FirstLadyB | Connecting Faith and Hollywood
Platinum-selling gospel jazz pianist, and pastor, Ben Tankard is back with new music!
Tankard independently released his latest instrumental album, RISE! on Friday. Having released gospel jazz music for nearly three decades, Tankard promises some of his best work yet on RISE!
“I am super excited about this record because I was able to instrumentally remake three time-honored classics that have been true to my heart for years,” says Tankard.
Those classics include the 1980’s cult classic instrumental song, “Rise,” by nine-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert. Tankard’s remake of “Rise” features saxophonist Marion Meadows and is the first smooth jazz single from the album and is already making waves as Most Added on the Smooth Jazz Chart.
Other classic songs on the album include William Murphy’s gospel hit “It’s Working,” here featuring Kirk Whalum, as well as a favorite by the legendary Williams Brothers, “Still Here,” which marks Tankard’s first recording of a quartet song.
Affectionately known as the godfather of gospel jazz, Tankard was recently inducted into the Stellar Honors Hall of Fame at the 2018 Stellar Gospel Music Awards ceremony in March. Tankard’s honor by the Stellar Awards testifies to his lifetime of achievements in the gospel music industry as an artist, musician, and producer.
