•• benny bock

BENNY BOCK is a keyboardist, composer, producer and sound designer from Oakland, California. He was raised in a musical family: his grandmother, Betty Nudelman, was a music teacher and folk musician, his mother plays guitar and piano, and his father has an extensive record collection. Growing up in the Bay Area, Benny was fascinated by traditional blues and folk music as well as the rich legacy of electronic music in the area from the 60’s and 70’s. He worked at a synthesizer repair shop in Oakland after graduating from Berkeley High School, where he played in the Jazz Ensemble. During his first year at Oberlin Conservatory he began working for synth pioneer Tom Oberheim. At Oberlin, Benny studied with jazz pianist Dan Wall and classical music theorists Brian Alegant and Arnie Cox, as well as ethnomusicologist Fredera Hadley. He also studied piano tuning and design at the Conservatory’s piano shop. After graduating in 2019, Benny decamped to Los Angeles where he now resides.

Benny has performed live with Gary Bartz, Giveton Gelin, David Baerwald, Ed Reed, Chris Amberger, and Dayna Stephens, and has appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s, Jazz Standard, and Yoshi’s. Recent collaborators include Sam Gendel, The Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston, and The Weeknd, for whom he co-wrote the Dawn FM song “Here We Go…Again” (featuring Tyler, The Creator). Benny’s debut album, Vanishing Act is out June 10th, 2022, on Colorfield Records.

RELEASE DATE: 06.10.22
CATALOG #: CF004
DIGITAL $10 | VINYL LP $27.99

Limited pressing of 500. Vinyl album is 150g black vinyl, mastered by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio and manufactured by Record Industry Inc (RTI). Vinyl is ready to ship, and includes a digital download in your choice of MP3, FLAC, WAV and other formats.

On his debut album, Vanishing Act, keyboardist and composer Benny Bock conjures the contrasts of living in big city and small town environments, infusing ambient jazz and folkloric arrangements with bristling electronic urgency. Out of improvised recording sessions with producer/engineer Pete Min and a host of acclaimed musicians, Bock has created a spellbinding instrumental cycle, channeling the feelings of existing in these spaces of chaos or calm.