Ben Shepherd - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Ben Shepherd first started out playing drums at age five by being inspired by drum legends such as Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Alex Acuna just to name a few. By the time he was 7 years old he took up the Bass Guitar after Hearing Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. Ben kept playing the Bass Night and Day and eventually got put into the school band after the original Bass Player moved schools. The music that the school band played was mainly rock orientated so he was listening to the music of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Black Sabboth, Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, The Who, Cream and many more. At that stage he had developed a good sense of groove for his age from studying and listening to the Bass work of Jack Bruce, John Entwisle, Guy Pratt and also Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius. Ben continued playing in the school bands in primary school till he entered Intermediate, which is where his Jazz career began. The music teacher was keen to start up a Jazz group, so to get them influenced she took them to see a lunch time Jazz concert at the Massey Jazz School where Ben saw Paul Dyne play for the first time and instantly wanted to play Jazz.Since the age of 12 Ben has been playing Jazz gigs on both Upright and Electric Bass in and out of Wellington. He has played with musicians such as:Leigh JacksonKirsten MacKenzieRoger SellersJosh HindmarshAnita Van DykeGeorge WestruppAnthony WaittsCharmaine FordLance PhillipJames WylieMiles CrayfordMatty SiewChris SilvesterMatt MulhollandBarrett HockingCaleb RobinsonAndre ParisSteve BremnerDale JellimanOwen ClarkeSteven BarryWade SharpMyele ManzanzaVaughn RobertsBlair LathamNick Van DykeKimbraDylan EliseChris WrattHayden LyneyJared TongMatt Dal DinMicheal CrawfordMaurice PhillipsLeon PhillipsenJarden CraferJimmy GardenAndrew BruceLorenzo PradelRichard WiseDaniel HaylesZe’ev DikvertZak DikvertNeil BillingtonIan ParkerThe New Zealand High Schools Jazz OrchestraThe Wellington Schools Symphonic BandThe Royal New Zealand Central Airforce BandThe Royal New Zealand Central Airforce Big Bandand many more...In 2008 Ben will be studying at the California Institute of The Arts (CalArt) In Valencia, California with Jazz legends Charlie Haden, Alphonso Johnson, Larry Koonse, Joe LaBarbera and much more. Ben is the youngest to get accepted to the programme aswell as: the only international Bass Player, the first Jazz musician form New Zealand to study there and in CalArt history the first international student to get in that is just coming out of high school. Ben will be spending his time there doing a 4 year degree in Jazz Bass. You will be sure to see him in the near future.

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Member Since: 04/07/2006
Band Website: www.yatrarecords.com
Band Members:

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Influences: My Parents: Jonathon and Linda Shepherd. In New Zealand: Leigh Jackson, Nick Tipping, Tim Robertson, Charmaine Ford, Vaughn Roberts, Roger Fox, Wade Sharp, Owen Clarke, George Westrupp, Lance Phillip, Anthony Waits, Peter Koopman, Robert Edgecombe, Kirsten McKensie, Matty Siew, Matt Mulholland, Chris Sylvester, Max Stowers, Caleb Robinson.International: Chick Corea, Keith Jarret, Herbie Hancock, Lyle Mays, Chester Thompson, Joe Sample, Russel Ferante, Bill Evans, Michel Petruchiani, Alan Broadbent, Joe Zawinal, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Cannonball Aderley, Joshua Redman, Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Wayne Shorter, Grover Washington Jr, Wallace Rooney, Randy Brecker, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Rosenwinkle, George Benson, Steve Vai, Larry Carlton, David Gilmore, Lee Ritneour, Joe Satriani, George Harrison, Stanley Jordan, Michael Hedges, Greg Howe, Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, Al DiMeola, John Maclaughlin, Christian McBride, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Steve Harris, Stanley Clarke, Jeff Schimdt, Michael Manring, Rocco Prestia, Bill Dickens, Flea, Charlie Haden, Ray Brown, Milt Hinton, Oteil Burbridge, John Patitucci, Jimmy Haslip, Richard Bona, Gerald Veasley, Victor Bailey, Steve Bailey,Billy Sheehan, Tony Levin, Rufus Reid, Eddie Gomez, Stu Hamm, Adam Nitti, Dominique DiPiazza, Paul McCartney, Marcus Miller, Rhonda Smith, Gail Ann Dorsey, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, Bobby Watson, Will Lee, Stefan Lesard, Stanley Banks, Anthony Jackson, Brian Bromberg, Guy Pratt, Pino Palldino, Nathan East, Jeff Berlin, Jack Bruce, Roger Glover, John Enthwistle, Darryl Jones, Chuck Rainey, Verdine White, Abe Laboriel, Lee Sklar, Steve Rodby, Dave Weckl, Buddy Rich, Antonio Sanchez, David Garabaldi, Dennis Chambers, Tony Williams, Lenny White, Kelly Gravely, Harvey Mason, Billy Cobham, Gerry Brown, Alex Acuna, Peter Erskine, Greg Bisonette, Thomas Lang, Antonio Sanchez.
Sounds Like: The gear I use: Basses: 6 string Ibanez BTB Fretted Washburn 5 string Fretless Ibanez Sound Gear SR400 4 string Upright Bass with Underwood pickupRig: Hughes and Kettner 250 watt QC310 1x10 comboEffects: Zoom 607 bass multi effects Akai Headrush delay/loop pedal Aphex Bass Aural Exciter Boss Super Chorus PedalStrings: Curt Managan Fusion Star: 6 string 29-125 5 string 40-125 4 string 40-100 Upright Bass: Thomastic Spirocore Weich
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Record Label: Yatra Records
Type of Label: Indie

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Check out this event: Ben Shepherd CD RELEASE/FAREWELL CONCERT

Hosted By: Ben Shepherd When: 23 Feb 2008, 19:00Where: Tawa CollegeDuncan StreetTawa, New ZealandDescription:Ben Shepherd Click Here To View Event
Posted by on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:15:00 GMT

Review by Simon Mace

Ben Shepherd: Pimp my Bass At first glance Ben Shepherd seems like an ordinary high school student. The kind of student that just goes to school, does his work, passes his exams and leaves it at that....
Posted by on Sat, 12 May 2007 19:54:00 GMT