Ricky Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 (age 34–35) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | clarinet, saxophone |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Labels | Turtle Bay Records |
| Website | rickyalexanderjazz.com |
Ricky Alexander (born 1989) is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist based in New York City.
Early life and Education
editAlexander grew up in the Washington, D.C. area.[1] He received a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master's Degree in Jazz Performance from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[1] He was initially encouraged toward an interest in jazz by his grandmother. [2]
Career
editSince coming to New York, Alexander has worked as a sideman to artists including Terry Waldo, Glenn Crytzer, Sweet Megg, Dandy Wellington, Danny Jonokuchi, and Mike Davis. He has also played in big bands including Vince Giordano's Nighthawks Orchestra.[1] In addition to leading the Early Bird Jazz Band,[2] Alexander plays and releases music under his own name on Turtle Bay Records.[3] There, with Sweet Megg, he also co-hosts "On The Back Porch,"[4] a web series that interviews and showcases trad jazz musicians working today.
Musical Style
editAlexander's style "skillfully revive[s] the busy sound of jazz in the 1930s, a style that emanated from speakeasies in Chicago and Kansas City and wound up in New York."[5] His playing "hint[s] at predecessors like Ted Lewis and Benny Goodman, but only intermittently; as lead soloist he seeks to maintain, it seems, the lighthearted zeitgeist of each tune, whatever its era of origin."[6] In general, Ricky plays trad jazz and standards faithfully, but with modern influences.
- Strike Up The Band (2019)
- I'm In Love Again (2021) with Sweet Megg
- Just Found Joy, to be released in 2024[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Bebco, Joe (July 18, 2019) "Ricky Alexander Strike Up The Band". SyncopatedTimes.
- ^ a b Doyle, Dave (June 30, 2021) "Sweet Megg and Ricky Alexander Mine the Old to Make Something New". SyncopatedTimes.
- ^ "Our Artists: Ricky Alexander".Turtle Bay Records
- ^ "On The Back Porch".Turtle Bay Records
- ^ Myers, Marc (June 18, 2021) "Sweet Megg & Ricky Alexander". AllAboutJazz.
- ^ Lorge, Suzanne (July, 2021) "Sweet Megg & Ricky Alexander: I'm In Love Again". Downbeat.
- ^ "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify.
- ^ "Photos". Ricky Alexander.
Category:1989 births
Category:University System of Maryland alumni
Category:New York University alumni
Category:Living people
Category:American clarinetists
Category:American saxophonists
Category:American male jazz musicians
Category:21st-century American male musicians
Category:American jazz clarinetists
Category:American jazz saxophonists
Category:21st-century American composers