Ben Ratliff (born 1968 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) is an American journalist, music critic and author. Ratliff is the son of an English mother and an American father, growing up in London and in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

. From 1996 to 2016, he wrote about pop music and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. He is the author of four books: ''Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty'' (2016), ''The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music'' (2008), ''Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings'' (2002), and a critical biography of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

(''The Story of a Sound,'' 2007), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His articles have appeared in ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' , ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', '' Spin'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'', '' Slate'' and ''Lingua Franca''. In 2005, he received the Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for "Excellence in Newspaper, Magazine or Online Writing" from the

Jazz Journalists Association The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2016, it has approximately 250 members, including professional journalists, students, ind ...

. From 2012 to 2016, he was a regular host of ''

'' popcast. He teaches cultural criticism at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Ratliff earned a B.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1990.

Publications

* ''Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty.'' Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2016. * ''The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music.'' Times Books, New York, 2008. * ''Coltrane: The Story of a Sound.'' Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2007. * ''The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz''. Times Books, New York, 2002.

References

External links

Official website

Interview with Pitchfork about ''Every Song Ever'', Feb 26, 2016

* ttp://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-algorithms-ruining-how-we-discover-music/ Interview about music algorithms on "What's the Point" podcast, fivethirtyeight.com, April 21, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratliff, Ben 1968 births Living people Jazz writers Journalists from New York City American music critics Writers from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni