A Massachusetts native, Falkoff honed his passion for music from an early age, studying piano and drums before ultimately discovering guitar as a teenager. Struck by the raw power of guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Mark Knopfler, Falkoff learned to play on the blues, and quickly began performing at local clubs while still in high school. His appreciation for the spontaneous and improvisatory nature of the music led him on a path through many other genres including jazz, fusion, and funk.

 

Falkoff continued his musical pursuits at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied with Jeff Holmes, Bob Ferrier, Tom Giampietro, and Felipe Salles among many other great faculty, and accompanied jazz behemoths such as Randy Brecker, David Liebman, and Sheila Jordan during his years in the award winning UMass Jazz Ensemble 1. Falkoff has Bachelor of Music in Jazz & African-American Music Studies and a Master of Music in Jazz Composition & Arranging from UMass.

 

While in college, Falkoff co-founded, wrote songs for, and played lead guitar in Kids on a Hill, a 10 piece funk/soul band based in Amherst. With the Kids, he has performed along side such artists as The Soul Rebels, B.o.B., and Pretty Lights, and played in many of the biggest rooms in Northampton and Boston.

 

Currently working on his forthcoming Hoarders of Magnitude EP, Falkoff maintains an active schedule of gigs, recording sessions, and teaching. A partial list of the artists and ensembles he's performed and/or recorded with includes Patrick Tobin & the Dry Martini Orchestra, Dan Prindle, Ryan Hollander, Nate Martel, Steve Lipman, Smack My Bishop, Ali McGuirk, and renowned Steely Dan-tribute East Aja. As a bandleader, he performs with the Ben Falkoff Quartet, the Hoarders of Magnitude, and Jazz², a project exploring the unique dynamics of the jazz duo.

 

As a writer, Falkoff cites his greatest influences as Brian Blade, Pat Metheny, D'Angelo, and Elliott Smith.