We recently connected with Ben Sutin and have shared our conversation below.
Ben, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
As a jazz violinist I have gone through and continue to struggle with being fully accepted and embraced in the jazz world as being legitimate. Jazz violin has become so incredibly alienated and it’s easy to get lost in the negative preceptions and presumptions about what the instrument is capable of or its place in the genre. One on hand, while I understand some of the alienation, one thing that has always inspired me about the history of jazz violin is how almost every jazz violinist you can name has a very uniquely distinct sound and style that they can call their own. While this is of course true of other instruments, too, we by and large have a much smaller pool to draw from. As a result we’re often put into different boxes. I’ve learned to tune out the hate and ignore these labels and instead focus on my own uniquely creative and individual voice, guided and inspired by lineage of jazz violin greats that came before me. I’ve additionally spent a considerable amount of time studying the jazz vocabulary as a whole, not specific to the violin and as a result have challenged the stereotypes. My philosophy is that I’m a jazz musician who happens to play the violin, not a violinist who plays jazz. In this way, the narrative is shifted as I firmly believe jazz is a language and violin just happens to be my voice and vehicle used to express myself through the jazz idiom. Through perseverance, showing by example and education I hope to continue making a difference in how the instrument is perceived and embraced in the jazz world at large.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As mentioned before, I’m a jazz violinist, composer and educator. I’ve been residing in NYC for over 12 years. I received my BM in Jazz Violin from Manhattan School of Music in 2015 and am currently finishing up my M.M. in Multi Style Strings from NJCU. I’m also very grateful to have won 3rd prize in the 2022 Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition.
Last March I recorded my fourth album as a leader, Mr. Inevitable. The album features my good friend Ben Rosenblum on piano and accordion, Chris Tordini on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums, released February, 9th, 2024 on the MEII Enterprises label. Mr. Inevitable is a collection of original compositions expressing the peaks and valleys of life through music. Each song represents an emotional theme depicting various tropes of the universal human experience. They are written and performed through the lens of my own personal perspectives and the collective interpretations of the musicians on the album. Each song is inspired by a collage of the wide array of the musical influences─music from Latin America, Klezmer, rock ‘n’ roll, and more─and cultural roots that have made my musical voice what it is today, all through the lens of the jazz idiom. The album is available on all major digital platforms including here on bandcamp: https://bensutinmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mr-inevitable.
In addition to writing and performing my own music, I work as a freelance gigging violinist around the greater NYC area and am also very passionate about music education. I teach every Saturday at Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Program in the jazz division (private lessons, jazz theory and improvisation classes as well as coaching an ensemble). I also have a remote private jazz violin teaching studio of over ten students and growing, fostering the next generation of young budding jazz violinists from around the country.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would organize the qualities that have had the most impact on me into three categories:
The first is I call the 3D’s: a sense of determination/dedication/discipline. It is imperative to stay focused, be passionate and have full commitment to your craft. Talent alone won’t get you anywhere. Without those qualities, one cannot make the progress necessary to learn, grow, improve and ultimately blossom. It’s easy to feel discouraged sometimes and that’s OK as we are all just human beings. What’s helped me is sometimes reminding myself that life (and especially life as a musician or artist) is a journey and that there is no final destination – we are constantly learning and growing until the day we are gone and all we can ever do is give our best every day, however much that might happen to be. Sometimes doing your best is giving your body the rest it needs in order to keep on keeping on, as long as you keep putting one step in front of the other day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. These traits will help build the foundation that will lead to the confidence and competence necessary to succeed.
Next is patience, trust and optimism. Pivoting off the previous paragraph, regardless how much hard work we put into what we do, I have found that life as an artist can get rather stressful rather quickly if we don’t have a sense of patience and trust in the process. Some things take a long time to manifest. It’s just as important to take a step away from the grind and have faith that things will one day come to fruition. It’s hard to see clearly when we create no space between us and the thing we are looking at. One of the best life lessons I’ve learned from my mother is to always find the silver lining in everything. Even in what might seem like our biggest of failures or lowest of low’s, there is always SOMETHING we can learn from it if we allow ourselves to remain open.
Speaking of reaming open, the last pillar is open-mindedness, creativity and modesty. Along with the discipline of creating results and the faith that it’ll come to fruition, it’s so incredibly important to keep an open mind to the endless possibilities available to us – to be abundantly creative at all times. Likewise, it is also critical to have a strong sense of creative individuality, really knowing and honoring who you are and what your voice is. Discovering your voice comes through the process of first opening yourself up and exposing yourself to the all the world has to offer. As we filter out and find our place we can start to hone our individual voice within that, continuing to remain open to the many influences life has in store as this is how we continue to grow and develop – it all comes full circle. And finally, to put it quite bluntly, without modesty there is no room for growth. Opening doors, collaborating with others and enjoying the ride requires a softness, kindness, and vulnerability.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity to study with some jazz violin greats over the years including John Blake Jr, Rob Thomas, Christian Howes, Sara Caswell, Jeremy Kittel, Regina Carter and Joe Deninzon. I’ve grown tremendously in various ways from all of them, giving me the necessary tools and technqiues to not only improve as a violinist and jazz musician, but also how to circumvent the music industry in the 21st century to become better equipped at making my dreams come true. I also consider each and every one of them to be a roll model, instilling in me a plethora of invaluable humanistic wisdom, helping to shape me into the person I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bensutinmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bensutinmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bensutinmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJY8RwwMFhM9fAaBV1ZTwyQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=ben%20sutin
- Other: https://bensutinmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mr-inevitable
Image Credits
Bob Krasner (main photo) Photo credit in order from left to right of additional photos: Natalie Deryn Johnson, Jan Sileo, Jan Sileo, Jeremy Fletcher, Nina Westervelt, Boguslaw Wrobel, Boguslaw Wrobel, Jan Sileo
