by Jason Ankeny
Jazz drummer Ben Perowsky was born and raised in New York City; as a teen he played behind his father, bop saxophonist Frank Perowsky, before moving on to back everyone from Roy Ayers to James Moody to Rickie Lee Jones. An alumnus of the Lounge Lizards, during the mid-'80s Perowsky also co-founded the avant-fusion combo Lost Tribe, later expanding into indie rock (the Elysian Fields) and electronica (Liminal); in 1997, he formed the Ben Perowsky Trio with tenor saxophonist Chris Speed and bassist Scott Colley. The combo's self-titled debut album followed on Jazz Key two years later. He united with his father, Frank, in 2002 for Bop on Pop, an album also featuring organist Sam Yahel and released on Jazz Key.