CD: Planetarium

Although guitarist Ben Monder's musical universe is vast, the paths to his acoustic galaxies are rather lonely and arduous. Monder takes a long time to create his unique, stunning recordings, as practicing, shaping and arranging can take years. His latest recording, Planetarium, is a magnificent work of art that shows the full breadth of his vision as a composer and craftsman.
Monder is known for his great guitar contributions to a variety of artists including David Bowie, Maria Schneider, Guillermo Klein and more recently as a member of The Bad Plus. While he is most celebrated for these contributions, his own projects deserve equal attention as they are personal, large-scale works utilizing a select group of trusted collaborators.
The genesis of Planetarium began in 2014, when Monder received a grant from The Shifting Foundation to write and record an album. While that project eventually took a different direction, work on this project would continue for the next ten years. When the pandemic broke out, work was put into high gear as there were few distractions for composing and practicing. During this time, Monder also received a commission for the ambitious piece "Ataraxia".