Isaac ben Ayala

A-one and a-two and a-you know what to do...!
Come on down and swing along with the best ragtime, stride, and jazz musicians in town.

Upper Terrace (at the base of the William Cullen Bryant Statue behind the New York Public Library)

Isaac ben Ayala

Film Recording Artist

"Both segments of this Stroman premiere were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience [and] Isaac ben Ayala was exceptionally dazzling on piano." - NYC Ballet Review

Isaac ben Ayala has performed and recorded with many notable bands and greats - from Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Louis Bellson, Leon Thomas, Frank Foster, David Murray, James Spaulding, Roy Hargrove, and Wynton Marsalis, to the New York City Ballet, The Sultans of Swing, The Donald Byrd Dance Company and Joe Piscipo. He has scored numerous films and can be heard on the piano in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006), Evening (2007) with actresses Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, The Mark Twain Prize Honors - Billy Crystal (2007), Bill Cosby (2009), Carol Burnett (2013), and Denzel Washington’s The Great Debaters (2008). In addition, he was the pre-show solo pianist and show pianist for the Apollo Club in Harlem’s show featuring Maurice Hines (2014 & 2015).  His orchestral arrangement, commissioned by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, of Basin Street Blues (2006), was premiered at The Kennedy Center by The National Pops Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch as Conductor and is currently being performed by orchestras around the world. Alongside David Berger’s Sultans of Swing Big Band, Isaac was featured in an extended onstage piano solo performance throughout Susan Stroman’s NYC Ballet debut of For The Love of Duke (Lincoln Center, NYC).

Isaac ben Ayala received his Bachelor of Music from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1991 and was the last Principal Accompanist for The Boys Choir of Harlem (2005-2007), Dr. Walter J. Turnbull, Director. He was Music Director at The Fourth Presbyterian Church (Bronx, NY) (2010-16) and currently serves in that same capacity for The New Rochelle United Methodist Church (New Rochelle, NY). In January 2020, Isaac released his debut album Prayer for Humanity with a performance at Birdland Theater and in March performed Solo Piano Concerts opening for - and collaborating with - pop band Arcade Fire at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC.