American trumpeter, vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay performs at Babylon on Thursday 01 October as part of the 36th Akbank Jazz Festival. A singular figure in contemporary creative music, Gay draws from jazz, blues, funk, experimental composition and musical traditions from across the African diaspora, developing a body of work that resists straightforward categorisation. His performances are rooted in improvisation, treating composition as an evolving conversation rather than a fixed form. Tickets are available via Biletix.
Based in Chicago, Ben LaMar Gay has become an important presence within the city’s internationally influential experimental music community. Although he spent many years working primarily as a collaborator, his solo work has received widespread critical recognition through albums such as Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun, Open Arms to Open Us and Certain Reveries. Across these recordings, he moves effortlessly between chamber jazz, spiritual music, folk traditions, avant-garde improvisation and cinematic soundscapes, reflecting a broad understanding of both American musical history and global traditions.
Alongside his solo career, Gay has collaborated with a wide range of artists across jazz, contemporary classical and experimental music, contributing to projects that emphasise collective improvisation and interdisciplinary performance. His compositions frequently balance intricate arrangements with openness, allowing individual musicians to reshape the music in real time while maintaining a strong melodic identity.
Live, Ben LaMar Gay’s performances are marked by spontaneity and close interaction between performers, making each concert distinct from the last. Rather than presenting jazz as a fixed tradition, his work treats it as a living practice that continues to absorb new influences, offering audiences an expansive and deeply personal vision of contemporary improvised music. To stay up to date, make sure to follow Babylon. Tickets are available via Biletix.
Merkez, Silahşör Caddesi & Birahane Sokak Tarihi Bomonti Bira Fabrikası No:1, 34384 Şişli
