Jimmy Bennington

James Arnold Bennington (born May 22, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American jazz drummer and avant-garde musician based in Chicago, Illinois.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970, James Bennington lived in Detroit, Michigan until 1978 when he relocated to Houston, Texas.

He began music studies on clarinet while attending Elementary School before switching to drums at age thirteen.

Bennington's experience has come from private study, marching and concert bands both middle and high school, work as a sideman, and as a band leader with his group, Colour and Sound.

Early musical experiences include participation in several jazz and blues sessions in Texas throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Bennington studied with Elvin Jones for ten years beginning in 1994 and served as band manager / drum tech from 2000–2002 on tours in the U.S. and Europe.

He resided on the West Coast from 1998-2006 then in Chicago from 2006–present.

Bennington has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America.

He has played and recorded in the jazz and improvised music communities for over a quarter of a century.

In Chicago, he has been an active contributor to the music scene playing extensively with Ed Schuller (Bassist), Brian Smith (Bassist), Fredrick Jackson Jr. (Saxophonist), Samuel Hasting (guitarist), Jim Baker (piano), Mike W Harmon (bassist), Davi Priest (bassist), Steve Cohn (Pianist), Dustin Laurenzi (Saxophonist), Ben Schmidt-Swartz (Saxophonist), and Artie Black (Saxophonist) among many others.

Most notably, Bennington was a featured performer at the 30th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival, Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge, and the Tampon-Galerie in Paris,France in 2008.

Bennington is proudly endorsed by Dream Cymbals and Gongs, Inc.

Bennington's most current release was included in Down Beat Magazine's Best Recordings of 2014.