Bio

Ben Krakauer is a banjo player and composer rooted in bluegrass, jazz, and new acoustic music. He has toured with David Grisman, was a founding member of Old School Freight Train, and has recorded for Acoustic Disc, Adhyâropa Records, CMH Records, and the Fiddle Masters series. His solo albums, Heart Lake (2019) and Hidden Animals (2023) feature original compositions for banjo, fiddle, bass, drums, and cello. Ben is also an ethnomusicologist and Assistant Professor of Music and Chair of the music department at Warren Wilson College.

“Ben Krakauer is one of my favorite banjo players and favorite human beings. His banjo playing is incredibly swinging, grooving, and wildly inventive, but always grounded in the best of tradition. He’s got a fertile brain and I love talking to him about all things musical. Check him out right now!” - Matt Glaser, jazz violinist & Artistic Director of the American Roots Music Program at Berklee College of Music

Reviews of Hidden Animals (2023)

“A sheer delight that explores that rarified territory where bluegrass, jazz and new acoustic music overlap…Krakauer’s original instrumental compositions are vividly melodic and rhythmically structured yet also chock-full of soulfulness and emotion…The resulting compositions and instrumental arrangements are nearly irresistible as they range across various dimensions of moods, emotions and reveries” - Bluegrass Unlimited

“Hidden Animals is a beautiful hybrid creature…an especially urbane take on string band jazz” - WMOT Roots Radio

“A free-wheeling set…there are passages like the title track where a cheerfully jaunty melody becomes a jazz workout, and sections where the banjo eases back…An engaging and original set” - Songlines

“Very creative and highly inventive" - The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast

“Absolutely incredible…a beautiful work of art” - The Mandolins and Beer Podcast

"Pushing musical boundaries" - Blue Ridge Outdoors

Reviews of Heart Lake (2019)

"It's a distinctive genre-jumping sound, simple but rarely straight-forward, one that allows each of the players to contribute in subtle yet suggestive ways...Subtlety and complexity coexist within the framework of each of these entries, offering a new musical experience for your ears. Kudos to Krakauer for providing such an intriguing set of songs, one that broadens the bluegrass boundaries while also piercing further parameters in the process." - Bluegrass Today

"The compositions are inventive and the playing is top-notch." - C-VILLE Weekly

"Ben is an extraordinarily creative force on the instrument, and this recording has his variety of musical influences on full display." - The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast