The Chicago Sun Times referred to him as a “Renaissance man cast adrift in a modern world,” while the London Times has called him “The first existential jazz rapper.”

Long-time Wisconsin resident Ben Sidran has earned international recognition as a Grammy nominated pianist, singer, composer, organist, producer and author.

He was born in Chicago in 1943, but raised in Racine. Sidran attended UW-Madison where he formed The Ardells with fellow students, Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs.. Sidran earned his degree in English Lit, then went to England for his PhD.  While there, he was a session musician for The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton and Charlie Watts.

 Returning to the US in 1967, he rejoined forces with Miller in Los Angeles, and after re-establishing himself as a recording artist, moved back to Madison.

As both a jazz and rock musician, Sidran’s recording credits include albums with Mose Allison, Van Morrison, Diana Ross, and Rickie Lee Jones, as well as more than 20 discs of his own on the Arista, Go Jazz and Nardis record labels.  He’s also known as an accomplished producer, college lecturer, and author. Books include: “Black Talk”, (black music in America), his memoir “A Life in Music”, “Talking Jazz” (historic interviews with jazz musicians) and his most recent “Jews, Music and the American Dream.”

Sidran also produced “Sidran on Record” an award-winning NPR program spanning 5 years of interviews with jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Art Blakey and more.