Ben Williams of New York City is an acclaimed bassist, bandleader, performer, music educator, and composer who has performed with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Pat Metheny, David Sanborn, Chaka Kahn, Pharrell, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Benny Golson, and Stefon Harris. He recently completed his film debut with Don Cheadle in Miles Davis’ biopic, “Miles Ahead”. In 2013, Williams won his first Grammy Award with the Pat Metheny Unity Band for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. That same year, he recorded with Metheny, and performed 157 concerts in over 30 cities throughout the world with Metheny in 2014, earning his stripes as a true road warrior. He considers his experience with Metheny as transformative: “Pat has been a great influence on my writing and arranging. He is one of the greatest composers alive. Seeing him work behind the scenes is unbelievably amazing. He is an incredible genius. I aspire to become the type of leader that he is because he has pushed me beyond what I thought I could do.”