Chestnut Hill native Ben Paterson will be performing Saturday, Jan. 16, at Philly's top jazz spot, Chris' Jazz Café.

By Len Lear

A super-talented pianist and organ player, Ben Paterson. who grew up in Chestnut Hill, graduated from Germantown Friends School and has been earning rave reviews all over the country, is returning to Philly with his trio to play at Philly’s premier jazz club, Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St., on Saturday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Among other gigs, Ben has been the opening act for the legendary BB King and for Steely Dan and has played the prestigious Rainbow Room on top of Rockefeller Center several times.

Here are a few comments that are typical of the encomiums Ben has been getting non-stop in recent years: “Ben Paterson is as soulful an electric pianist-organist as exists anywhere,” wrote Frank-John Hadley in Downbeat Magazine.

“On first listen, you can hear why so many people on the jazz scene are singing Paterson’s praises,” wrote Paul Abella in Chicago Jazz Magazine. “His playing is always where it needs to be: one minute sensitive and relaxed, at another moment explosive and muscular, and always musical.”

“Paterson, who looks like a youngster from his photo,” wrote George Fendel, of the Jazz Society of Oregon, “plays with authority, understands the piano bop tradition from note one, leaves space intelligently and swings like a veteran. This is the essence of swinging, in the pocket, piano trio jazz.”

And in addition to his extraordinary musical talent, according to a family friend, Margie Gleit, of Ambler, “Ben is a genuinely kind, fine, bright, awesome young man.”

The jazz master, 33, grew up on Mermaid Lane just a couple blocks west of Germantown Avenue. “It was a great place to grow up,” Ben told us last week, “having Germantown Avenue close by but also being able to bike down to the Wissahickon or over to Pastorius Park.

“Having all of that to explore was pretty special. I don't think most kids growing up in an urban environment are fortunate enough to have all that. I think my three favorite places to go on Germantown Avenue were Zatzman's Music, Chestnut Hill Hobbies and TLA Video, all gone now unfortunately. The neighborhood is still beautiful, though! I come back several times a year to visit my parents, who now live in East Mt. Airy.”

Ben took classical piano lessons from age 6 until the end of high school, most notably at Settlement Music School in Germantown, where his piano teacher was Linda Reichert. He also took some jazz lessons from a pianist named Jim Dell'Orefice.

After graduating from GFS, Ben went to the University of Chicago from 2000 to 2004, earning a Political Science degree. But being there also put Ben right on the south side of Chicago, a rich area for jazz and blues, and Ben soon found himself sneaking away every night he could, sitting in at jam sessions and getting to know some players on the scene there.

By his last year of college, Ben was playing pretty consistently at jazz jam sessions around Chicago and was starting to get called for gigs. “When I graduated,” he explained, “I said to myself, ‘Well, now's the time to give this a shot!’ So I found a cheap apartment and put myself out there as a full-time freelance jazz pianist. I'd already built up a decent network of contacts over the last year or two, and my rent was cheap, so right away I was able to support myself just by playing music, which I thought was pretty amazing at the time.”

Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson were the first pianists Ben was into; then came other jazz legends like Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, etc. He also listened often to Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. “I have to thank my older brother John for introducing me to a lot of that stuff,” he said.

Which performers he has played with impressed Ben the most as people and as musicians? “I worked for years with a great saxophonist in Chicago, Von Freeman, who was an amazing player and just a beautiful guy,” said Ben. “He was really good to me. I remember my first gig with him — when I was 24 and he was 84! He let me call the first three songs of the set just to make me feel comfortable. Not many older guys would do that! He also really taught me to use my ears instead of relying on sheet music. He would often start playing songs during a show that I'd never heard in my life, so I either had to figure them out on the spot or look pretty foolish.”

How does one embark on a career in music, knowing that most musicians, especially jazz players, struggle just to pay the rent? “First,” Ben replied, “you really have to love it. Going into music for the sake of anything other than the sheer love of playing, in my opinion, isn't a great idea. It's certainly not an easy road as far as making a living.

“The first step is to seek out and find musicians who are playing the music you want to play, get to know them and see how they're able to put it together. These days a lot of young musicians, jazz players in particular, are coming up through educational institutions, college music programs, etc. These can teach you a lot, but ultimately the only way to learn this music and make a career out of it is to get to know the guys who are doing it, work on your craft, have yourself together professionally and personally and show that you can handle it.”

Ben usually only practices about one hour a day, but he is out gigging/playing just about every night, so he still gets four or five hours of playing most days. “And as a self-employed person,” he pointed out, “I also have to do tons of other stuff, writing emails, updating my website, calling clubs, booking gigs, etc.  It's a job that requires lots of different skills, not just playing, unfortunately.”

Ben has played at festivals before thousands of people and for a half-dozen people in a basement dive. “Either way,” he said, “the feeling you get after creating something beautiful with other musicians and connecting with an audience is pretty amazing.”

How does Ben feel about the exceptionally laudatory reviews he has received, which could conceivably go to a person’s head? “Good reviews are always nice to hear,” he said, “but I try not to pay too much attention. That way if you get a bad one you, don't sweat it too much. I'm usually my own biggest critic.”

Paterson, who is single, still loves Philly but now lives in New York City because “the best musicians from all over the world come here to play, so you have to be on top of your game. It can be intimidating to many, but if you feel strong in your own playing and in who you are as a person, if offers endless opportunities to hear and work with the best of the best. Once you get a taste of that, it's hard to go back.”

For more information about Saturday’s gig, call 215-568-3131 or visit www.benpaterson.com