Ben Besiakov, also Ben Besiakow (born October 27, 1956,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

) is a Danish jazz pianist and keyboardist.

Background

Besiakov played in jazz and

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

ensembles starting in the early 1970s, including the groups Buki-Yamaz, Creme Fraiche, Engine, Soul Service, and Space Train. He led his own trio ensemble, which recorded for

SteepleChase Records SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, w ...

, and in 1990 was awarded the

Ben Webster Prize The Ben Webster Prize is an annual jazz award set up by the Ben Webster Foundation to honour Denmark, Danish and United States, American jazz musicians as well as other professionals active in the promotion of jazz in those countries. The American ...

. He also played in groups led by Bent Jaedig,

Jonas Johansen Jonas Johansen (born 22 March 1985) is a retired Norwegian footballer who signed for Tromsdalen in 2010, Johansen's strongest position is central defender but can also play in defence midfield and attacking midfield. In his career, he has play ...

, Uffe Markussen, and

Jens Winther Jens Winther (29 October 1960 – 24 February 2011) was a Danish jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader. He composed for and played in a long line of European big bands and other orchestras. His work includes compositions for symphony ...

Career

Besiakov has performed and recorded with musicians such as

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Al Foster Aloysius Tyrone Foster (January 18, 1943 – May 28, 2025) was an American jazz drummer. Foster's professional career began in the mid-1960s, when he played and recorded with hard bop and Swing music, swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and ...

, Tomas Franck,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...

, Celso Mendes, James Moody, Caecilie Norby,

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk (Connecticut), Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. Aft ...

Doug Raney Doug Raney (August 29, 1956 – May 1, 2016) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the son of jazz guitarist Jimmy Raney. Career Raney was born in New York City. He began to play the guitar when he was 14, beginning with rock and blues. He was ...

Conny Sjöqvist Conny is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Men * Conny Andersson (footballer) (born 1945), Swedish former footballer * Conny Andersson (racing driver) (born 1939), Swedish former racing driver * Conny Joh ...

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

, and

Jesper Thilo Jesper Thilo (born 28 November 1941) is a Danish jazz musician, mainly known as a tenor saxophonist, alto saxophonist and clarinetist. He is considered to be one of the top European straight-ahead jazz musicians of the post-1970 period. Ben ...

. He also played at the Copenhagen Club La Fontaine in the 60s and 70s.

Discography

As leader *''You Stepped Out Of A Dream'' (SteepleChase, 1990) *''Hey, Why Don’t We Play Mack The Knife Real Slow And In B Minor'' (Stunt, 1991) *''Choo Choo'' (Stunt, 1998) *''Aviation'' (Stunt, 2001) With

*'' Blue and White'' (SteepleChase, 1984) *'' Lazy Bird'' (SteepleChase, 1984) *'' Something's Up'' (SteepleChase, 1988) With

*''West Coast Blues'' (Music Mecca)

References

*Frank Büchmann-Møller, "Ben Besiakov". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, 2001, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Besiakov, Ben 1956 births Living people Danish jazz pianists Musicians from Copenhagen 21st-century Danish pianists Danish people of United States Virgin Islands descent Ben Webster Prize recipients