A versatile and adventurous saxophonist, composer, and producer, with a staggering technical ability, Ben Wendel is one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz. Two-time Grammy nominee and co-founder of Kneebody, he has performed and recorded with artists such as Tigran Hamasyan, Bill Frisell, Terence Blanchard, Moonchild, Louis Cole, Daedelus, Snoop Dogg and Prince, to name but a few. Wendel has earned numerous awards and accolades from prestigious institutions, and his work also spans various scores for film, television and animated shorts. Born in Vancouver, Canada, raised in Los Angeles, CA and now based in Brooklyn, NY, Wendel’s diverse background is reflected in his music, blending a dizzying array of genres, including jazz, classical, chamber, post-rock, pop and electronic experimentation.

Continuing his path of inventiveness and adventure, Wendel has unveiled BaRcoDe, a visionary electroacoustic album for saxophone and mallets. To bring BaRcoDe to life, Wendel assembled the finest cast of vibraphonists and percussionists – Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Patricia Brennan, and Juan Diego Villalobos. As the press release describes, the forthcoming album “embodies Wendel’s restless drive to explore sound as architecture – elastic, collaborative, and boldly futuristic.”

The abundance of riches that is BaRcoDe will see the light of day on March 13th through Edition Records and ahead of it, Wendel has shared the lead single ‘Mimo’, which is named after the Czech word for “outside”. “It can mean ‘outside’ literally, or it can mean metaphorically — to be outside of something,” Wendel explains. “I thought it was a nice word for this piece that shifts through identities and goes in and out of different meters.”

Striking and sumptuous, ‘Mimo’ comes with an accompanying live video, with videography by Nick Hughes, and you can watch it below.