Ben Darwish

“Time, touch, taste, imagination, work ethic, a nefarious sense of humor and an all-round good hang -- in regards to the chair, I think that pretty much covers it with Ben.” -Gino Vannelli Based in Los Angeles, Ben Darwish is a musician with many different facets. Fluent in all keyboards, he is also a composer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and musical director. Trained as a jazz pianist, he is able to create a vast range of sounds and textures but has the musicality to pair it down to a simple pop lick when appropriate. Darwish is currently touring with platinum-selling artist Mike Posner. H has worked with electro-pop artists Mackintosh Braun and spent two years performing with world class bassist Damian Erskine. He has performed with Gino Vannelli, the million-selling pop/soul/rock singer and songwriter, and other renowned musicians such as Reggie Watts, Lady Rizo, Thara Memory, and bassist John Clayton. He was recently musical director for Huh What & Where recording artist Reva DeVito. He received a Bachelor of Music in 2007 from the University of Oregon and was awarded "Outstanding Undergraduate Performer in Jazz Studies”. In 2008, he received a Downbeat Award for Outstanding Big Band Performance. He was the winner of the 2010 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award for his composition “Under The Bright Red Sky” and received the 2011 Individual Artist Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. He experienced a very rewarding stay as an artist-in-resident at Oregon's Caldera Arts to compose new works and has performed at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s internationally recognized Time Based Art Festival two years in a row. In 2012, he was successful in raising over $10,000 through US Artists to record the first Morning Ritual album, “The Clear Blue Pearl”, featuring Shook Twins. Most recently, he won a 2013 project grant from Regional Arts and Culture Council to produce his new multimedia performance piece, “The Lonely Night”. He is endorsed by Nord and Moog keyboards. LA-based producer and composer. Keyboards and band leader for Mike Posner.