Lucian Ban is a Romanian jazz pianist and composer born in 1969 in Cluj-Napoca. He grew up in Teaca and began classical piano and composition training at age seven. Ban studied composition at the Bucharest Music Academy between 1992 and 1995. In 1995, he founded the ensemble Jazz Unit, which released two recordings in Romania, including From Now On, which received the award for best jazz album of the year in 1999. Ban relocated to New York City in 1999 to study at The New School. He released his debut studio album, Somethin' Holy, with Alex Harding in 2002. Ban collaborated with musicians including J.D. Allen III, Barry Altschul, and Mark Helias. In 2009, he performed works by George Enescu at the Enescu Festival. His discography included Transylvanian Concert (2013) and Transylvanian Folksongs (2020), recorded with John Surman and Mat Maneri.
