Ben Thomas

Sometimes, I play vibes. Sometimes, I play percussion. Sometimes, I don't play at all because I'd rather dance instead. My current projects span jazz, Brazilian, tango, Latin jazz, rock and chamber music. My dad played drums, so I started playing percussion about twenty years ago. I graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in math and music. After that, I went to the University of Michigan for my masters in improvisation and I'm finishing my doctorate in percussion performance at the University of Washington. I have three albums out on Origin Records . They contain all original material - mostly modern jazz with some fun meters and harmonic material mixed with Latin jazz. My day gig is teaching music theory and history at a community college. And I am available for children's parties... Recently, I bought a bandoneon and have started learning tango tunes on it. If only the vibraphone was this portable! Check out my website at www.malletman.com .