Ben Tavera King

by Philip KrummBen Tavera King is the founder and manager of Talking Taco Records and its spinoff label, Iago, two of the leading CD labels in the world of Native American and new age music. His musical background is as a master guitarist, lutenist and performer of vinuela, and he has traveled extensively performing and recording. His early albums such as Desert Dreams, Coyote Moon and Turquoise Trail received fine reviews from such publications as Time, Jazziz, and CD Review. He has also composed theme music for PBS programs including the Heritage series and Mujeres con Sida among others. His work has received much airplay nationally on public radio, jazz, new age and alternative music stations. Considered by many to be King's finest album, Themes of Passion was composed for the PBS documentary Los Mineros as part of the popular series, The American Experience. Rich and beautiful, with many passages of brooding intensity, the work combines traditiona Mexican music with contemporary elements; scored for King's trademark nylon-string guitar, marimba, accordion, synthesizers and harmonica, the score explores depths of musical emotion rarely encountered in television productions. (Talking Taco #107)