Side-by-side portraits of Ben Jones and Laurence Hobgood; one in a denim shirt, the other wearing glasses.

Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood

A raw, transcendent, and electrifying 75-minute journey where improvised transitions weave beloved songs across genres into a seamless, one-of-a-kind experience

About the show

Critically-acclaimed vocalist Ben Jones and Grammy® Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Laurence Hobgood come together for an unforgettable evening that celebrates their shared love of music ranging across the Great American Songbook: Broadway, Classic Jazz, Pop, and Classic and Prog Rock. Their shared backgrounds and passions ignite a thrilling musical chemistry, infusing every song with vibrant, innovative interpretations. Jones and Hobgood will deliver fresh takes on genre-spanning classics – songs by Billy Strayhorn, Joni Mitchell, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stevie Wonder, Adam Guettel, Carole King, and even the Bee Gees – with unexpected twists and turns. Together, they create an evening of unparalleled artistry.

Laurence Hobgood playing a grand piano on stage while Ben Jones holds a microphone and sings.
Laurence Hobgood and Ben Jones posing in front of a Birdland Jazz Club backdrop

Birdland, New York City

Laurence Hobgood plays piano on stage in a large hall with ornate decor and curtains. Ben Jones stands next to the piano with a microphone, performing. The audience is visible in the foreground.
Laurence Hobgood and Ben Jones standing on stage in front of a red curtain and a Steinway piano, engaging in conversation, with microphones and music stands nearby.

Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago

Set List Highlights

“These two critically-acclaimed musicians put on a master class with stunningly beautiful and cerebral offerings of a wide range of genres and styles.”
— BroadwayWorld
“I would never say that there’s a definitive version of the song Lush Life, but this version that they did was certainly up there with the greatest I have ever heard.”
— BroadwayRadio
Black and white photo of Laurence Hobgood playing a grand piano while Ben Jones holds a microphone, singing, with an audience in the foreground.
Black and white image of Ben Jones singing into a microphone while Laurence Hobgood plays the piano.
A black and white photo of Laurence Hobgood playing a grand piano with sheet music on the stand, while Ben Jones is singing into a microphone next to him. An audience is visible in the foreground.
Laurence Hobgood and Ben Jones in suits standing together in front of a piano, engaged in conversation or presentation, and surrounded by an audience.

Piedmont Piano Company, Oakland

Ben Jones sitting in a wooden chair, wearing a gray sweater, jeans, and black boots, with a neutral expression, against a plain wall.
“One of the most unbelievable vocal instruments in the industry today.”
— BroadwayWorld

Ben Jones was most recently seen Off-Broadway in productions of Lissa Levin and Ron Abel's Twist of Fate and Ray Roderick and Joseph Baker’s Brooklyn's Bridge. An alumnus of both Chanticleer and Beach Blanket Babylon, Jones is an award-winning actor, singer, comedian and storyteller who has performed leading roles in over 20 productions, including Show Boat, The Soldier’s Tale, The Pajama Game, Tommy, Chicago and Sweeney Todd. He trained in acting, dance and music at the University of Illinois before completing graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a soloist, Ben has shared the stage with Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica Von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. His versatile voice has been featured on A Prairie Home Companion, on video games including Halo and Civilization, and on Carnegie Hall’s 2021 Voices of Hope Festival. With his one-man shows, Ben has headlined at clubs around the globe.

Laurence Hobgood wearing blue glasses and a gray jacket looking out of a window in a bright room.
“One of the finest pianists out there. Period.”
— Jazz Times

Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, Yamaha® artist and Grammy® winner Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a 30+year career, including three consecutive Fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival (1990 - 92), being chosen as a 1995 Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts, a 2003 Deems Taylor Award given by ASCAP for the year’s outstanding music journalism, multiple Grammy® nominations and a 2010 Grammy® Award. He's played at many of the world’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the White House, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl, and the Sydney Opera House. For almost 20 years he served as pianist/arranger/collaborator/co-producer for singer Kurt Elling during which time he wrote virtually all of the material on Elling's first ten albums, all of which received Grammy® nominations.

Documents

Tech Rider

To get a feel for the technical requirements for this incredibly low-touch production, please find the stage plot and inputs list here.

Set List

To get an idea of what the set list with lighting and sound notes might look like, please find a sample set list from a past performance here.

A black and white image featuring Laurence Hobgood playing a grand piano on the left, with sheet music visible. On the right, Ben Jones is sitting on a stool near a microphone, arms crossed, looking relaxed. Both are on stage with a curtain backdrop.

Birdland, New York City

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