ISB 2025 Convention Presenter — Ben Thomas

Live from Washington DC, the Joint Force Bass Quartet is The United States military's only jazz bass ensemble! Comprised of bassists from US premier jazz bands, including The United States Army, The Army Blues, The United States Air Force Airmen of Note, The United States Navy Commodores, and The United States Marine Band, the JFBQ represents the excellence of the US military and highlights the strengths of each service in a joint force setting. Armed with original arrangements of jazz standards and compositions, the JFBQ's repertoire spans the jazz canon offering something for everyone. Don't miss the rare opportunity to hear the JFBQ in action at ISB '25!

MSG Regan Brough began playing electric bass at age eleven for his family steel band, Pan Jam. The son of a university percussion professor, Regan was exposed and expected to play in a wide variety of world and ethnic music in his early years. As a teenager, Regan received several outstanding soloist awards culminating at the 2005 International Society of Bassists Convention where he was awarded second place in the Jazz Solo Division. Soon thereafter he graduated from Brigham Young University magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in bass performance.

In 2006 he became the bassist for the premiere jazz ensemble of The United States Army, The Army Blues, a component of “Pershing’s Own” in Washington D.C. He has performed at the White House, the Vice-President’s home, for heads of state, and various military leaders from around the world. Regan has performed with artists such as Tim Hagans, Terell Stafford, Wayne Bergeron, Tim Warfield, Eric Marienthal, John Clayton, Bill Watrous, Dick Nash, Buddy Baker, Jeff Lorber, Steve Allee, Steve Houghton and Conrad Herwig among others. Regan continues to perform actively in the D.C. area and can often be heard with The Capitol Bones, the Ben Patterson Group and on Saturday evenings at The Prime Rib in Washington D.C.

An active composer and arranger, Regan has written for big band, choral groups, various chamber ensembles and orchestrated several works for string and chamber orchestras. He received his MM in Music Composition from George Mason University in 2013.

MSgt Ben Thomas is the bassist of the prestigious United States Air Force Airmen of Note jazz band in Washington D.C. since 2020. Originally from Windsor, CT, Ben joined the Air Force and served at Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, CA, and Ramstein Air Base, Kaiserslautern, Germany. While in Germany, he performed in 23 countries in Europe/Africa/Middle East with the USAFE and AFCENT bands and taught jazz bass at the University of Mannheim. Prior to the Air Force, Ben lived in New York City performing with Tony Malaby, Ari Hoenig, Ted Poor, Clay Jenkins, Ethan Helm, and Owen Broder. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM '10 MM '12) having studied with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark. His recent performances with the USAF Airmen of Note include Walter Smith III, Dave Kikoski, Melissa Aldana, and Pasquale Grasso. Ben Thomas is the jazz bass professor at George Mason University. 

M1C William Ledbetter, a native of Hampton, Virginia, is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in the upright bass. He graduated from UNCG Miles Davis Jazz Studies program in 2019, where he studied double bass and blended jazz with his foundations in the Blues, Gospel, and R&B. In December 2021, Ledbetter joined the U.S. Navy Band Commodores becoming their first African American bassist. Before joining the Navy, he played with The Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra, The Camel City Jazz Orchestra, and the John Coltrane All-Stars. Anyone who has worked with or heard “MoBetta” knows that he is a driving force while performing. His drive and love for music and performance has captured the attention of many world-renowned artists. Ledbetter has worked with a plethora of artists including, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Sean Mason, and many more. He can be heard on Delfeayo's latest album “Uptown on Mardi Gras Day”. He also performed at the historic Newport Jazz fest in 2023 with the Branford Marsalis Quartet.

SSgt Kevin Thompson has been a member of "The President's Own" Marine Band since March 2022. Prior to joining the Marine Band, he was enrolled with “The Orchestra Now,” a full-time pre-professional training orchestra at Bard College. Originally from Fairfax, VA, he received his Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College and a Professional Studies Diploma from The Cleveland Institute of Music, both in classical performance. Kevin has performed with the Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, Firelands Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, National Philharmonic Orchestra, American Festival Pops Orchestra, and Alexandria Symphony. He freelances in all genres of music around the DMV area, both on upright and bass guitar. His primary teachers have included Ira Gold, Nicholas Walker, and Scott Dixon.