes.
Lawrence: What is a creative work or artist that you love or admire outside of music?
Ben: Stone sculptor Charles Parrish has been my neighbor at Yesler Terrace since 1999.
Lawrence: What instrument do you wish you could play?
Ben: I wish I could play guitar!
Lawrence: There's a band playing in heaven tonight. Who is in it?
Ben: Sarah Vaughan with an orchestra of strings conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
Lawrence: What was your first paycheck related to music?
Ben: $50 for singing at a jazz gig in my late teens.
Lawrence: What was your first concert?
Ben: Hearing my mom sing at Fort Carson army base in Colorado in the early '70s. She was in a vocal group called the Carsonettes. I remember hearing "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and the Cuban patriotic song "Guantanamera." Looking back, I find it interesting that my dad, as an army officer, had us all stationed at Fort Carson as he was preparing to go to Vietnam. As a family, we were living through some incredible times. I remember hearing the military bands back then as well. I have always loved the sound of live performances, vocal and instrumental. There was a certain energy of goodness when the community gathered together in performance. The vibration was good.
Lawrence: What person, dead or alive, would you like to share a meal with (and which meal of the day)?
Ben: I'd like to share any meal with my great Armenian grandfather Giragos Harootunian. Though I did not know him growing up, I am fascinated by his life story, the trials he endured, and the struggles and triumphs of the Armenian people. He is alive in me and guiding me from the ancestral realm.
Lawrence: What is your theme song?
Ben: There are so many. I think a favorite would be Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." I love the lyric, "Long as I know how to love / I know I'll stay alive / I've got my life to live / and all my love to give / and I will survive." As a survivor of intergenerational clergy abuse by Catholic priests, this song is especially poignant and inspirational.
Lawrence: What was the last concert you saw?
Ben: I've had the good fortune to attend several classical music concerts at Benaroya Hall in Seattle with Byron Schenkman's organization, Sound Salon. I like what they are doing, centering queer and indigenous BIPOC artists.
Lawrence: Who is your musical hero?
Ben: There are so many, but someone who I admire and have gotten to know and love here locally is multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, and educator Denney Goodhew, who has traveled the globe teaching, performing, and recording. He has performed on and recorded over 50 albums.
Lawrence: When you were 15, your favorite artist, song, or album was:
Ben: Barbara Streisand- Yentl, Sarah Vaughan - At Mr. Kelly's, Nina Simone - In Concert.
Lawrence: Who is the biggest influence on your musical life?
Ben: My parents. My dad was a singer-songwriter, and my mother played the piano. They exposed me to a lot. My high school choir teacher recognized my gift for singing and nurtured it. He gave me a lot of the solos in our jazz choir.
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