Ben Marcato was born and raised
in Cincinnati Ohio. Before relocating to the Bay Area in 1993 to embark on his
recording and performing career, Ben
earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Guitar from The College Conservatory
of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Describing himself as a “natural”
singer, the self-taught vocalist draws inspiration from personal favorites like
Louis Armstrong, Nat “King” Cole, Ray Charles, James Brown as well
as Sinatra and Chet Baker.
Ben’s touring and recording
band, known as “Ben Marcato
and his Mondo Combo” have
performed at virtually every noteworthy live venue in the Bay Area, including
The Fillmore, The Plush Room, Slim’s, Bimbo’s, Rancho Nicasio, The
Top of the Mark, Red Devil Lounge, Café du Nord and Bruno’s to
name a few. The late, great leader of The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, hand-picked
“Ben Marcato and his
Mondo Combo” exclusively, to perform at his 1994 Valentine’s
Day wedding reception at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon.
Ben Marcato recently completed
his fifth CD “Imagination”, a collection of jazz standards emphasizing
his smooth, evocative interpretations of timeless tunes such as “Someone
to Watch Over Me”, “Embraceable You” and “The Way You
Look Tonight”. New York’s jazz maestro Cedar Walton played piano
and wrote the impeccable musical arrangements for big band and string orchestra
that complement the set of classic American songs. The recording is being marketed
to jazz labels such as Blue Note, Impulse and Savoy.
New projects for Ben include
an all-original album of songs written in the style of west coast cool Jazz
and bossa nova, entitled “Naturally”. In addition, Ben
and his six-piece band return to the studio to begin the work on a new CD of
“old school funk and soul” originals featuring the title track “21st
Century Fox”.
