Bassist Benjamin Wanicur arrived in San Diego after undergraduate studies at William Patterson University, playing with many local upper echelon of jazz musicians, before moving to San Francisco in 2006.
In the Bay area, Wanicur worked with pianist Mark Levine, saxophonist/educator Andrew Speight and legendary drummer Donald (Duck) Bailey. The bassist returned to San Diego in 2011, hoping to learn how to surf and reestablish himself on the local jazz scene.
In late 2012, he began recording tracks with his Ben Wanicur Quartet, which includes guitar virtuoso Peter Sprague, tenor saxophonist Ian Tordella, and young drum phenomenon Charlie Weller, back in San Diego after earning a degree from the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston.
The resultant full-length the Excluded Middle was released in May 2013, featuring guest Brad Steinwehe's flugelhorn gracing the smoldering ballad “Hello Goodbye Hello.”