Ben Marc

Biography

Ben Marc, the stage name of Neil Charles, was born in Birmingham, England, and spent time growing up between there and Carriacou in the Caribbean. Starting classical music lessons at age 10 in Birmingham, he was exposed to diverse influences: guitar from soca street performers in Carriacou, Bob Marley from his father, Blondie from his mother, and classical music at home. After touring with school orchestras, he moved to London to study classical double bass at Trinity College of Music under Chi-chi Nwanoku, though he faced racial barriers in the orchestral world, leading him to pause playing for four years.[1][2][4]

A pivotal encounter with Gary Crosby of Tomorrow’s Warriors in Brixton reignited his passion, drawing him into London's jazz scene. He played with Empirical, formed the free-jazz trio Zed-U with Shabaka Hutchings and Tom Skinner, and explored electronic influences from club nights. As a versatile bassist and multi-instrumentalist, Ben Marc has blurred genres—jazz, classical, electronic—collaborating across worlds, from Sun Ra Arkestra and Mulatu Astatke to Macy Gray, Amy Winehouse, Dizzee Rascal, and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood on The Master's score. He transitioned into production, releasing his debut solo album Glass Effect to challenge genre expectations for Black musicians.[1][2][3][5]

Now at the forefront of UK jazz as a producer, his album Who Cares Wins reflects his Caribbean heritage, Birmingham roots, and global experiences, featuring collaborators like Kay Young and Speech from Arrested Development. His style defies categorization, drawing from Evan Parker, Common, and Mount Kimbie, while addressing 'glass ceilings' in classical and electronic music.[2][3]

Fun Facts

• Joined Tina Turner onstage once during a performance.
• Took Shabaka Hutchings to his first house and techno night with DJs like Sven Väth and Ricardo Villalobos.
• Played in Sun Ra Arkestra after the original bassist lost his passport; warned 'every man for himself' before first show.
• Volunteered for the NHS while shaping his album Who Cares Wins.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Chi-chi Nwanoku - double bass teacher at Trinity College of Music (classical training) [early 2000s]
• Gary Crosby - introduced to jazz scene via Tomorrow’s Warriors (path to Empirical and Zed-U) [mid-2000s]
• Guitar teacher from New Orleans - early guitar mentor via classical teacher (first tune 'Skylark') [childhood]

Key Collaborators

• Shabaka Hutchings - bandmate in Zed-U, clubbing partner, Sun Ra Arkestra intro (Zed-U, Sun Ra Arkestra tours) [2000s-2010s]
• Tom Skinner - drummer in Zed-U free-jazz trio (Zed-U) [2000s]
• Mulatu Astatke - touring bassist (tours over 10 years) [2010s]
• Jonny Greenwood - bass on film score (The Master score) [2012]
• Kay Young - vocalist on album track (Who Cares Wins ('Homeless Maccabee')) [2020s]

External Links

• Spotify