Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood
Quick View
Ben Jones & Laurence Hobgood
from $20.00

This project is a heartbreaking, raw, brutally honest representation of what Laurence and I do together. We recorded it live at Skywalker Sound — just voice and piano in the room, no safety nets — and captured the music in real time. Every breath, every chord, every risk we took is right there for you to hear.

The songs are a mix of the familiar and the unexpected: 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Nature Boy, Take the Long Way Home, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, and a few surprises. It’s 75 minutes that moves from whispers to fireworks, tied together as one continuous story.

No matter how you like to listen, we’ve got you covered:

  • Vinyl: 12-inch 180-gram double LP, full-color gatefold jacket with insert — the warmest, most tactile way to experience this duo. When Laurence and I listened to the test pressings from United Record Pressing in Nashville, we couldn’t believe the depth of the sound, compared to the streaming versions.

  • CD: 8-panel full-color digipak — a classic format, easy to play anywhere. Manufactured by Groove House Records in Woodland Hills, CA. We chose Groove House because of their high-fidelity manufacturing processes and their unrivaled environmental awareness.

  • Streaming: Hey, if you’d rather pay $.001 to listen, go right ahead. Everybody’s doing it. Find it on your favorite streaming platform here: https://ffm.to/joneshobgood.OWE

Ships from: Brooklyn, NY (if you order vinyl or CD, chances are I’ll be the one packing your order).

This isn’t just an album. It’s a diary entry, a performance frozen in time, and the closest you can get to sitting in the room with us as the music was made.

Track Listing:

SIDE A*

  1. Love Hurts
    By Boudleaux Bryant

  2. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
    By Paul Simon

  3. Lush Life
    By Billy Strayhorn

  4. This Nearly Was Mine**
    By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

SIDE B

  1. Take the Long Way Home
    By Richard Davies and Roger Hodgson

  2. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
    By Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf

  3. Hejira
    By Joni Mitchell

SIDE C

  1. Feeling Alright
    By Dave Mason

  2. How Deep Is Your Love
    By Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb

  3. Build A Bridge
    By Adam Guettel

SIDE D

  1. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
    By Carole King and Gerry Goffin

  2. Nature Boy
    By Eden Ahbez

  3. I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
    By Stevie Wonder and Yvonne Wright

*Side information for double LP only; CDs contain 12 tracks on a single CD
**Bonus track; LP Only

Manufactured design may differ slightly from images.

Price includes tax and domestic shipping (U.S. only).

New Album

Listen on Streaming
Purchase CD or Vinyl

  • "...a spellbinding partnership that redefines the art of the voice-piano duo."

    — UK Jazz News

  • "...a masterclass in the use of the human voice, the use of space, pathos and timing."

    — Jazz Journal

  • "It's a match made in heaven—a heaven where George Shearing and Mel Tormé are smiling down."

    — Ron Fassler

  • "Unblinkingly intense and intimate"

    — Talkin’ Broadway Sound Advice

Music

  • Ben Jones She Used to Be Mine Alexander String Quartet
  • Jason Robert Brown The World Inside a Frame Ben Jones Brett Strader Andrew Higgins Alexander String Quartet
  • Hackman Dream Cycle Poems of Blake Frost Hughes Henley Ben Jones Alexander String Quartet
  • Stephen Schwartz Beautiful City Ben Jones Brett Strader Alexander String Quartet
  • Jason Robert Brown One Second and a Million Miles Ben Jones Cree Carrico Greg Pliska
  • Jason Robert Brown Wondering Ben Jones Greg Pliska
  • Lilac Wine Ben Jones Nolan Gasser
  • Corpus Christi Carol Ben Jones Alexander String Quartet
  • Ben Jones "Too Late Now" Single Album Artwork
  • Ben Jones singing into a microphone with Ron Abel in the background, text reads "Ben Jones with Ron Abel When I Was Your Man."
  • Digital message bubble reading 'I think we should see other people.' Timestamp 'Read 10:02 AM.'
  • Album artwork featuring Ben Jones and Laurence Hobgood looking at each other. Ben Jones is wearing a light-colored suit, and Laurence Hobgood wears glasses and is writing in a notebook. The title and musicians' names are displayed at the top.

Upcoming Dates

Ben Jones in a tuxedo walking on a cobblestone street between tall buildings in a city.

  • "One of the most unbelievable vocal instruments in the industry today."

    Stephen Mosher, BroadwayWorld

  • "We're still trying to figure out what it is that Ben can't do."

    Michael Tilson Thomas

  • "Ben Jones is EVERYTHING! I cannot think of another male singer performing onstage today who can touch him."

    Lucie Arnaz

  • "First-rate."

    Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

  • "Jones stole the show."

    Joe Cadagin, San Francisco Classical Voice

  • "Ben Jones blew the roof off Town Hall."

    Linda Amiel Burns, Theater Pizzazz

  • "An absolutely astounding, rangy, beautiful, gorgeous, phenomenal voice."

    Michael Portantiere, BroadwayRadio

Portrait of Ben Jones wearing a dark sweater, with light gray background.

Ben Jones is an award-winning singer, actor, comedian, and storyteller whose work spans musical theatre, jazz, cabaret, and classical music. Known for his expressive voice, musical range, and comedic timing, he has appeared in front of audiences worldwide and collaborated with artists including Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Morgan, Val Diamond, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

Ben’s versatile voice has been heard on recordings for the Albany, Naxos, and Delos labels; on A Prairie Home Companion; on the soundtracks for the best-selling video game franchises Halo and Civilization; and in national commercials for Coors Light and Meow Mix.

In New York, Jones has appeared Off-Broadway with The York Theatre in Twist of Fate and Brooklyn’s Bridge, and at special events for Red Bull Theater. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2021 as part of Carnegie Hall’s Voices of Hope festival.

Jones received the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Performance in a Musical for his portrayal of Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game, and earned additional BATCC nominations for Thoroughly Modern Millie (Billy) and Show Boat (Ravenal). Other regional theatre credits include Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson), Follies (Buddy/Young Buddy), Tommy (Captain Walker), and Chicago (Mary Sunshine).

His recent work includes a duo collaboration with Grammy-winning pianist Laurence Hobgood. Their debut album, recorded at Skywalker Sound and released in 2025, was praised by UK Jazz News as “a spellbinding partnership that redefines the art of the voice-piano duo.”

Jones is currently touring and fundraising in support of this project; supporters can follow the fundraiser’s progress and contribute below.