Speakeasy Quartet

Date: Friday, September 5

Location: Upper Ramble, Fayetteville

Time: 7:00-8:30

Free & Open to All

Ben Harris – guitar
Mickie McFetridge – sax
Matt Beach – drums
Ron Pennigton – bass

Ben Harris leads this dynamic group of Northwest Arkansas musicians as they navigate a mix of musical styles including jazz, soul, funk, and R&B. The group covers swinging standards, toe-tapping blues, and hard grooves with a guitar-driven rhythm section and saxophone out front.

Ben is a versatile guitarist whose playing reveals a wide variety of styles and influences. Originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he grew up playing rock and roll, blues, and folk guitar, and later studied classical guitar at Western Kentucky University. He completed his BA in Music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he studied jazz guitar and composition. For many years, Ben lived in Little Rock teaching and performing regionally in a variety of settings including jazz groups, dance bands, rock bands, solo guitar performances, and theater pit orchestras.

He relocated to Fayetteville in 2006 to pursue a Master of Music Composition degree at the University of Arkansas, which he completed in 2008. Since then, Ben has been busy with live performances all over Northwest and Central Arkansas, most notably with the Fayetteville Jazz Collective, Claudia Burson, Full House, as well as his solo guitar work. In addition to teaching and playing, he also serves as the Executive Director for the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA).

Upper Ramble

Fayetteville